One year ago today, on September 28, 2022, President Biden hosted the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in over a half century. At the conference, the administration called on stakeholders to make commitments towards ending hunger and reducing diet-related diseases. NCA answered this call for action, writing a letter committing to raising awareness of the CACFP.
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A study was published in June of 2023 that found that children with child care-provided meals had lower odds of food insecurity, having poor health, or being admitted to the hospital compared to children with parent-provided meals.
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Can pumpkin pie fit into the meal pattern? You might be surprised to learn the answer!
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Beth Martino, CEO of Three Square Food Bank in Nevada, explained her organizations experience with unnecessary regulatory barriers hindering children’s ability to access child nutrition programs.
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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their eleventh CACFP guidance memo for 2023. The memorandum provides updated guidance on feeding infants and the infant meal pattern requirements and replaces a previous memo from 2018 (CACFP 02-2018). The memo incorporates updated breastmilk storage recommendations, infant formula food safety considerations, and information on crediting grains in ounce equivalents.
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Today, September 19, the Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Greg Landsmen and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici to permanently:
• Increase reimbursement rates by 10 cent for each meal and snack
• Eliminate the tiering of family day care homes
• Allow family day care home providers to claim their own children’s meals for reimbursement
Do you work at a State agency in a position supporting the CACFP? Join NCA’s State Agency Collaboration meeting to earn about the newest NCA resources, hear about what’s happening in CACFP policy, get advocacy updates, and provide feedback about how we can support you.
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Looking for food program training? Delve into a comprehensive range of vital topics tailored to the unique needs of Head Start programs.
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Check out these virtual events coming up at NCA!
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Check out these virtual events happening in July at NCA!
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Looking for food program training? Join us each day for workshops on nutrition, program administration, operations, management, and more.
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Join us as a presenter at the National Child Nutrition Conference in San Diego! We’re now accepting presentation proposals.
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During the entire month of August, every congressional representative will be back in their home state. Don’t miss this opportunity to advocate for CACFP! Showcasing your program is one of the most impactful ways to advocate for the CACFP. Invite your elected officials to visit your site in August.
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USDA released a memo with a second set of questions and answers on the rural non-congregate summer meals option established through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. The memorandum addresses the following topics: State Agency approval of non-congregate meal service; sponsors, site, and participant eligibility; meal service; monitoring; reporting; and general/miscellaneous guidance.
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USDA has released guidance regarding onsite and offsite strategies and options for oversight and monitoring of the school meal programs.
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USDA has released guidance regarding on-site and off-site strategies and options for oversight and monitoring of the Summer Food Service Program.
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USDA has released guidance on when states have discretion to conduct monitoring off-site and what monitoring procedures are recommended. However, all three monitoring visits must still be conducted on-site.
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Many of the waivers and flexibilities created during the pandemic for CACFP operators are expiring soon or have already expired.
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The Child and Adult Care Food Program has new creditable foods listed on the USDA Food Buying Guide! If you are new to the FBG, this interactive tool allows for easy display, search, and navigation of food yield information. In addition, users can compare yield information, create a favorite foods list, and access tools, such as the Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW) and the Product Formulation Statement Workbook.
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The Child and Adult Care Food Program community asked for more Spanish resources to be available on the National CACFP Sponsors Association website and we heard you! Available now in Spanish are more resources to help sponsors and providers with meal pattern requirements, best practices, and so much more!
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Serving meals to young people year-round benefits children, families, and care providers. To do this, many providers transition from operating the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool (ARAS) during the school year to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) while school is out. For an overview of the main differences between SFSP and CACFP ARAS, see the comparison chart below.
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NCA understands that the end of flexibilities will cause challenges for many CACFP sponsors and providers and we commend your continued commitment to providing nutritious meals and snacks to the children or adults in your care. In preparation for the end of the additional reimbursement, we have collected the following resources to help you successfully provide meals even if your available budget decreases.
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The Exhibit A Grains Tool has a new feature that allows users to select their Program and Meal to filter the search results to only creditable grain items for their specific Program.
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CDC created three new fact sheets for Early Care and Education (ECE) providers about Early Child Nutrition and Feeding. The fact sheets offer tips and best practices for supporting breastfeeding families, information about safe storage and handling of breastmilk, and strategies for introducing solid foods.
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Can pumpkin pie fit into the meal pattern? You might be surprised to learn the answer!
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How do chestnuts fit into the CACFP meal pattern?
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What do you need to know about sugar limits in yogurt?
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What documentation is needed to serve deli meats in the CACFP?
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Is full-strength juice creditable in the Infant Meal Pattern?
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How do you know what plant-based foods can be credited as a meat/meat alternate?
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The Child and Adult Care Food Program has new creditable foods listed on the USDA Food Buying Guide! If you are new to the FBG, this interactive tool allows for easy display, search, and navigation of food yield information. In addition, users can compare yield information, create a favorite foods list, and access tools, such as the Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW) and the Product Formulation Statement Workbook.
Read More
The Child and Adult Care Food Program community asked for more Spanish resources to be available on the National CACFP Sponsors Association website and we heard you! Available now in Spanish are more resources to help sponsors and providers with meal pattern requirements, best practices, and so much more!
Read More
Serving meals to young people year-round benefits children, families, and care providers. To do this, many providers transition from operating the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool (ARAS) during the school year to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) while school is out. For an overview of the main differences between SFSP and CACFP ARAS, see the comparison chart below.
Read More
NCA understands that the end of flexibilities will cause challenges for many CACFP sponsors and providers and we commend your continued commitment to providing nutritious meals and snacks to the children or adults in your care. In preparation for the end of the additional reimbursement, we have collected the following resources to help you successfully provide meals even if your available budget decreases.
Read More
The Exhibit A Grains Tool has a new feature that allows users to select their Program and Meal to filter the search results to only creditable grain items for their specific Program.
Read More
CDC created three new fact sheets for Early Care and Education (ECE) providers about Early Child Nutrition and Feeding. The fact sheets offer tips and best practices for supporting breastfeeding families, information about safe storage and handling of breastmilk, and strategies for introducing solid foods.
Read More
A study was published in June of 2023 that found that children with child care-provided meals had lower odds of food insecurity, having poor health, or being admitted to the hospital compared to children with parent-provided meals.
Read More
FRAC has announced a Request for Proposal (RFP) for subgrants for its Equitable Access in Child Nutrition Programs project, supported by funding through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS). Submit your CACFP proposal by October 3, 2023, at 11:59pm ET.
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A study published in March of 2023, examines the impact of child care on the dietary quality of young children, as well as portrays the need for a more inclusive definition of ‘child care.’ Access to high-quality care supports the academic and social development of your children and is important for all families to reduce socioeconomic disparities.
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Participate by July 14 in a nationwide survey of CACFP Sponsors and Providers being conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
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In May 2023, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published a report focused on Child Nutrition Program (CNP) operations during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, March through September 2020, including information on the nationwide waivers that FNS approved for use during that period.
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In April 2023, the Indiana University CACFP Project Team published a study on the barriers, facilitators, and potential strategies to address center-based participation in the CACFP. One of the key barriers to participation shared by study participants included the cumbersome CACFP paperwork. Facilitators to participation included supports provided by stakeholders and sponsors.
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Eleven years ago, Lidia Madrid opened Kidz Korner in Payson, Arizona to see her children and other local children grow up and learn safely in a town where there were limited child care options.
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Shedron Davis is the Founder and Executive Director of Alpha & Omega, and her mission is to empower children to succeed through a healthy lifestyle.
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Jessica Coleman is the children’s day care supervisor and CACFP manager at Generations, an intergenerational daycare in Virginia.
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With experience and credentials like hers, it’s no surprise that the Food and Nutrition Services office selected Andrea Rivera to create a new community food service program at the start of the pandemic.
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Kyle Jackson is an area director of Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County, and a true leader in executing at-risk after school meal operation
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People Attentive to Children Hawaii, PATCH, has a straightforward mission: to support and improve the quality and availability of care for the young people of Hawaii. In fact, this mission is stated so plainly that it could be misunderstood as easy when it is simply direct.
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