The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) helps child care institutions and family or group day care homes provide nutritious foods that contribute to the wellness, healthy growth, and development of young children. (CACFP also assists adult care institutions.) Specifically, CACFP provides reimbursements for meals and snacks served to children and youth in early childhood, day care, and after-school settings, and at emergency shelters. To be eligible for reimbursement, meals and snacks must meet federal nutritional guidelines. Over 97 percent of those served by the program are children in early childhood settings.  

FNS administers CACFP through grants to state agencies, which enter into agreements with child and adult care institutions. Eligible participants in day care homes and child care centers include children ages 12 and younger, migrant children ages 15 and younger, and children of any age with disabilities. Children and teenagers ages 18 and younger are eligible for meals and snacks in emergency shelters and after-school programs serving children in areas where at least 50 percent of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.  

Day care homes and child care centers may claim reimbursement for the costs of up to two meals and one snack per day (or one meal and two snacks). After-school programs serving children in low-income areas may claim reimbursement for one meal and one snack per day and emergency shelters may claim reimbursement for up to three meals per day. In day care homes, the after-school programs serving children in low-income areas, and emergency shelters, all meals and snacks are served at no cost.  

More information about CACFP