Child and Adult Care Food Program

Program Description

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it more affordable for many low-income families. CACFP serves nutritious meals and snacks to eligible participants enrolled for care at participating day care centers and day care homes. The program promotes the development of basic nutritional concepts and provides nutritious, well-balanced meals fostering sound eating habits that enable participants to become caretakers of their own nutritional habits. CACFP also provides meals to children residing in homeless shelters and snacks to youths participating in after-school care programs.

In addition, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides annually adjusted cash reimbursement to organizations serving meals and snacks to participants receiving nonresidential day care in licensed or government approved adult day care facilities. Independent centers and sponsoring organizations enter into agreements with the CACFP office to assume administrative and financial responsibility for CACFP operations.

See how CACFP can make a difference in the quality of your program. Whether you are a provider

in your home,
at a day care center,
in an after school care program, or
in a shelter,

you will find many useful hints, resources, and contacts at this site. Click below for more information on the New Jersey CACFP. To be added to our Potential Sponsor mailing list, complete the registration form.

Click here to access CACFP CARES Resources

Annual Certification for Approved\Returning CACFP Institutions

OUTREACH & TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

Click here to find out how to enroll in CACFP as an Institution (Sponsor)

Click here to access CACFP Webinar Trainings and CACFP Training Requirements Guide

Additional Training Resources

CORE CACFP Operational Resources & Education

The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN)

Team Nutrition CACFP

USDA’s Team Nutrition resources are for Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators. All materials are available in English and in Spanish, for download and printing, use the links below:

Click here to see Team Nutrition’s collection of CACFP training tools.

CACFP Training Webinars

CACFP Live Webinar Recordings

CACFP Program Resources

Memo Index

CACFP Rates Memo - effective July 1, 2024 (338K PDF)

Family Day Care Rates Memo - effective July 1, 2024 (338K PDF)

USDA CACFP Policy Memos

CACFP Five Day Reconcilliation Memo

CACFP Program Documents

Technical Assistance Forms

a-CACFP Tech. Asst. Frm Cover Page (519K PDF)

b-CACFP At-Risk ATTENDANCE ZONE Verification Letter (164K PDF)

c- CACFP CHKLST. FOR REPORTING CHANGES (161K PDF)

d-CACFP CR DATA COLLECT FORM (121K PDF)

e-CACFP CR Comp. Frm (42K PDF)

f-CACFP CR Proced (58K PDF)

g-CACFP CIVIL RIGHTS SELF-ASSESSMENT (88K PDF)

h-CACFP Field Trip Policy-CCFP (160K PDF)

i CACFP Field Trip Policy-AFP (160K PDF)

j-CACFP Household Contact Procedure (109K PDF)

k-CACFP Household Contact Script and Survey Form (107K PDF)

l-CACFP MEALCOUNTFORM-Required (118K PDF)

m-CACFP MEAL COUNT FORMx - ONE MEAL ONLY (120K PDF)

n-CACFP Meal Duration and Service Times (345K PDF)

o-CACFP Monit. Frm (135K PDF)

p-CACFP Pre-Approv. Visit Frm (62K PDF)

q-CACFP SAMPLE MONITORING SCHEDULE (275K PDF)

r-CACFP Infant Meal Notification Letter to Parents-Guardian (388K PDF)

s-CACFP Sample OutsideEmploy Policy-COVER PAGE (162K PDF)

t-CACFP Sample OutsideEmploy POLICY (176K PDF)

u-CACFP SAMPLE OUTSIDE ACTIVITY APPROVAL REQUEST (153K PDF)

v-CACFP Train+ (94K PDF)

w-Federal Financial Accountability Transparency Act

x REMINDER SAM (37K PDF)

y-CACFP PROP. LETTER OF CERTIFICATION (179K PDF)

z-CACFP-PROGRAM APPLICATION

zz-CACFP PERMANENT Spon. Center Agreement

zzz-POLICY CACFP REQUIREMENTS - INDEPENDENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

zzzz-CACFP APPEAL PROCEDURE

Meal Benefit (Eligibility Application) Forms

2024 CACFP Eligibility Application (258K PDF)

2024 CACFP Eligibility Application - Spanish (417K PDF)

At-Risk After School Program Enrollment Record

CACFP Eligibility Record (176K PDF)

Meal Benefit Form Cover Letter

Meal Benefit Form Translations (33 Languages):

www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Application/Ispeak.pdf
www.fns.usda.gov/other-languages

Family Day Care Homes

CACFP provides reimbursement for meals and snacks served to small groups of children receiving nonresidential day care in private homes that are licensed, registered, or approved to provide family child care.

CACFP targets higher levels of reimbursement to low-income areas, and to day care providers and children most in need. The reimbursements make the cost of day care more affordable for many lower income families.

FDC Technical Assistance Forms

Farm to Preschool

Early Childcare is the perfect place to highlight local products and feature fresh food, agriculture, and nutrition education for our youngest eaters. From taste tests to school gardens, multiple resources are available to help sites and sponsors bring local food to early childcare settings.

More information on Farm to Preschool

Contacts

To learn more about the Child and Adult Care Food Program, visit the United States Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Program home page or contact our office at (609) 984-1250 to speak with the Child Nutrition Specialist for your county area.
Mailing Address:

New Jersey Department of Agriculture
Division of Food and Nutrition
PO Box 334
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0334

Contact Information and NonDiscrimination Statement

Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Department of Agriculture