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Meal Pattern Minute: Cheese Products

March 8, 2024

What is a cheese product, and is it creditable?

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Celebrate Child Care Providers Serving Nutritious Meals in Your Community

March 7, 2024

Next week is National Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Week! Over 138,000 child and adult care providers serve nutritious meals to over 4.5 million children and adults every day with the help of 24,000 supporting institutions. Join us in celebrating throughout the week.

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Sponsor Spotlight: Alix Pasillas of Food For Kids, Inc.

March 5, 2024

Alix Pasillas is the Executive Director of Food For Kids, Inc. which sponsors 137 child care centers, family child care homes, and adult care centers across Nevada. Learn why Alix thinks Food For Kids is a successful sponsor.

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Meal Pattern Minute: Disability-Accommodated Food from Home

March 1, 2024

If a parent of a child with a disability provides all food components for a meal, can the provider be reimbursed for the meal?

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Upcoming Virtual Events

February 29, 2024

Check out these virtual events coming up at NCA!

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National CACFP Sponsors Association Joins the Conversation at the Food is Medicine Summit 

February 28, 2024

On January 31st, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hosted their first ever inaugural Food is Medicine Summit. Over 400 health leaders joined the summit in Washington, D.C., including President and CEO of the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA), Lisa Mack.

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Celebrate Child Care Providers Serving Nutritious Meals in Your Community

March 7, 2024

Next week is National Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Week! Over 138,000 child and adult care providers serve nutritious meals to over 4.5 million children and adults every day with the help of 24,000 supporting institutions. Join us in celebrating throughout the week.

Read More

Upcoming Virtual Events

February 29, 2024

Check out these virtual events coming up at NCA!

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100 More Scholarships!

February 7, 2024

100 More Scholarships! February 7, 2024 While we have already awarded 15 scholarships to attend the National Child Nutrition Conference, April 22-26, we are thrilled to announce that we’re opening up applications for even more scholarships! We’ll be giving away up to 100 scholarships, which is over $50,000 dedicated to enhancing educational opportunities for the…

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Upcoming Virtual Events

February 1, 2024

Check out these virtual events coming up at NCA!

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Scholarship Recipients Announced for #NCNC24

January 30, 2024

Seven in-person and eight virtual scholarships have been awarded from the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) for the 2024 National Child Nutrition Conference.

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Join the Community in Celebrating National CACFP Week

January 11, 2024

National CACFP Week is March 10-16, 2024. Here’s how you can participate and enter to win fabulous prizes.

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State Agency Review Requirements 

February 26, 2024

USDA released a memo that provides additional information regarding the provisions related to the frequency and number of reviews for State Agencies monitoring the CACFP.

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Proposed Rule: Serious Deficiency Process in the CACFP & SFSP

February 21, 2024

USDA released a proposed rule for updating the Serious Deficiency process in the CACFP and SFSP. The rule proposes updates that would redefines serious deficiency, allows for full correction and removal of serious deficiencies, and extends the process to CACFP unaffiliated centers and SFSP sponsors.

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Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Questions and Answers 

February 21, 2024

USDA released guidance updating their Question and Answer document for rural non-congregate summer meals. Read the updated guidance.

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State agency Monitoring in the SFSP

February 14, 2024

USDA released guidance to clarify the new criteria States must consider when determining with SFSP sites require pre-approval visits. Read the guidance.

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CACFP Sponsoring Organizations: Vital to Getting Nutritious Meals to Children

February 8, 2024

Family child care homes, who are vital to the child care system, especially in rural areas, could lose access to nutritious meals in some states due to the decline in sponsoring organizations.

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FY 2024 Reallocation of SAE Funds in Child Nutrition Programs

February 6, 2024

USDA released a memo providing information state agencies need to conduct the FY 2024 reallocation of State Administrative Expense (SAE) funds in the child nutrition programs (CNPs).

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More Native Foods Added to the Food Buying Guide

September 6, 2023

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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We’re Expanding Our Spanish-Language Resources!

August 2, 2023

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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Program Comparison Chart: CACFP At-Risk Afterschool and SFSP

June 21, 2023

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 Support as Covid-19 Flexibilities Come to an End

June 16, 2023

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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New Feature Available on the Exhibit A Grains Tool

March 22, 2023

The Exhibit A Grains Tool has a new feature that allows users to select their Program and Meal to filter the search results to only creditable grain items for their specific Program.

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New Factsheet for ECE Providers from the CDC

March 16, 2023

CDC created three new fact sheets for Early Care and Education (ECE) providers about Early Child Nutrition and Feeding. The fact sheets offer tips and best practices for supporting breastfeeding families, information about safe storage and handling of breastmilk, and strategies for introducing solid foods.

Read More

Meal Pattern Minute: Cheese Products

March 8, 2024

What is a cheese product, and is it creditable?

Read More

Meal Pattern Minute: Disability-Accommodated Food from Home

March 1, 2024

If a parent of a child with a disability provides all food components for a meal, can the provider be reimbursed for the meal?

Read More

Meal Pattern Minute: Tomato-Based Pizza Sauce

February 23, 2024

Can you credit tomato-based pizza sauce as a vegetable component?

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Meal Pattern Minute: Crediting Bean/Pea Noodles as Meat/Meat Alternate

February 16, 2024

How can you credit pasta noodles that are made from beans or peas?

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Meal Pattern Minute: Lactose-Free Milk

February 9, 2024

Is lactose-free milk also dairy free?

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Meal Pattern Minute: Sugar in Muffins and Sweet Crackers

February 2, 2024

The CACFP has sugar limits for breakfast cereals and yogurt – what about other foods that can be high in sugar, like muffins and sweet crackers?

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More Native Foods Added to the Food Buying Guide

September 6, 2023

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

We’re Expanding Our Spanish-Language Resources!

August 2, 2023

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

Program Comparison Chart: CACFP At-Risk Afterschool and SFSP

June 21, 2023

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 Support as Covid-19 Flexibilities Come to an End

June 16, 2023

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

New Feature Available on the Exhibit A Grains Tool

March 22, 2023

The Exhibit A Grains Tool has a new feature that allows users to select their Program and Meal to filter the search results to only creditable grain items for their specific Program.

Read More

New Factsheet for ECE Providers from the CDC

March 16, 2023

CDC created three new fact sheets for Early Care and Education (ECE) providers about Early Child Nutrition and Feeding. The fact sheets offer tips and best practices for supporting breastfeeding families, information about safe storage and handling of breastmilk, and strategies for introducing solid foods.

Read More

Leveraging CACFP for Farm to ECE

February 5, 2024

When combined, the CACFP and Farm to Early Care Education (Farm to ECE) activities can have an extraordinary impact on children, child care providers, and local communities. FRAC’s report aims to support child care providers to access CACFP and utilize it for eligible Farm to ECE activities by highlighting the mutually beneficial synergy between these initiatives.

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CACFP Indicator for State-Level Obesity Prevention

December 19, 2023

The CACFP is an indicator for state-level obesity prevention. The inclusion of the CACFP as an indicator for obesity-prevention shows that the CACFP is an important, recognized factor for proper development in the earliest stages of life.

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CACFP Important Factor for Obesity Prevention

December 6, 2023

The University of Colorado College of Nursing published their 2022 Annual Report on Achieving a State of Healthy Weight. The report determines how state regulations support obesity prevention in licensed ECE programs. It also highlights state successes and identifies opportunities for ECE regulations to improve support of obesity prevention in young children.

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State Agency Perspectives on Administering the CACFP

December 4, 2023

A study was published in October 2023 by the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health to explore federal and state policies and practices that support or discourage CACFP participation among child care centers. The report approaches: program outreach and administration, barriers that make CACFP participation challenging, and recommendations to expand access to CACFP for eligible providers.

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Untapped Potential: License-Exempt Home-Based Child care Providers

November 29, 2023

A study was published in October 2023 by the Urban Institute to identify major gaps in the CACFP’s coverage and ability to reach children. The study specifically focused on CACFP eligibility for small home-based child care providers who are legally exempt from their state’s child care licensing requirements.

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Afterschool Supper Participation Decreased from 2021 to 2022

November 27, 2023

A report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) found that while participation in afterschool supper remained steady throughout the pandemic, there has been a 23% decrease in participation between October 2021 and October 2022.

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Celebrate Child Care Providers Serving Nutritious Meals in Your Community

March 7, 2024

Next week is National Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Week! Over 138,000 child and adult care providers serve nutritious meals to over 4.5 million children and adults every day with the help of 24,000 supporting institutions. Join us in celebrating throughout the week.

Read More

Sponsor Spotlight: Alix Pasillas of Food For Kids, Inc.

March 5, 2024

Alix Pasillas is the Executive Director of Food For Kids, Inc. which sponsors 137 child care centers, family child care homes, and adult care centers across Nevada. Learn why Alix thinks Food For Kids is a successful sponsor.

Read More

Sponsor Spotlight: Blake Stanford of Southwest Human Development Services

February 26, 2024

Blake Stanford is the President of Southwest Human Development Services which serves over 850 family child care homes across Texas. Learn why Blake thinks Southwest Human Development Services is a successful sponsor.

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Sponsor Spotlight: Laura McCabe of KidCare Nutrition Sponsor

February 19, 2024

Laura McCabe is the Director of KidCare Nutrition Sponsor which sponsors about 115 family child care homes in northeastern Colorado. Learn why she thinks KidCare is a successful sponsor and get tips that might be helpful to you.

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Sponsor Spotlight: Christina Flythe of the Child Care Council of Suffolk

January 18, 2024

Christina Flythe is the Health and Nutrition Director at the Child Care Council of Suffolk which sponsors over 270 family and group child care homes. Learn why she thinks they are a successful sponsor and get tips that might be helpful to you.

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Hmong Reflections on the CACFP 

November 20, 2023

This article by the Hmong American Farmers Association presents highlights of Hmong in-home early care providers’ feedback on the benefits of enrollment, recommendations on how CACFP could work best for them and suggestions for improvement to the program.

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