Skip to main content
Resource | Policy Offer Versus Serve and Family Style Meals in CACFP

The purpose of this memorandum is to outline the use of Offer Versus Serve in the adult day care and at-risk afterschool settings, as well as the use of family style meals in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. 

10/28/2024
Resource | Policy Q&As Related to CACFP 11-2021, SFSP 07-2021 Collection of Race and Ethnicity Data by Visual Observation and Identification in the CACFP and SFSP – Policy Rescission – Set 2

This guidance is intended to assist state agencies and program operators of the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program in meeting the longstanding federal requirement to collect race and ethnicity data of program participants.

08/28/2024
Resource | Policy Notice to Beneficiaries and Prospective Beneficiaries

USDA and eight other federal agencies recently published a final rule entitled, Partnerships With Faith-Based and Neighborhood Organizations at 89 FR 15671 (final rule). The final rule amended USDA regulations at 7 CFR part 16 related to equal opportunity for faith-based organizations that operate USDA programs and religious protections for USDA program beneficiaries.

07/01/2024
Basic page CACFP in Emergency Shelters

CACFP is a food program that helps emergency shelters serve healthy meals to children and young people experiencing homelessness. CACFP meals help ensure equitable access to nutritious food for better health.

09/22/2023
Basic page Program Operator
08/31/2021
Basic page State Agency

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally-funded program administered by states. State agencies are responsible for monitoring all institutions participating in CACFP to ensure compliance with meal pattern, recordkeeping, and other program requirements.

08/23/2021
Resource | Training and Outreach Offer Versus Serve in the CACFP

These worksheets can be used to empower Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) providers and operators with the knowledge, skills and expertise to implement CACFP meal pattern requirements.

03/06/2020
Resource | Guidance Documents Meal Service During Unanticipated School Closures

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide updated guidance on the child nutrition program flexibilities available during unanticipated school closures. Schools may face unanticipated closures due to natural disasters, unscheduled major building repairs, court orders relating to school safety or other issues, labor-management disputes, or, when approved by the state agency, a similar cause.

11/05/2019
Resource | Webinars/Videos CACFP Halftime: Offer Versus Serve in CACFP

The CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays webinar series is a set of monthly interactive, skills-building webinars that focus on hot topics related to the updated Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal patterns. 

04/19/2018
Resource | Guidance Documents Providing Child Nutrition Program Benefits to Disaster Survivor Evacuees

This memorandum provides a reminder overview of options available under current program policy and regulation for connecting children and adult survivors, who have evacuated from areas subject to major disaster and emergency declarations, and may be staying in shelters, with child nutrition program benefits.

01/19/2018
Page updated: June 02, 2026