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Resource | Policy Promoting Stronger Program Integrity and Oversight in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

In this letter, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service urges state agencies to strengthen program integrity in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) by implementing robust oversight, training, and monitoring measures to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.

02/11/2026
Resource | Policy Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 – Promoting Real Food in Child Nutrition Programs

In this program guidance, Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke L. Rollins, strongly encourages child nutrition program operators to familiarize themselves with the key recommendations and consider how the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 can be incorporated into program meals and snacks to promote healthy outcomes and healthy families.

02/11/2026
Resource | Policy Information Collection: State Administrative Expense Funds

This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection for state administrative expense funds expended in the operation of the child nutrition programs administered under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.

09/11/2025
Resource | Research and Data Study of Nutrition and Activity in Child Care Settings II (SNACS II)

SNACS-II studied child care providers who participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. This study found that these providers serve healthy meals and snacks to the children in their care. Children have better overall diets on days when they are in child care than on days when they are not.
 

07/08/2025
Resource | Policy Final Rule - CACFP: Rescission of Obsolete Data Collection Requirements

This rule rescinds an obsolete data collection requirement in regulations regarding the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

05/12/2025
Resource | Research and Data Child Nutrition Program Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic - July 2021 through September 2022

This data collection fulfills states' reporting requirements and describes trends in program participation during the COVID-19 pandemic from July 2021 through September 2022. It is part of an ongoing study series examining child nutrition program operations, repurposed to collect waiver usage and trends in program participation and operations during the pandemic.

03/18/2025
Resource | Policy Child Nutrition Programs: Income Eligibility Guidelines (2025-2026)

This notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals, free milk, and Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits for the period from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. 

03/13/2025
Resource | Research and Data Characteristics of Adult Day Care Centers that Participate in CACFP

Adult day care centers have been eligible to participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) since 1987. The objective of this study is to better understand key characteristics of adult day care centers participating in CACFP.

12/03/2024
Basic page CACFP Best Practices

The CACFP meal patterns lay the foundation for a healthy eating pattern for children and adults in care. USDA also developed optional best practices that build on the meal patterns and highlight areas where centers and day care homes may take additional steps to further improve the nutritional quality of the meals they serve.

08/26/2024
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations CN Program Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic, July 2020 - Dec. 2021

This data collection fulfills states’ reporting requirements and describes trends in program participation during the COVID-19 pandemic from July 2020 through Dec. 2021. It is part of an ongoing study series examining CN program operations, repurposed to collect waiver reports from all states. A previous report in the series detailed waiver usage and trends in program participation and operations from March through Sept. 2020.

04/30/2024
Page updated: October 14, 2021