Program Overview
The Massachusetts-created Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) contributes to the wellness, healthy growth, and development of young children, as well as the health and wellness of older adults and chronically impaired disabled persons, by providing healthy and nutritious food to children and provides meal reimbursement to Adult Centers, Child Care Center, Child Care Homes, At-Risk” After School Care Programs, Emergency Shelters,
This CACFP program is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Emergency Of Elementary And Secondary Education in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There are certain objectives that this program achieves;
- 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 adult day care center component works by providing meals at subsidized prices to adults at daycare centers to help them stay healthy with nutritious food. The childcare component has been designed to improve the diet of children under the age of 12 and help them develop good eating habits.
Program Objectives
The main goal of the Massachusetts Child and Adult Care Food Program is to make meals more accessible by making them affordable to families in need. The CACFP program helps such families to afford nutritious meals without compromising the health of their children. This leads them to live a healthy lifestyle by incorporating healthy and nutritious food into their diet. Those healthy food items are given daily to the applicants which helps improve the daycare center conditions. By participating in this program adults and children get reimbursements for the number of breakfasts, lunches, suppers, and supplements served to enrolled children.
The meals must meet the USDA minimum meal requirements. The Massachusetts Child and Adult Care Food Program managing agencies follow the nutrition standards, rules, and policies set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The individuals interested in the Massachusetts Child and Adult Care Food Program have to find a child daycare center or adult daycare center in their locality that participates in the CACFP program to avail of the program’s benefits. It is important to check if the daycare center is participating in the Massachusetts Child and Adult Care Food Program.
Program Benefits
- For breakfast, the participants are provided with a serving of milk along with a fruit or vegetable or food that is rich in grains.
- For lunch and 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
There are certain factors that determine your eligibility for the Massachusetts Child and Adult Care Food Program and if you fulfill those requirements you can qualify for the program’s benefits. The program serves.
- Children aged 0-12 years are eligible for the CACFP program in childcare centers and family daycare homes.
- Children through age 18 in At Risk afterschool programs and emergency shelters.
- Children of migrant workers, through age 15
- Functionally impaired disabled persons receive 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 daycare settings
Child and/or adult care providers should contact the appropriate State Agency for more information.
How to Apply
The applicant can use different methods to apply for the Massachusetts Child and Adult Care Food Program. It makes the whole process very flexible and applicants can choose the method more easy for them.
- You can get all the information on this web page on how to begin the application process for the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
- You can get access to CACFP Eligibility, Guidance, Manuals, and Resources on this page.
- If the applicant is interested in submitting their application in person, they can visit the Massachusetts Department of Emergency Of Elementary And Secondary Education in their locality. The representative of the Massachusetts 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 and 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 Massachusetts Child and Adult Care Food Program.
For Further Information
Contact information for the Massachusetts Department of Education for further information or visit the Massachusetts Department of Education CACFP web page. It provides complete and accurate information about the program. The above-mentioned web page 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 more.
For further details, please contact the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Public Information Staff at 703-305-2281 or by mail at 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 906, Alexandria, Virginia 22302. Information about FNS programs is also available on the Food and Nutrition Service website.
You can also call at 781-338-6480. Visit Benefit by State for more insights and resources on adoption in Maryland.
