Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

Promoting Nutritious Meals and Snacks in Family Child Care Homes in Virginia

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally funded program to support nutritious meals and snacks for children in child care, including licensed and voluntarily registered family child care homes.

Try out our calculator to see how your family child care home could benefit if you participate in the food program!  

CACFP Resources for Child Care Providers

• Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (interactive web tool)
• Food Buying Guide: Webinar on using the interactive web tool
• Food Buying Guide: Mobile App
• Webinar: The Food Buying Guide Calculator
• CREDITING HANDBOOK FOR THE Child and Adult Care Food Program

• Food Buying Guides for CACFP

• Mealtimes with Toddlers in CACFP

• Encouraging Children to Try New Foods
• CACFP Training Tools
• Team Nutrition Resources for Child Care (Including Videos)

What is MyPlate? It's all about eating healthy!

• Easy & Healthy Recipes
• The 2 Bite Club- A storybook and Coloring Book

CACFP Monitoring & Oversight

• Family Day Care Home Monitoring Handbook

• CACFP Reimbursement Rates, Federal Register post (for July 2026 – June 30, 2027)

*These food reimbursement rates are in effect for registered family child care providers between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027. Rates are annually adjusted -- the next rate adjustments will be announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in July 2027.

The calculator is an estimate based on the # of children eating lunch and breakfast and a snack daily (which the user selects from the drop-down menu). Your actual reimbursement will vary based on a child's attendance (e.g., whether or not they are in your home to eat). Therefore, providers are only reimbursed for meals served to children who have attended that day. 

Snacks

• The Tier I reimbursement amount for each child for a snack is 98 cents. Children can have 1 reimbursable snack and 2 meals (or 2 snacks and 1 meal)

Number of Children

• The reimbursement amounts are calculated based on the number of children in your home for whom you provide paid care and who eat meals and snacks each day (your own children are excluded).
  

CACFP & Taxes:  Family Child Care providers are always better off participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

While CACFP reimbursement is revenue to a family child care provider's program, food expenses are also deductible as a cost related to operating your home business. Often the deduction can exceed CACFP reimbursement.  Learn more here.

FCC & Participation in CACFP

• Brief Overview and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)