4.2.0.3: Use of US Department of Agriculture Child and Adult Care Food Program Guidelines

All meals and snacks and their preparation, service, and storage should meet the requirements for meals (7 CFR §226.20) of the child care component of the US Department of Agriculture Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) (1-3).

RATIONALE

The CACFP regulations, policies, and guidance materials on meal requirements provide basic guidelines for sound nutrition and sanitation practices. The CACFP guidance for meals and snack patterns ensures that the nutritional needs of infants and children, including school-aged children through 12 years, are met based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (4,5) as well as other evidence-based recommendations (6,7). Programs not eligible for reimbursement under the regulations of CACFP should still use the CACFP food guidance.

COMMENTS

Staff should use information about the child’s growth and CACFP meal patterns to develop individual feeding plans (6).

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE

US Department of Agriculture. Child and Adult Care Food Program: best practices. US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service Web site. https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cacfp/CACFP_factBP.pdf. Accessed September 7, 2017

TYPE OF FACILITY

Center, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home

RELATED STANDARDS

3.1.2.1 Routine Health Supervision and Growth Monitoring
4.2.0.4 Categories of Foods
4.2.0.5 Meal and Snack Patterns
4.3.1.2 Responsive Feeding of Infants by a Consistent Caregiver/Teacher
4.3.2.1 Meal and Snack Patterns for Toddlers and Preschoolers
4.3.3.1 Meal and Snack Patterns for School-Age Children

REFERENCES

1. US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Requirements for meals. US Government Publishing Office Web site. https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=9c3a6681dbf6aada3632967c4bfeb030&mc=true&node=pt7.4.226&rgn=div5#se7.4.226_120. Accessed September 7, 2017
2. US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Regulations. https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/regulations. Updated September 7, 2017. Accessed September 7, 2017
3. Lally JR, Griffin A, Fenichel E, Segal M, Szanton E, Weissbourd B. Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Groups: Developmentally Appropriate Practice. 2nd ed. Arlington, VA: Zero to Three; 2008
4. US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Independent Child Care Centers: A Child and Adult Care Food Program Handbook. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture; 2014. https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/cacfp/Independent%20Child%20Care%20Centers%20Handbook.pdf. Accessed September 7, 2017
5. US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of Agriculture. 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th ed. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2015. https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/resources/2015-2020_Dietary_Guidelines.pdf. Accessed September 7, 2017
6. US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Child and Adult Food Program (CACFP). Nutrition standards for CACFP meals and snacks. https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/meals-and-snacks. Updated March 27, 2017. Accessed September 7, 2017
7. US Department of Agriculture, Healthy Meals Resource System, Team Nutrition. CACFP wellness resources for child care providers. https://healthymeals.fns.usda.gov/cacfp-wellness-resources-child-care-providers. Accessed September 7, 2017

NOTES

Content in the STANDARD was modified on 11/9/2017.