Program Overview
The Maryland Child and Adult Food Care Program is administered by the Maryland Department of Education under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This program provides healthy and nutritious food to children and adults who are living in daycare centers and daycare homes. The program works by providing meals at subsidized prices to these daycare centers to help them improve the quality of food.
Program Objectives
The main goal of the Maryland Child and Adult Care Food Program is to make daycare centers more accessible by making them affordable to families in need. Families living on a fixed budget cannot afford daycare food and other expenses. Therefore, the CACFP program helps such families to afford daycare centers without compromising the health of their children. This leads them to live a healthy lifestyle by incorporating healthy and nutritious food into their diet. These healthy food items are given daily to the applicants improving the daycare center conditions.
Program Scope
This is different from other food programs as it is for daycare centers and not individuals hence, you cannot apply for the program on an individual basis. The individuals interested in this program have to find a daycare center in their locality that participates in the CACAFP program to avail of the program’s benefits.
Daycare Center Eligibility
It is important to check if the daycare center is licensed by the Department of Health Environment or any other government-backed organization to participate in the Maryland Child and Adult Care Food Program. You can go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to check if the daycare centers are eligible to participate in the CACFP in the state of Maryland.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) establishes the type of meals that are provided by the CACFP in the daycare centers. The meal patterns are,
Program Benefits
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) establishes the type of meals that are provided by the CACFP in the daycare centers. The meal patterns are,
For breakfast, the participants are provided with a serving of milk along with a food that is rich in grains. For lunch is dinner, the meal includes meat or its alternative for people who are vegan or cannot have meat for certain medical reasons. Along with that, the meal contains milk, grain, or bread, and there is an option between fruits and vegetables. For snacks, there is an option to choose from fruits, vegetables, grain, or meat.
Eligibility Requirements
Certain factors determine your eligibility for the Maryland Child and Adult Care Food Program. If you fulfill those requirements you can qualify for the program’s benefits. Those include,
- If the candidate is 12 years of age or younger then they are eligible for the CACFP program
- If the candidate is 15 years of age or younger and a migrant then they can apply for the CACFP program
- Candidates who are within 18 years of age, living in a shelter home, or are part of the Area Eligible Snack Program are eligible for this program
- Children with impaired functioning living in the daycare centers are eligible for the CACFP program.
- Adults who are functionally impaired or are either 60 years of age or older living in an adult day care home can apply for this program
How to Apply
The applicant can use different methods to apply for the Maryland Child and Adult Care Food Program. It makes the whole process very flexible so applicants can choose the method more easy for them.
- To apply via phone call please use the number 410-767-0199. Contact the Department of Education office to request an application form for the program. The application will be emailed to you. You can then return once you fill out the form to get the program’s benefits.
- To apply through fax, the applicant will be required to fax the application form. Must attach the attested copies of the required documents. Send them to the Department of Education office in your locality.
- If the applicant is interested in submitting their application in person, they can visit the nearby Maryland Department of Education office. The representative of the Maryland Child and Adult Care Food Program will guide you through the program details, eligibility criteria, and program benefits.
The application process takes very little time. Once you finish the form you can wait for your confirmation number which will be provided to you shortly afterward. It is advisable to apply before the due date to be able to get the benefits of the Maryland Child and Adult Care Food Program.
For Further Information
For more information related to the Maryland Child and Adult Care Food Program please visit the official Maryland State Department of Education website. It provides complete and accurate information about the program. The above-mentioned website will help you learn more about the program and its requirements related to the application process and eligibility criteria, the program’s working procedure, the types of meals served, and many more.
Additional Resources
Benefit by State is a website providing blogs and overviews of such programs, helping people learn about the support available in their area.
