What is the Child and Adult Care Food Program?
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) was established to improve the meals and snacks served in child and adult day care programs.
Licensed family child care homes and licensed group child care homes must be in private residences to participate in the CACFP. Home child care providers are reimbursed for nutritious meals and snacks served to children. All child care homes are eligible for Tier II reimbursement rates. A higher Tier I rate will be paid to home providers who live in low-income areas, have low-income, or serve low-income children.
The CACFP is administered by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Building Good Nutrition Through Child Care Homes
What are the Eligibility Requirements?
All family child care homes and group child care homes:
- Must be licensed by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or a branch of the military.
- Must be in provider’s own residence, the private residence of another, or a rented or unoccupied private residence.
- Must participate in the CACFP through a sponsoring organization.
Child Care Home Responsibilities:
- Serve meals meeting program requirements.
- Keep accurate meal count and daily attendance records.
- Keep accurate records of all meals served, including menus and meal count documentation.
- Claim no more than two meals and one snack or one meal and two snacks for each child per day. The child must be in attendance and be served a creditable meal.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Child and Adult Care Food Program
| Meal | Food Chart– Children | Age: 1 and 2 | Age: 3 through 5 | Age: 6 through18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Fluid Milk | ½ cup | ¾ cup | 1 cup |
| Vegetable or Fruit or both | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ½ cup | |
| Grain | ½ oz. eq. | ½ oz. eq. | 1 oz. eq. | |
| Snack (Serve 2) | Fluid Milk | ½ cup | ½ cup | 1 cup |
| Vegetable | ½ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup | |
| Fruit | ½ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup | |
| Meat or Meat Alternate | ½ oz. eq. | ½ oz. eq. | 1 oz. eq | |
| Grain | ½ oz. eq. | ½ oz. eq. | 1 oz. eq. | |
| Lunch/Supper | Fluid Milk | ½ cup | ¾ cup | 1 cup |
| Meat or Poultry or Fish or Cheese | 1 oz. eq. | 1 ½ oz. eq. | 2 oz. eq. | |
| or Egg | ½ | ¾ | 1 | |
| or Cooked Beans, Peas, and Lentils | ¼ cup | ⅜ cup | ½ cup | |
| or Peanut Butter | 2 tbsp. | 3 tbsp. | 4 tbsp. | |
| Vegetable | ⅛ cup | ¼ cup | ½ cup | |
| Fruit | ⅛ cup | ¼ cup | ¼ cup | |
| Grain | ½ oz. eq | ½ oz. eq. | 1 oz. eq | |
| Oz. eq. = ounce equivalent Infant meal pattern available for children under 1 year of age and detailed food charts for children ages 1-12 are available on the CACFP webpage. | ||||
What Is a Sponsoring Organization?
Sponsoring organizations are nonprofit or public organizations that contract with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). They serve as sponsors for family child care homes. Their responsibilities are:
- Make at least three visits annually to observe meal service and program compliance.
- Check records such as menus, meal counts, and attendance records on a monthly basis.
- Train home providers on program requirements.
- Provide help to home providers in areas of nutrition, nutrition education, food preparation, and food sanitation.
- Determine if the sponsored providers are Tier I homes and determine which children are eligible for Tier I reimbursement.
- Submit claim information on a monthly basis to DHSS – Community Food and Nutrition Assistance.
- Disburse or mail reimbursement checks to home providers in a timely manner for meals served.
Family Child Care Home Sponsoring Organizations
Child Nutrition Service, Inc.
PO Box 999
Smithville, MO 64089
816-343-6009
aubrie@childnutritionservice.com
Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corp.
99 Skyview Road Portageville, MO 63873
573-379-3851 or 800-748-8320
mchristian@daeoc.com
Northeast Missouri (NEMO) Community Action Agency
PO Box 966
Kirksville, MO 63501
660-223-0466 or 800-737-3165 ext. 1030
cwood@capnemo.org
United 4 Children
5501 Delmar Blvd, Suite B520
Saint Louis, MO 63112
800-467-2322 or 314-531-1412
frazierc@united4children.org
Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services
Community Food & Nutrition Assistance
PO Box 570
Jefferson City, Mo 65102
For more information about CACFP:
Visit our website [NEEDS LINK]
E-mail questions to: cacfp@health.mo.gov
Phone: 800-733-6251 or 573-751-6269
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Revised March 2025