Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal nutrition assistance program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) that funds meals and snacks served to children and adults in qualifying care settings. It operates through a network of state agencies, sponsoring organizations, and individual care providers across all 50 states and U.S. territories. CACFP sits alongside programs like the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program as part of the broader federal child nutrition framework, making it a critical component of the USDA's nutrition mission.

Definition and scope

CACFP is authorized under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. § 1766) and is funded through federal appropriations administered by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. The program reimburses eligible institutions for the cost of nutritious meals and snacks served to participants who meet income or categorical eligibility criteria.

The program covers five distinct provider categories:

1. Child care centers — licensed or approved facilities providing daytime care to children
2. Family day care homes — small residential settings where a provider cares for a limited number of children
3. Adult day care centers — nonresidential facilities serving functionally impaired adults or adults aged 60 and older
4. At-risk afterschool care programs — programs serving children in areas where at least 50 percent of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price school meals (USDA FNS, CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals)
5. Emergency shelters — facilities providing temporary residential care to homeless children

In fiscal year 2022, CACFP served meals and snacks to approximately 4.4 million children and 130,000 adults on an average daily basis, with federal expenditures totaling roughly $4.4 billion (USDA FNS, FY 2022 Program Activity Tables).

How it works

CACFP operates through a three-tier administrative structure:

• USDA FNS sets meal pattern requirements, reimbursement rates, and program regulations.
• State agencies (typically state departments of education or health) execute agreements with USDA, oversee sponsoring organizations and independent centers, conduct audits, and distribute federal funds.
• Sponsoring organizations and independent institutions enter agreements with state agencies, claim reimbursements for meals served, and maintain records documenting participant eligibility and meal counts.

Reimbursement rates are adjusted annually and vary by meal type (breakfast, lunch, supper, or snack) and by the tier or income status of the provider. For the period October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024, the lunch reimbursement rate for Tier I family day care homes was set at $2.71 per meal (USDA FNS, CACFP Reimbursement Rates).

Meal patterns require specific food components — grains, meat or meat alternates, fruits, vegetables, and fluid milk — in minimum quantities matched to the age group served. The 2017 CACFP meal pattern update, implemented under 7 CFR Part 226, increased the emphasis on whole grains, required the inclusion of a fruit or vegetable at each meal, and restricted added sugars in certain foods.

For family day care homes, Tier I status applies when the provider lives in a low-income area or meets household income thresholds, generating higher reimbursement rates than Tier II homes. This two-tier structure is a defining feature distinguishing family day care home reimbursements from those at child care centers, which receive a single blended rate based on the income mix of enrolled children.

Common scenarios

A licensed child care center enrolls 60 children, 38 of whom qualify for free meals based on household income documentation. The center participates through its state agency agreement, claims reimbursements at free, reduced-price, and paid rates proportional to enrollment, and is required to conduct at least one annual administrative review.

A family day care home provider in a low-income census tract cares for 6 children. Because the home's location qualifies it as Tier I, it receives the higher Tier I reimbursement for all enrolled children without needing individual household income applications from families.

An adult day care center serves 40 functionally impaired adults and 15 adults over age 60. Reimbursements are available for breakfasts, lunches, suppers, and up to 2 snacks daily. Adults who are Supplemental Security Income recipients or who meet income thresholds qualify for free meals — a different eligibility pathway than the child components of CACFP.

An at-risk afterschool program operating in a school attendance area where 55 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals may claim reimbursements for snacks served to children through age 18. Unlike snacks at child care centers, all at-risk afterschool snacks are reimbursed at the free rate regardless of individual income.

Decision boundaries

CACFP intersects with, but is distinct from, related federal nutrition programs in specific ways:

A provider cannot simultaneously claim CACFP reimbursements and NSLP reimbursements for the same meal served to the same child. Afterschool programs that operate under NSLP's afterschool snack component in schools are not eligible to also participate in CACFP's at-risk afterschool component for the same service.

Institutions with a history of serious CACFP violations — including overclaiming, fraud, or repeated noncompliance — may be placed on the National Disqualified List maintained by USDA FNS, barring participation in CACFP and other federal child nutrition programs. State agencies are required by regulation to conduct administrative reviews of all CACFP institutions at least once every three years, with higher-risk institutions reviewed annually.

Eligibility for CACFP does not confer automatic eligibility for SNAP or WIC, which operate under separate statutory and eligibility frameworks, though participants may qualify for multiple programs simultaneously based on household income.