CACFP Child and Adult Care Food Program

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks served to children and functionally impaired adults in child care homes. CACFP is federally funded program by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

CACFP Goals

• Assure well balanced, nutritious meals are served to participants in care.
• Provide a subsidy for meals and snacks served to children and adults in care.
• Develop lifelong healthy eating habits.
• Foster lifelong healthy eating and physical activity habits.

CACFP Serves

• Children age 0-12 years in child care homes.
• Children of migrant workers, through age 15
• Functionally impaired disabled persons, of any age, receiving care in a child care home where most children are preschool age or younger.

Child Care Home Eligibility

To be eligible for CACFP participation in Iowa, the child care home must have a current Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Development Registration (A, B, C),

OR

be approved by Iowa DHS as a Child Care Assistance (CCA) provider and have a DHS Health, Safety, and Fire inspection.

Child Care Home CACFP Participation

Eligible home providers must be sponsored by an Iowa Home Sponsor Organization. Home Sponsors are responsible for outreach activities, pre-approval visits to explain CACFP requirements, onsite monitoring, providing in-home nutrition related activities for providers and/or children during reviews, reviewing provider CACFP records and claims prior to submission to the Iowa Department of Education, paying reimbursement to providers, offering CACFP related trainings, and providing technical assistance to providers.

How to Apply for CACFP Participation

1. Contact the Home Sponsor for your county.
2. Request to schedule a pre-approval visit.
3. Become familiar with the CACFP requirements.

Providers may claim reimbursement for up to two meals and one snack per participant each day. Allowable meals to be reimbursed include breakfast, lunch, morning and afternoon snack, and supper.