CACFP Meal Requirements

·CACFP Meal Requirements·

Constance A. Bettis
District Specialist, Communities, Families and Youth
Cooperative Extension
University of Massachusetts
(note -- the USDA program is now called the Child and Adult Care Food Program or CACFP)

YOU WILL LEARN:

·  about the Child Care and Adult Food Program (CCAFP).

·  how to join the CCAFP.

·  the types and amounts of foods to serve.

THE CHILD CARE AND ADULT FOOD PROGRAM

Licensed family day care providers can join the Child Care and Adult Food Program (CCAFP). The program will help you serve nutritious meals and snacks. CCAFP will also pay you for the meals and snacks that meet the meal pattern requirements.
CCAFP is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. Before you join, you must be licensed and have a sponsor. Your state licensing agency or a support agency can tell you who your local CCAFP sponsoring agencies are.
Your sponsor will give you training in nutrition, food preparation and safety, and the pro-gram record keeping requirements. Sponsors do this by holding meetings, conducting home visits, and sending out newsletters. Your CCAFP sponsor will require that you serve meals and snacks that meet the CCAFP requirements. You must send your sponsor copies of your menus and a count of the number of meals served to the children.
CCAFP will pay you back for three meals or supplements called snacks. This means you can get money back for two meals and one snack or for one meal and two snacks, a per child daily. Your sponsor can tell you how much money you get.
The money you receive from the CCAFP is considered income when you file your taxes. All the money you spend on the children's meals and supplements are tax deductions. Remember to keep all your food receipts! Most family day care providers spend more on food than they receive back from CCAFP.

MEAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INFANTS

BIRTH THROUGH 3 MONTHS
BREAKFAST / 4-6 fl. oz. Iron-fortified Infant Formula or Breast Milk
LUNCH OR SUPPER / 4-6 fl. oz. Iron-fortified Infant Formula or Breast Milk
SUPPLEMENT (SNACK) / 4-6 fl. oz. Iron-fortified Infant Formula or Breast Milk
4 THROUGH 7 MONTHS
BREAKFAST / ·  4-8 fl. oz. Iron-fortified Infant Formula or Breast Milk
·  0-3 tbsp. Iron-fortified Dry Infant Cereal (optional)
LUNCH OR SUPPER / ·  4-8 fl. oz. Iron-fortified Infant Formula or Breast Milk
·  0-3 tbsp. Iron-fortified Dry Infant Cereal (optional)
·  0-3 tbsp. Fruit and/or Vegetable (optional)
SUPPLEMENT (SNACK) / ·  4-6 fl. oz. Iron-fortified Infant Formula or Breast Milk
8 THROUGH 11 MONTHS
BREAKFAST / ·  6-8 fl. oz. Iron-fortified Infant Formula, Breast Milk, or Whole Milk
·  2-4 tbsp. Iron-fortified Dry Infant Cereal
·  1-4 tbsp. Fruit and/or Vegetable
LUNCH OR SUPPER / ·  6-8 fl. oz. Iron-fortified Infant Formula, Breast Milk, or
Whole Milk
·  2-4 tbsp. Iron-fortified Dry Infant Cereal and/or
1-4 tbsp. Meat, Fish, Poultry, Egg Yolk, Cooked Dry Beans or Peas OR
1/2-2 oz. Cheese OR
1-4 oz. Cottage Cheese, Cheese Food, or Cheese Spread
·  1-4 tbsp. Fruit and/or Vegetable
SUPPLEMENT (SNACK) / ·  2-4 fl. oz. Iron-fortified Infant Formula, Breast Milk,
Whole Milk, or Full-strength Fruit Juice
·  1/2 slice Bread or 1-2 Crackers (from whole-grain or enriched meal or flour) (optional)

MEAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN

AGE 1-2 YEARS

**7/2005--it is now required that children 1 year through 2 years receive only whole milk**
BREAKFAST / ·  1/2 cup Milk, fluid
·  1/4 cup Juice or Fruit or Vegetable
·  Bread and/or Cereal:
1/2 slice enriched or whole grain bread or
1/4 cup cold dry cereal or
1/4 cup hot cooked cereal
MIDMORNING OR MIDAFTERNOON SNACK (SUPPLEMENT) / Select 2 of these 4 components:
·  1/2 cup Milk, fluid
·  1/2 ounce Meat or Meat Alternates or
2 ounces Plain Yogurt or
1/4 cup Sweetened/Flavored Yogurt
(Do not serve milk and yogurt at the same snack time.)
·  1/2 cup Juice or Fruit or Vegetable
·  Bread and/or Cereal:
1/2 slice enriched or whole grain bread or
1/4 cup cold dry cereal or
1/4 cup hot cooked cereal
LUNCH OR SUPPER / ·  1/2 cup Milk, fluid
·  Meat or Meat Alternate:
1 ounce Meat, Poultry, or Fish, cooked (lean meat without bone) or
1 ounce Cheese or
1 Egg or
1/4 cup Cooked Dry Beans and Peas or
2 tbsp. Peanut Butter or other Nut or Seed Butters
(To prevent choking, do not serve whole seeds and nuts to preschoolers.)
·  1/4 cup (total) Vegetables and/or Fruits (two or more)
·  Bread or Bread Alternate:
1/2 slice enriched or whole grain bread

AGE 3-5 YEARS

BREAKFAST / ·  3/4 cup Milk, fluid
·  1/2 cup Juice or Fruit or Vegetable
·  Bread and/or Cereal:
1/2 slice enriched or whole grain bread or
1/3 cup cold dry cereal or
1/4 cup hot cooked cereal
MIDMORNING OR MIDAFTERNOON SNACK (SUPPLEMENT) / Select 2 of these 4 components:
·  1/2 cup Milk, fluid
·  1/2 ounce Meat or Meat Alternates or
2 ounces Plain Yogurt or
1/4 cup Sweetened/Flavored Yogurt
(Do not serve milk and yogurt at the same snack time.)
·  1/2 cup Juice or Fruit or Vegetable
·  Bread and/or Cereal:
1/2 slice enriched or whole grain bread or
1/3 cup cold dry cereal or
1/4 cup hot cooked cereal
LUNCH OR SUPPER / ·  3/4 cup Milk, fluid
·  Meat or Meat Alternate:
1-1/2 ounces Meat, Poultry, or Fish, cooked (lean meat without bone) or
1-1/2 ounce Cheese or
1 Egg or
3/8 cup Cooked Dry Beans and Peas or
3 tbsp. Peanut Butter or other Nut or Seed Butters
3/4 ounce Nuts and/or Seeds
(To prevent choking, do not serve whole seeds and nuts to preschoolers.)
·  1/2 cup (total) Vegetables and/or Fruits (two or more)
·  Bread or Bread Alternate:
1/2 slice enriched or whole grain bread

AGE 6-12 YEARS

BREAKFAST / ·  1 cup Milk, fluid
·  1/2 cup Juice or Fruit or Vegetable
·  Bread and/or Cereal:
1 slice enriched or whole grain bread or
3/4 cup cold dry cereal or
1/2 cup hot cooked cereal
MIDMORNING OR MIDAFTERNOON SNACK (SUPPLEMENT) / Select 2 of these 4 components:
·  1 cup Milk, fluid
·  1 ounce Meat or Meat Alternates or
4 ounces Plain Yogurt or
1/2 cup Sweetened/Flavored Yogurt
(Do not serve milk and yogurt at the same snack time.)
·  3/4 cup Juice or Fruit or Vegetable
·  Bread and/or Cereal:
1 slice enriched or whole grain bread or
3/4 cup cold dry cereal or
1/2 cup hot cooked cereal
LUNCH OR SUPPER / ·  1 cup Milk, fluid
·  Meat or Meat Alternate:
2 ounces Meat, Poultry, or Fish, cooked (lean meat without bone) or
2 ounce Cheese or
1 Egg or
1/2 cup Cooked Dry Beans and Peas or
1/4 cup Peanut Butter or other Nut or Seed Butters
1 ounce Nuts and/or Seeds
·  3/4 cup (total) Vegetables and/or Fruits (two or more)
·  Bread or Bread Alternate:
1 slice enriched or whole grain bread

ACTIVITIES TO DO

Just for practice, write some suggestions for improving this menu. Look
over the meal requirements.

BREAKFAST: / LUNCH: / SNACK:
·  milk
·  apple juice
·  eggs / ·  macaroni and cheese
·  bread and butter
·  chocolate cookie
·  apple juice / ·  100% juice pop
·  milk

RESOURCES TO EXPLORE

Call your local Cooperative Extension office to find out about the free and low cost programs and booklets available on childhood nutrition. Cooperative Extension is listed under state or county government in your telephone directory. Also, call your local CCAFP sponsors to get more information on the program and what is offered.
Your local library and bookstore have books on nutrition for children.

*Creative Food Experiences for Children* by Mary Goodwin and Gerry Pollen (Center for Public Service in the Public Interest, Washington, D.C.) has lots of recipes that will help children learn about food. *Feed Me I'm Yours* by Vicki Lansky (Simon and Schuster, New York, N. Y. 1986 revised edition) also has many recipes and ideas for snacks and meals.
~DOCUMENT USE/COPYRIGHT~
National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Part of CYFERNET, the National Extension Service Children Youth and Family Educational Research Network. Permission is granted to reproduce these materials in whole or in part for educational purposes only (not for profit beyond the cost of reproduction) provided that the author and Network receive acknowledgment and this notice is included:
Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Bettis, C.A. (1991). *Child Care and Adult Food Program*. (Family Day Care Facts series). Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts.

2009 Resources for Everyday Child Care http://www.everydaychildcare.com