If your center serves meals, it may qualify for financial reimbursement for the healthy meals you feed. This happens through a USDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) operation called the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
Because of this program, as of November of last year, over four million children and 130 thousand adults benefited, according to the National Food and Nutrition Service. They received daily nutrition-packed meals and snacks through care centers that helped them grow and succeed.
How do you know if your center’s food program can get financial assistance through the CACFP? Partners in Quality Care of Saint Paul is here to break down the requirements for you.
Requirements for the Food Programs of Child Care Centers and Preschools
If your preschool or child care program qualifies as a nonprofit, it automatically is eligible for financial reimbursement of healthy snacks and meals, regardless of its standing as a public or private business. However, if your center is for-profit, at least 25 percent of the families it serves must be considered low-income.
What is considered low-income is updated annually and determined using the Department of Health and Human Services’ poverty guidelines. Because of this, eligibility can change year after year, so make sure your child care food program stays current. Partners in Quality Care can give you the CACFP training you need to comply with all laws and get the financial reimbursement your center deserves.
After-School Food Programs and Adult Daycares
Programs that offer after-school enrichment for youth under the age of 18 sometimes qualify for financial reimbursement of the healthy snacks they serve. However, the program must serve an area near a school in which at least half of all students are below the poverty line. Eligibility for after-school food programs can get complicated; contact Partners in Quality Care to schedule a consultation and get clear answers.
As for adult day care centers, a center must first care for adults who are functionally impaired and/or over the age of sixty. It must also be licenced and nonprofit. Finally, at least 25 percent of its clientele must come from low-income households.
If all the qualifications above sound confusing, it’s because they are. That’s why Partners in Quality Care of Saint Paul is here to help. We have years of expertise to help you navigate this complicated governmental program. If your child care food program could benefit from financial reimbursement, contact us at 651-925-9344
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