New York Child and Adult Care Food Program
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) has been designed to provide nutritious and safe meals to children as well as adults. It also reimburses healthy meals and snacks provided in daycare centers, family day care homes, after school care programs, as well as homeless shelters. It aims to enhance the quality of daycares and is also very budget-friendly for low-income families.
It is funded by the federal government and was initiated by the New York State Department of Health. The department is responsible for approving the programs, outlining the program guidelines, reviewing programs on-site, claiming reimbursement, providing consultation on nutrition as well as training.
The participating sponsors of the program include:
Child Care Centers: These are for children up to the age of 12 years in licensed or registered non-residential settings. They consist of after-school programs as well as Head Start centers
Family Day Care Homes: These have to be licensed or registered or they can also be legally exempt providers. They should also be working in collaboration with a sponsoring organization that is approved by the CACFP.
Community-Based Adult Day Care Centers: They serve adults with disabilities and are required to be authorized by federal, state, or local authorities.
After School Programs: These are for youths up to the age of 19 from low-income families and offer programs aimed at education and enrichment.
Homeless Shelters: Serve children who are residing with a parent or guardian. They are offered meals collectively in a group setting.
All of the daycares that are participating in this program are required to reapply every year. Any organization that wants to participate in the CACFP is also eligible to apply at any time during the year.
Meal Requirements
The New York Department of Health assists providers in creating menus that meet the nutritional requirements for each age group
Ages 1-18
Vegetable
Fruit or second vegetable
Grain
Meat or a meat alternative
1% or fat-free milk
Infants
Birth to 5 months
Breast milk and/or iron-fortified infant formula
Meals can also be claimed if the infant starts solids at this age
6 months to 1 year
Breast milk and/or iron-fortified infant formula
Solid foods
For more information:
CACFP Crediting Handbook CACFP Healthy Meal Pattern (Infants and Children)
Reimbursement
The rates of reimbursement for meals and snacks are renewed by the federal government every year. These reimbursement rates are based on the socioeconomic level of the neighborhood as well as household or provider income. The number of homes that are included in the program is another basis. Sponsors are also required to submit monthly claims to the program.
Child Care Homes
The two reimbursement levels for Child Care Homes include:
Tier 1: The providers that are eligible for these higher rates include those who are serving low-income children or areas. If income guidelines apply to a household, they can also be eligible.
Tier 2: Any provider that is not categorized in Tier 1 is reimbursed according to Tier 2 rates.
Breakfast | Lunch | Snacks | |
Tier 1 | $1.66 | $3.15 | $0.93 |
Tier 2 | $0.60 | $1.90 | $0.26 |
Child Care Centers
These reimbursement rates are based on the household income of children enrolled in the program.
Breakfast | Lunch | Snacks | |
Free | $2.37 | $4.43 | $1.21 |
Reduced Price | $2.07 | $4.03 | $0.60 |
Paid | $0.39 | $0.42 | $0.11 |
Afterschool Meals
The reimbursement rate for this group is $4.43 per meal or $1.21 per snack. Up to one meal and one snack can be served to each child per day.
Income Eligibility Criteria
Household Size | FREE MEALS | REDUCED MEALS | ||||
Year | Month | Week | Year | Month | Week | |
1 | $19,578 | $1,632 | $377 | $16,588 – $23,606 | $1,632 – $2,322 | $377 – $536 |
2 | $26,572 | $2,215 | $511 | $26,572 – $37,814 | $2,215 – $3,152 | $512 – $728 |
3 | $33,566 | $2,798 | $646 | $33,566 – $47,767 | $2,798 – $3,981 | $646 – $919 |
4 | $40,560 | $3,380 | $780 | $40,560 – $57,720 | $3,380 – $4,810 | $780 – $1.110 |
5 | $47,554 | $3,963 | $915 | $47,554 – $67,673 | $3,963 – $5,640 | $915 – $1,302 |
6 | $54,548 | $4,546 | $1,049 | $54,548 – $77,626 | $4,546 – $6,469 | $1,049 – $1,493 |
7 | $61,542 | $5,129 | $1,184 | $61,542 – $87,579 | $5,129 – $7,299 | $1,184 – $1,685 |
8 | $68,536 | $5,712 | $1,318 | $68,536 – $97,532 | $5,712 – $8,128 | $1,318 – $1,876 |
For each additional family member | $6,994 | $583 | $135 | $9,953 | $830 | $192 |
The household incomes mentioned on the income eligibility application are used to sort the households into the free or reduced category.
A dataset has been compiled by healthdata.gov which consists of the names and locations of the daycare sites that are participating in this program. It also includes information on whether the site is Breastfeeding Friendly Certified
For more information about the program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program can be contacted at the following:
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
150 BROADWAY SUITE 650
ALBANY, NY 12204-2719
Phone: 1-800-942-3858 OR (518) 402-7400
FAX: (518) 402-7252
Queries or comments can be emailed at cacfp@health.ny.gov
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