Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it more affordable for many low-income families. Each day, 2.6 million children receive nutritious meals and snacks through CACFP. The program also provides meals and snacks to 74,000 adults who receive care in nonresidential adult day care centers. CACFP reaches even further to provide meals to children residing in homeless shelters, and snacks and suppers to youths participating in eligible afterschool care programs. Current Participating Sponsors

1. What is CACFP?

CACFP is the Child and Adult Care Food Program, a Federal program that supports or provides funding, for healthy meals and snacks served to children and adults receiving day care. It plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it more affordable for many low-income families.

CACFP reimburses participating centers and day care homes for their meal costs. It is administered at the Federal level by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Nevada State Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Division in Nevada. Independent centers and sponsoring organizations enter into agreements with the State agency to operate the program.

2. What types of facilities provide CACFP benefits?

Child Care Centers
Family Day Care Homes
Afterschool Care Programs
Homeless Shelters
Adult Day Care Centers

3. Who gets CACFP meals and snacks?

Children age 12 and younger are eligible to receive up to two meals and one snack, each day, at a day care home or center, through CACFP. Children through age 18 who reside in homeless shelters may receive up to three reimbursable meals each day. Migrant children age 15 and younger, and persons with disabilities, regardless of their age, are also eligible for CACFP. Afterschool care snacks are available to children through age 18. Adult participants must be functionally impaired or age 60 or older, and enrolled in an adult care center where the may receive up to two meals and one snack, each day, through CACFP.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, download and complete the CACFP Initial Application.