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Child Care Component

Child with adult icon  What is the Child Care Component of the CACFP?

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides reimbursement for nutritious meals and snacks served to infants and children enrolled in nonresidential group child care centers, outside of school hours care centers, and Head Start programs.

If you are a family day care home provider, visit the Wisconsin CACFP Sponsors Forum to contact the Family Daycare Home Sponsoring Organization located in your area.

What Organizations Can Participate?
  • Group Child Care Centers licensed by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families
  • Head Start Programs
  • Outside of School Hours Care Centers (OSHCC) (Licensed or unlicensed)
    • OSHCC must provide care for school-age children outside regular school hours, such as: before school, after school, weekends, holidays and/or during school vacations. Weekend-only programs are not eligible.
    • OSHCC must be organized for the purpose of providing child care services and cannot be organized primarily for scholastic, cultural and athletic purposes.

Organizations must be one of the following:

  • Private Non-Profit: must have Federal tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service.
  • Public: must be part of an entity recognized as “public” by the State or Federal Government. This includes public schools, public universities and technical colleges, and Indian reservations.
  • For Profit: at least 25% of children enrolled or 25% licensed capacity (whichever is less) must receive W-2 Child Care Assistance (Title XX) or be eligible for free or reduced prices meals.
Eligible Participants
  • Children age 12 and under
  • Persons of any age who have one or more disabilities, as determined by the State, and who are enrolled in a facility serving a majority of persons who are age 18 and under
  • Migrant children age 15 and under
Meal Service

Meals and snacks must meet CACFP meal pattern requirements:

Meals may include breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks. Facilities may only receive reimbursement for up to two meals and one snack or one meal and two snacks per child per day.

  • OSHCC may only serve lunches to enrolled children on weekends, holidays and during school vacations.
Reimbursement

Programs receive reimbursement for claimed meals and snacks. Reimbursement is based on income levels of households. For the most current rates of reimbursement, refer to Guidance Memorandum 2: CACFP Reimbursement Rates.

  • Sites cannot receive reimbursement for meals served to ineligible participants, adults and/or non-enrolled children.
  • Agencies must spend all reimbursement received on allowable CACFP costs.

Join the CACFP

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For information on joining the CACFP, check out the Join the CACFP page.

New Staff to the CACFP

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For information for new CACFP staff, check out New Staff Responsible for CACFP.