What does it mean when we talk about minimum serving sizes in the CACFP meal pattern?
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Today, April 30, 2026, USDA announced the creation of the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) to oversee USDA’s 16 nutrition assistance programs. In addition, USDA announced the reorganization and relocation of all program staff from Washington D.C. to regional hub locations.
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Deputy Under Secretary Patrick Penn of USDA Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services; Tina Fritz Namian, Deputy Associate Administrator with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service; and Alexia Thex, President of the National CACFP Association, recently participated in a site visit to Lulu’s Kids Care, a CACFP family child care home in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Is ultrafiltered milk creditable in the CACFP?
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Over the past three months, USDA has released new guidance, income eligibility guidelines, an updated crediting handbook, and announced Farm to School Grantees. Read on to see what you’ve missed.
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Katie Quinlivan is the Program Director at Yours For Children, Inc. (YFCI), a CACFP sponsor of family child care homes that was founded 1985. Katie, herself, has been with YFCI for almost 30 years and follows in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother.
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The National CACFP Association proudly announces U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as the recipient of the 2026 Friend of CACFP Award. This honor recognizes decision-makers who have demonstrated a strong commitment to strengthening and advancing the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) through leadership, advocacy and meaningful legislative action.
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NCA leaders brought the CACFP story to Las Vegas radio ahead of the 40th annual National Child Nutrition Conference.
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This March, National CACFP Week earned recognition at every level of government, from Congress to state capitals and local districts. The annual education and information campaign, sponsored by the National CACFP Association (NCA), is observed each year during the third week of March and highlights the vital role the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays in combating hunger and promoting nutrition.
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This year’s conference just got even more valuable for registered dietitians and dietetic technicians, registered. The 40th Annual National Child Nutrition Conference has been approved for 24[MN3.1][IR3.2].5 CPEUs in accordance with the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s CPEU Prior Approval Program.
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The National CACFP Association will host Provider Day, a free virtual event for child care providers, on Saturday, May 16, 2026. The event takes place during Provider Appreciation Month and during the association’s 40th anniversary year.
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Late registration is now open for the 2026 National Child Nutrition Conference (NCNC26), the largest annual gathering of professionals dedicated to supporting the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program. Late registration will be available through March 24, 2026. The conference will take place April 13–17, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Today, April 30, 2026, USDA announced the creation of the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) to oversee USDA’s 16 nutrition assistance programs. In addition, USDA announced the reorganization and relocation of all program staff from Washington D.C. to regional hub locations.
Read More
Over the past three months, USDA has released new guidance, income eligibility guidelines, an updated crediting handbook, and announced Farm to School Grantees. Read on to see what you’ve missed.
Read More
The National CACFP Association proudly announces U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as the recipient of the 2026 Friend of CACFP Award. This honor recognizes decision-makers who have demonstrated a strong commitment to strengthening and advancing the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) through leadership, advocacy and meaningful legislative action.
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CACFP ensures millions of children and thousands of older adults and adults with disabilities receive the nutritious meals they need to thrive. The program is well known for the high-quality meals it provides and the long-term benefits it has for children’s health. Less well known, but just as important, is how the health benefits of the CACFP extend beyond diet and branch into physical activity and screen time as well.
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March 12, 2026 The USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides “nutritious foods that contribute to the wellness, healthy growth and development of young children.” Limiting sugar in children’s diets is an accepted recommendation within the scientific community and has appeared in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) since the first edition in…
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The CACFP is administered as a public-private partnership between the USDA, State agencies and sponsoring organizations to ensure nutritious meals and snacks are served to children and adults in care. Learn more about the role of the sponsoring organization in maintaining federal program integrity.
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Behind every CACFP meal is a system of oversight designed to maintain public trust and protect the people the program serves. Sponsoring organizations ensure compliance, accountability and continued access to nutritious meals while providing ongoing technical assistance. Here are resources that explain how program integrity is upheld in the CACFP.
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Exciting news! Head Start programs have an opportunity to access one-time supplemental funds to support nutrition services and healthy eating for enrolled children and families. You can use this funding for staff training on resources and educational opportunities to help your program improve outcomes for children and families and align with USDA requirements – like the CACFP!
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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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What does it mean when we talk about minimum serving sizes in the CACFP meal pattern?
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Is ultrafiltered milk creditable in the CACFP?
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Are black bean brownies creditable as a grain in the CACFP?
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How are meats and meat alternates measured and credited in the CACFP?
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How are grains measured and credited in the CACFP?
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How are vegetables measured and credited in the CACFP?
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Behind every CACFP meal is a system of oversight designed to maintain public trust and protect the people the program serves. Sponsoring organizations ensure compliance, accountability and continued access to nutritious meals while providing ongoing technical assistance. Here are resources that explain how program integrity is upheld in the CACFP.
Read More
Exciting news! Head Start programs have an opportunity to access one-time supplemental funds to support nutrition services and healthy eating for enrolled children and families. You can use this funding for staff training on resources and educational opportunities to help your program improve outcomes for children and families and align with USDA requirements – like the CACFP!
Read More
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 Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) released their Afterschool Supper report that snapshots participation in October 2024. They found that afterschool supper participation has increased and that CACFP represents 50% of the daily participation.
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The Stanford Center on Early Childhood released a RAPID report that looks at how issues of food insecurity and hunger are affecting adults who provide care for young children. Their key finding: hunger is on the rise among child care providers.
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USDA released their second report on the Study of Nutrition and Activity in Child Care Settings (SNACS-II), which follow their first in 2022. SNACS-II uses data from program year 2022-23 to assess how well children’s diets and CACFP meals align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
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A recent study by our partners at Child Care Aware® of America reveals that parents across the nation are struggling to find affordable, high-quality child care. The survey shows that parents are piecing together multiple care arrangements and facing challenges balancing work and caregiving.
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The CDC’s 2025 Early Childhood Nutrition Report gives us a big-picture look at how young children in the U.S. are eating and growing. It focuses on kids from birth to age 5 and shares important facts about breastfeeding, starting solid foods, eating healthy and how states support good nutrition.
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The “Characteristics of Emergency Shelters Participating in the CACFP” study by USDA seeks to better understand the characteristics of CACFP emergency shelters, who they serve, how CACFP fits into their operations, and their challenges with CACFP. The study was conducted in 2023 and collected data from 242 emergency shelters that participate in CACFP in Fiscal Year 2023.
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Acelero Learning Monmouth Middlesex (Acelero) operates eight Head Start centers that serve meals to over 800 children through the CACFP. Food Service Coordinator, Stephanie Manchester, and her team work to ensure that they are providing nutritious meals for all of the children across their eight sites.
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Michelle Buchanan serves as the Food Program Director at the Community Action of Southeastern West Virginia, a sponsoring organization of 65 family child care homes. Learn about her journey in the CACFP!
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Denise Andrews is CEO and Director of For the Children, Inc. which is a sponsoring organization of family child care homes in Oklahoma. Learn about her journey in the CACFP!
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Most people think food banks only provide food boxes for those in need. However, food banks do so much more and may also sponsor one or more federal nutrition programs, such as the CACFP. While most CACFP sponsoring organizations are only responsible for the administration and oversight of the program at their sponsored sites, food banks often provide the meals for their sponsored sites as well. The Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB) is a great example.
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The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs (CTWS) is a sponsor of the CACFP for their early childhood education center that operates a day care program for infants to children aged 3, as well as a Head start program for 3 to 5 year old children. Read about how they operate the CACFP!
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Leah Penna is the President and Founder of FP Assistance, a sponsor of unaffiliated centers and afterschool sites across the state of Texas. Hear from Leah!
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