If you are curious about family style dining, whether or not you’re currently on the food program, this short booklet will show you all the equipment you need, how to introduce the idea to children and their families, and tips for ensuring compliance with CACFP regulations.
Family Style Meal Service With Children in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (cacfp.org)
|
March 28th, 2024
2:00-2:30 PM EDT
Encourage young ones to share their thoughts and stories as they gather around the dining table- family style. This interactive experience fosters not only healthy eating habits but also helps them learn the art of conversation, where little voices can be heard and cherished. Receive tips on how to make family style dining kid-friendly and discover resources to start conversing with children at the table!
Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS,RDN, LD
Nutrition Education Specialist
National CACFP Sponsors Association
Family Style Dining: Conversations Around the Table – Event Registration (growthzoneapp.com)
CACFP Week is a national education and information campaign sponsored annually the third week of March by the National CACFP Sponsors Association. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of how the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program works to combat hunger. The CACFP brings healthy foods to tables across the country for children in child care centers, homes, and afterschool programs as well as adults in day care.
The theme of CACFP Week in 2024 is eating the rainbow!
When you register for National CACFP Week to let us know that you’ll be participating, we’ll send you a sample menu that focuses on eating a different color of the rainbow each day.
Visit the Campaign Page for resources, recipes, advocacy opportunities, and social media contests!
Like the Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act, this proposal will benefit family child care providers who participate in the CACFP.
It will:
- Provide an additional 10 cent reimbursement for each meal and snack served in the CACFP
- Eliminate the tiering of family child care homes
- Allow family child care home providers to claim their own children’s meals for reimbursement
- Shift the calculation of family child care homes’ reimbursement from “food at home” to “food away from home” to align with centers
Click here to send a letter of support to your representative!
On October 26, the Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act (H.R.6067) was re-introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Congressman Marc Molinaro (R-NY). This bipartisan legislation would:
- Allow providers who are open for more than 8 hours in a day to be reimbursed for an additional meal (up to 3 meals and 1 snack).
- Align the calculation of reimbursement rates for family child care homes with that of centers by shifting to “food away from home.”
- Allow annual eligibility for for-profit child care centers to streamline program operations.
This would make a huge difference in children’s nutrition and providers’ bottom lines.
Read More Here from the CACFP!
Click here to send a letter of support to your representative!
For more opportunities to advocate for yourself and your fellow providers, read about the Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act here!
If you participate in CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) this resource will be helpful for changes in requirements for cereal you serve starting in October 2017. This guide shows you how to check the nutrition facts label and calculate whether a cereal qualifies. There is also a list of approved cereals included.
There are many benefits to getting locally sourced food for your family child care. Buying local supports the community economy, tends to be fresher and healthier, and empowers children and families to make informed food choices. If you are thinking about shifting toward buying more locally sourced food or just want some tips and ideas, this resource from the National Farm to School Network has some great information.
Locally Sourced Food For Family Child Care Tip Sheet
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has some resources available to help maintain healthy eating in your family child care home. There are links and information for adults about how to “Go Further with Food” during National Nutrition Month. There are also resources for older school-age children on the Body and Mind (BAM) page, including these great healthy recipes that children can help prepare.
It is tax season and this webinar presented by the Internal Revenue Service provides helpful information for child care providers about tax related issues including:
- Income items
- Recordkeeping tips
- Business use of the home calculation
- Expense Issues
- Depreciation rules and reporting
- Food Program Reimbursements (CACFP)
This webinar can be viewed using Flash Player or Windows Media and there is also a PDF of the powerpoint presentation available. For more information from the IRS for Family Child Care Providers see the Child Care Tax Center page on the IRS website.
Click here for the webinar.
