March 12-18 is National CACFP Week, an annual national educational and information campaign sponsored by the National CACFP Sponsors Association designed to raise awareness of how the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) works to combat hunger. The program provides meal reimbursement for healthy foods for children in child care centers, preschools, child development homes, child care homes, before and after-school programs, emergency shelters and for adults in adult day care centers. The program is administered in Iowa through the Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services at the Iowa Department of Education.

The objectives of CACFP are to:

  • Provide a subsidy to eligible child and adult care institutions for serving nutritious meals
  • Serve nutritious meals and snacks to children and adults in care
  • Foster lifelong healthy eating and physical activity habits

The program serves:

  • Children age 0-12 years in child care centers and family day care homes
  • Children through age 18 in At Risk afterschool programs and emergency shelters
  • Children of migrant workers, through age 15
  • Functionally impaired disabled persons receiving care in a center or home where most children are 18 years old and younger, and in emergency shelters serving children
  • Adults age 60 or older or impaired adults of any age in non-residential day care settings

For more information on CACFP, contact Cheryl Tolley at cheryl.tolley@iowa.gov.

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