Deadline: April 23, 2018 Model Comment Letter Form
Let your voice be heard! USDA extended the commenting deadline and we ask you stand with us in upholding the CACFP as an indicator of quality childcare.We urge the USDA to avoid creating additional paperwork burdens and to simplify the food crediting process.
Submit your comment letter here.
February 8, 2018
Summary: NCA surveyed their sponsoring members to gain a more complete picture of food crediting perspectives throughout the nation. We then formulated a comment letter centered on keeping the crediting process as simple as possible for child care providers, recognizing that they do not have a registered dietician on staff. The customary use of an item, Child Nutrition (CN) labels, and whole grains were discussed. Additionally, high protein yogurt should not be differentiated from regular yogurt nor education tied to crediting were discussed. Lastly, our member survey stressed the need for additional resources to assist in food purchasing and the reexamination of certain foods such as tempeh for food crediting.
Full Text: Food Crediting NCA Comment Letter
December 9, 2016
Summary: NCA signs and supports CHN's mission to combat injustice through anti-poverty initiatives. Basic needs are unmet for millions in our nation and can result in severe food insecurity. The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), among many other child nutrition programs, are an important tool to fight this injustice. Our programs are in line with the principles outlined in this letter, Strengthening America’s Values and Economy (SAVE) for All. "Federal priorities must (1) protect and assist low-income and vulnerable people; (2) invest in broadly shared economic growth and jobs; (3) increase revenues from fair sources; and (4) seek savings from reducing waste in the Pentagon and elsewhere. We urge you to sign onto this letter as an organization to support the future of these programs.
Full Text:SAVE Letter
May 23, 2016
Summary: NCA expressed their concern regarding several components of the proposed CACFP Program Integrity Rules that codified portions of the Healthy, Hunger, Free, Kids Act of 2010. An issue of paramount concern was the application of the current CACFP Series Deficiency (SD) process to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the negative impact this could have on participation across both programs. We recognized the importance of addressing the differences between real issues of improper use or abuse of the program and human error prior to program implementation. A secondary concern was the additional regulatory and administrative burdens being proposed with no proven, effective outcomes. Several sections of the proposed rules added burdens that may severely hinder program participation in both the CACFP, SFSP, and possible the NSLP over time. We are committed to the highest level of program integrity possible, but we also urged our Congressional members to reconsider how increased program participation across child nutrition programs may factor into these rules.
Full text: Proposed Integrity Comment Letter
May 9, 2016
Summary: Representing the NCA Board and its member organizations, which include 113,000 family child care providers, and over 62,000 child care centers, Head Start, At-Risk and Afterschool CACFP sponsors and sites across the country, the National CACFP Sponsors Association ultimately support Section 108 of the House Bill 5003 regarding Child Nutrition Reauthorization. Attached is our letter of support which we urged all our members to sign and forward to their Congressional members.
Full text: Comment Letter
April 15, 2015
Summary: NCA supported the efforts of the USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) to update the meal patterns to reflect current nutrition science and provide our children with the best nutrition possible by equipping our providers with current dietary standards. We expressed our concern regarding the need to balance the best nutrition possible with as few administrative burdens as posssible that could impact reimbursement for providers. Working with the Constortium and various stakeholders, we provided a comprehensive listing of recommendations from whole grain requirements to infant meal patterns. Ultimately, we commended USDA for their willingness to make the best possible nutrition standards for our program and listen to our concerns.
Call, e-mail, or mail U.S. state and federal elected officials and government agencies.
DO write a letter to the District Office (State). This is more effective than sending an e-mail or writing a letter to their national office in Washington, DC.
DO NOT send a Facebook message to their page or Tweet them via Twitter. Thousands of messages go through this channels and the chances of your Congressional member or even their staffer seeing your message is slim to none.
DO pick up the phone and call their District (State) Office! They will answer and they will listen to you.
DO NOT expect to speak to your Congressional member the moment you call their District Office. You will be speaking to their staffer, who can then relay your message.
DO attend your town hall meetings! This is one of the best avenues to meet your Congressional members in person. Bring a group, vocalize your organization and your cause.
DO utilize the availability of Congressional staffers at your District Offices. Invite them to your events, into your community, and into the activities you organize. Help them know you and your cause!
DO realize that Congressional staffers run the “ground game.” Help them understand your programs, your concerns, the causes you champion so that when a new piece of legislation or an amendment arises, you will have a point of contact and so will your Congressional members.
Read More: Full Text
Vicki Lipscomb, board policy and regulations chair, meets regularly with a CACFP Community team whose goal it is to work toward reducing barriers to participation by eliminating burdensome or duplicative paperwork. Section 336 of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 directed the Secretary of USDA to examine and report on the feasibility of reducing unnecessary paperwork in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) established a Paperwork Reduction Work Group to review current barriers to participation and to prepare a report of recommendations. This group consists of USDA representatives, State Agency representatives, and sponsoring organization representatives.
Blake Stanford, president of the association, is on the NFSMI CACFP National Advisory Committee where representatives from government agencies, national associations, state agencies, sponsoring organizations, family child care providers, and center directors all have the opportunity to provide input on the current trends and issues and how they impact CACFP Professionals.
Working with its members, NCA is committed to promoting the benefits of the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program which include:
NCA provides a national platform to accomplish these broad public health goals by supporting the USDA’s efforts to ensure that all children have access to safe, nutritious and balanced meals.
Specifically, NCA’s seven advocacy goals include:
Improving child nutrition is the focal point of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The legislation authorizes funding and sets policy for USDA's core child nutrition programs: the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Summer Food Service Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act allows USDA, for the first time in over 30 years, opportunity to make real reforms to the school lunch and breakfast programs by improving the critical nutrition and hunger safety net for millions of children.
An Implementation plan for the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010