What is the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)?
The CACFP is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Nutrition Program designed to reimburse providers for nutritious meals served to children or adults in a day care environment. The program provides reimbursement to child care centers, adult care centers, emergency shelters, family day care homes, and after-school programs for providing creditable meals to children or adults in their care. (Emergency shelters receive reimbursement only for meals served to children.) For the most part, the children served in this program must be 12 years of age or younger. However, there is also an after-school "at risk" program that serves school-age children through the age of 18. The adults served in adult programs must be either functionally impaired or 60 years of age or older in a day care setting. No residential programs, except emergency shelters, qualify for the CACFP.
The CACFP is a federally funded nutrition program authorized in section 17 of the National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1766). Program regulations are issued by the USDA under 7 CFR Part 226. USDA' s Food AND Nutrition Service(FNS) administers the CACFP through grants TO states. IN Georgia, Bright FROM the Start administers the program. |
