Child and Adult Care Food Program
Overview
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that, in part, reimburses child care programs for nutritious meals and snacks provided to young children. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) through grants to states. Meals and snacks are required to meet federal nutrition guidelines. CACFP also serves children residing in participating homeless shelters and after school programs.
CACFP plays an important role in combating food insecurity while laying the foundation for future healthy eating habits. Additionally, knowing that children will receive healthy meals while at child care removes time, financial, and stress burdens for parents.
Top News and Resources
New Report Outlines Current Challenges for Family Child Care Providers
The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) recently released their 2025-2026 Annual Survey Report, which provides a national snapshot of the current conditions of family child care (FCC) providers. …
Reintroduction of Bills Offering Needed Updates to Child Care Food Assistance Program
Access to nutritious food is essential to children’s healthy growth and development, and child care is a prime opportunity for children to receive the nutritious meals and snacks they need …
Bills Offer Needed Updates to Child Care Food Assistance Program
Having access to nutritious food is essential to children’s healthy growth and development, and children in full-time care need multiple meals and snacks throughout the day. With the cost of …
Bipartisan Child Care Town Hall with Representatives Bonamici and Hinson
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The First Five Years Fund (FFYF) hosted Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Ashley Hinson (R-IA) for a town hall to discuss the importance of child care in their …
House Members Introduce Bill to Help Child Care Providers Supply Nutritious Meals to Children
Earlier this month, Representatives Greg Landsman (D-OH) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) introduced H.R. 5569, The Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act. The bill makes important updates to the Child and Adult …
Report: States are Making Progress in Creating Integrated ECE Systems
Last week, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) released a state-by-state report analyzing the integration and efficiency of early care and education (ECE) systems. This report serves as a follow-up to …
