Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal nutrition assistance program administered by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) that reimburses meals and snacks served to children in day care homes and centers and to functionally impaired adults in adult day care centers. Authorized by Section 17 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. § 1766), CACFP reaches approximately 4.2 million children and 130,000 adults per day through licensed child care providers, Head Start programs, family day care homes, at-risk afterschool programs, and adult day care centers. Implementing regulations are at 7 CFR Part 226.

Current Rule (2026)

What This Rule Does

CACFP subsidizes meals and snacks served in licensed non-residential care settings — making nutritious food financially accessible in environments where families leave children or vulnerable adults in daily care. The program operates through a three-tier delivery chain: FNS funds state agencies, state agencies contract with institutions (child care centers, sponsoring organizations, and adult day care centers), and institutions deliver meals to participants.

A sponsoring organization plays a central role in the family day care home component. Sponsoring organizations contract with the state, recruit individual licensed day care homes into the program, train home providers on meal patterns and recordkeeping, monitor compliance, and distribute meal reimbursements to the homes. Each sponsoring organization must demonstrate adequate financial resources and staffing to fulfill this role before the state signs an agreement (§ 226.16).

Reimbursement rates vary by meal type (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack) and participant income level. Centers serving children must document family income eligibility to claim free or reduced-price meal reimbursement rates; those operating in areas where at least 50% of children qualify for free or reduced-price meals may use an area-eligibility method rather than individual income applications. Day care homes use a two-tier reimbursement structure: Tier I homes (located in low-income areas or operated by a low-income provider) receive higher reimbursement than Tier II homes.

CACFP also covers at-risk afterschool care centers serving children through age 18 in communities where at least 50% of children qualify for free or reduced-price school meals — reimbursing snacks and up to two meals per day for enrolled children (§ 226.17a). The adult day care component (§ 226.19a) provides reimbursement for meals served to participants age 60+ or adults with functional impairments receiving care at licensed adult day care programs.

Key Provisions

• § 226.1 — Program purpose and authority: CACFP provides cash assistance to states for the cost of nutritious meals for children and adults in non-residential day care settings; FNS runs the program nationally; state agencies administer it in their states
• § 226.3 — Administration: FNS administers at the federal level; state agencies administer within each state; in a small number of states, FNS has administered the program directly since 1980
• § 226.4 — Funding: FNS annually allocates funds to each state to cover food service costs and administration; states must pass funds through to institutions within 5 business days of receipt
• § 226.5 — Commodity donations: USDA must make donated foods available to CACFP participants under multiple agricultural commodity laws; institutions may receive commodity foods in lieu of some cash reimbursement
• § 226.6 — State agency duties: states must have sufficient staff to train, assist, and monitor institutions; states must expand the program in low-income areas; states must conduct annual unannounced reviews of sponsoring organizations and institutions
• § 226.9 — Rate-setting for centers: states set reimbursement rates for centers at least annually based on family income data for enrolled children; emergency shelters and at-risk afterschool centers receive the free meal rate automatically
• § 226.11 — Center payments: states may only pay centers with current signed agreements; states may allow centers to receive advance payments up to one month's estimated reimbursement
• § 226.12 — Administrative payments to sponsoring organizations: sponsoring organizations that manage family day care home networks receive monthly administrative payments based on the number of homes they actively sponsor (minimum payment per home per month, adjusted annually for inflation)
• § 226.14 — Claims: state agencies must deny and recover any meal reimbursement not properly earned; repayment agreements are permitted, including extended installment plans; states may not continue paying an institution under active fraud investigation
• § 226.15 — Institution eligibility: institutions must be public or tax-exempt unless they are for-profit centers; new institutions must pass a financial viability review before their first agreement is signed
• § 226.17 — Child care center rules: centers may participate directly or through a sponsoring organization; nonprofit centers cannot be sponsored by for-profit organizations; centers must have proper state/local licensure and adhere to FNS meal patterns
• § 226.18 — Day care home rules: homes must hold current licensing or approval; homes without licenses only because of cost barriers may participate with state agency approval; home providers must be trained by their sponsoring organization and submit monthly meal counts
• § 226.19a — Adult day care centers: adult day care centers may participate directly or through a sponsor; must serve adults age 60+ or functionally impaired adults; must meet the same licensure, eligibility, and meal pattern requirements applied to child care centers; reimbursement mirrors the center child care structure
• § 226.20 — Meal pattern requirements: every reimbursable meal must meet age-appropriate minimum quantities for milk, vegetables, fruits, grains, and meat/meat alternates as specified in FNS meal pattern tables; breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack each have distinct required components; meal pattern compliance is a primary focus of monitoring reviews
• § 226.23 — Free and reduced-price meals: centers must have an approved written policy for determining free and reduced-price eligibility before participating; income eligibility forms mirror NSLP standards; area-eligibility sites serving ≥50% low-income children may skip individual applications
• § 226.24 — Equipment: institutions must follow federal property management rules for equipment purchased with CACFP funds; equipment disposition at end of program participation requires state agency approval

How It Affects You

If you operate a licensed child care center or family day care home: CACFP reimbursement can meaningfully offset the cost of providing nutritious meals. Day care homes in low-income areas (Tier I) receive substantially higher reimbursement than homes in higher-income areas (Tier II). To participate, contact your state agency's CACFP office or a local sponsoring organization — sponsoring organizations handle recruitment, training, and paperwork for family day care homes in their networks. The annual reimbursement for a Tier I home serving breakfast, lunch, and a snack to six children every weekday can be $6,000-$9,000/year in federal reimbursement, a significant income supplement for home-based providers.

If you run an adult day care center: CACFP reimbursement for adult day care programs follows the same general structure as child care centers. Your center must be licensed by the appropriate state or local authority and serve adults age 60+ or functionally impaired adults. Reimbursement rates for adult day care meals are set annually by FNS. Contact your state CACFP agency to determine whether your program is in an area eligible for at-risk rate structures.

If you operate an afterschool program: At-risk afterschool care centers in communities where at least 50% of children qualify for free or reduced-price school meals may receive CACFP reimbursement for snacks and meals served after school. This eligibility is site-based, not individual-income-based — your program doesn't need to verify each child's income. Contact your state FNS office to check whether your site's zip code or school district qualifies.

If you're a parent: CACFP participation by your child's care provider signals that the provider has agreed to serve nutritious, federally approved meals and is subject to state monitoring. The program logo or "USDA Foods" indication at a day care facility indicates CACFP participation. CACFP does not change what families pay — it reimburses the provider, not the family.

Statutory Authority

This rule implements:

• 42 U.S.C. § 1766 — Section 17 of the National School Lunch Act: the primary CACFP authorization; directs USDA to operate the program, sets eligibility requirements, reimbursement rate adjustment mechanisms, and income eligibility standards
• 42 U.S.C. § 1758 — Section 9 of the National School Lunch Act: income eligibility standards for free and reduced-price meals, which CACFP incorporates by reference for center and day care home income determinations

Recent Rulemakings

82 FR 56703 (Nov. 30, 2017) — Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Updated CACFP meal patterns to align with the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans — the most significant revision to CACFP nutrition standards in decades. Changes included: more whole-grain-rich foods; less added sugar and saturated fat; enhanced infant feeding requirements; vegetables separated from fruits in meal components; expanded juice restrictions. Implementation was phased over three years.

No major amendments since 2017. FNS updates annual reimbursement rates through Federal Register notices each July, effective October 1 of each fiscal year.

Recent Developments

• CACFP reimbursement rate increases (annual): USDA's Food and Nutrition Service updates CACFP reimbursement rates each July for the upcoming fiscal year, based on changes in the Consumer Price Index for food away from home. In fiscal years 2023–2026, rates increased each year, partially reflecting elevated food inflation post-COVID. However, providers frequently note that reimbursement rates don't fully cover actual food costs, particularly for adult day care and residential child care programs.
• Child care funding intersection (Child Care and Development Block Grant): CACFP meal funding and Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) child care subsidies often serve the same children at the same facilities. Policy coordination between these two programs has been a focus of state administrators working to avoid gaps in low-income family support. Federal pandemic-era CCDBG stabilization funds (from the American Rescue Plan Act) temporarily increased child care center participation capacity, benefiting CACFP.
• Funding freeze concerns (2025): The Trump administration's federal grant review and freeze activities in early 2025 generated concern among child care and adult day care providers dependent on CACFP reimbursements. CACFP is a mandatory USDA nutrition program (not a discretionary grant), making it less vulnerable to discretionary funding freezes than some other programs — but administrative disruptions at FNS affected reimbursement processing timelines at some state agencies.
• Nutrition standard review: USDA periodically updates CACFP meal pattern standards to align with current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The next Dietary Guidelines are expected in 2025–2026, which typically triggers FNS review of meal patterns across child nutrition programs — CACFP, National School Lunch, and School Breakfast. Any changes to CACFP meal pattern requirements would require a new rulemaking.

Pending Action

USDA will update CACFP meal pattern standards following publication of the 2025–2026 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are expected in late 2025 or early 2026. Any meal pattern changes will require a notice-and-comment rulemaking under the National School Lunch Act. Providers should monitor FNS's rulemaking announcements; proposed rule comment periods typically offer 60–90 days for stakeholder input. Farm Bill 2025 reauthorization discussions include proposals to adjust CACFP reimbursement rate methodology and streamline audit requirements for small family day care home sponsors — watch the House and Senate Agriculture Committee markup processes for CACFP-specific provisions.