CACFP Income Eligibility Guidance for Child Care Centers

All children enrolled in Head Start, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Head Start grant award, are automatically eligible for free meal reimbursement in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). This is in accordance with The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-134) and the CACFP Memorandum 07-2008. The Head Start agency is not required to collect or maintain on file an Income Eligibility Form (IEF) for children enrolled in Head Start. The Head Start agency must have documentation available to substantiate the child's eligibility for Head Start.

Head Start Children in Private Centers

Children enrolled in Head Start but placed in contracted Head Start and independent child care centers are automatically eligible for free meals. The independent center must obtain an official list of Head Start children from the Head Start administrative office and use that list as documentation of automatic eligibility.

Even Start Programs Only

Children participating in an Even Start Family Literacy Program are categorically eligible for free meal benefits. This means they can be claimed for free meal benefits without obtaining household income documentation from the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the child. In order for the Even Start child to be eligible for free meals, however, the following criteria must be met:

• The school or institution that is providing the child with Even Start services must be participating in the CACFP.
• The child must be enrolled as a participant in a federally-funded Even Start Family Literacy Program.
• The child must be at the pre-kindergarten level. Once a child has entered kindergarten, that child loses his or her categorical eligibility for free meals. Also, categorical eligibility does not apply to other family members.

To establish categorical eligibility for Even Start children, the child care facility must document the child's participation in the federally-funded Even Start Program. Documentation can include:

• An approved Even Start application for the child's family; or
• A statement of enrollment in Even Start; or
• A roster of the children participating in Even Start.

Confirmation that the child has not yet entered kindergarten must also be included in the documentation from the Even Start official.

When a child is no longer eligible for free meals under the Even Start Program, the child's family must be given the opportunity to apply for free and reduced-price meals using the application materials and IEF provided in this packet. The child care facility is responsible for providing the family with instructions on how to apply for free or reduced-price meal benefits.