In Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) awarded more than 3.7 million dollars in FY 2018 Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Meal Service Training Grants to 38 state agencies. State agencies are using these non-competitive grant funds to provide trainings for CACFP operators on planning and preparing nutritious meals for program participants. Examples of trainings, provided to date, under these grants include:
- CACFP Meal Pattern Requirements
- Crediting Foods in the CACFP
- Culinary Training
- Menu Planning and Cycle Menus
- Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains
- Infant and Toddler Mealtimes
- Food Safety, Special Diets, and Food Allergies
- Record Keeping
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many grantees used technology to their advantage and pivoted from in-person training to virtual formats. Some examples of these trainings include live and recorded webinars, and video shorts translated into multiple languages. Many grantees saw higher than expected participation in these virtual trainings. State agencies also used grant funds to provide more technical assistance to CACFP operators and to provide sub-grants for eligible child care centers.