Posts Tagged ‘Early Care and Education’
Sponsor Spotlight: Lisa Lyons of The Planning Council
Sponsor Spotlight: Lisa Lyons of The Planning Council Sponsor of Family Child Care Homes and Child Care Centers Back to Member Showcase Back to Member Showcase March 16, 2026 Lisa Lyons is the CACFP Director for The Planning Council, a human services organization that provides various services for children and families. Some of their programs…
Read MoreCACFP Improves Diet Quality of Children and Reduces Sugar Consumption
Back to Blog Back to Blog CACFP Improves Diet Quality of Children and Reduces Sugar Consumption 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…
Read MoreBoost Your Program with Social Media
Social media is a simple and low-cost way to share the great things happening in your program. You can post about healthy meals, celebrate staff and children, or show your involvement in the CACFP. This Mealtime Memo from our partners at ICN provides creative ideas to engage with families while promoting the high-quality work your program does every day.
Read MoreReady, Set, Vroom
Our partners at Vroom have created tips for New and Expecting Parents to help them have brain building moments for their selves and their babies during this time of great change.
Read MoreSesame Street Free Print Books & Resources
Our partners at Sesame Street in Communities want to assist in your support of families and caregivers by sharing free print resources to help children continue to play, learn, and find comfort.
Read MoreStories Through Time: Read Aloud Challenge
How often do you read aloud to the children in your care? Reading aloud to young children, particularly in an engaging manner, promotes emerging literacy and language development and supports the relationship between child and parent/caregiver.
Read MoreSponsoring Organizations: Key Players in Ensuring Federal Program Integrity
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.
Read MoreIncorporating Local Beef Into CNP Meals
USDA released a memo outlining opportunities within current CACFP and SFSP regulations for operators to procure and use local beef in their creditable meals. The release of the memo is in response to the 2025-2030 DGA recommendation to prioritize protein foods. The memo does not make any changes to current requirements of the CACFP and SFSP; it simply outlines resources to help operators source and serve local beef.
Read MoreCACFP Early Intervention for Obesity Prevention Among U.S. Children
The CACFP is one of the earliest points of intervention for obesity prevention for young children. The high-quality nutrition provided by the CACFP has been proven to improve diet-quality and reduce the risk of obesity.
Read MorePower Up with Protein
Protein is a key part of a healthy diet. It helps children grow strong by building muscles, repairing tissues, supporting the immune system, and giving the body energy. Our partners at the Institute of Child Nutrition define protein, highlight its importance, and provide common food sources.
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