FNS Documents & Resources

As promised at the National Summer Food Service Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program Conference in Baltimore, this memorandum provides a re-statement of the FNS policy regarding the definition of group and family day care homes in the CACFP.

This memorandum follows up on our Oct. 8, 1993 memorandum on day care homes and is intended to reaffirm the policy on rental homes. The memorandum did not specifically address this issue and as a result a number of questions have been asked.

It has come to our attention that several states are allowing child care conducted in buildings which are not private residences to be considered day care homes for purposes of CACFP. This memorandum clarifies our policy on the participation of group and family day care homes.

Section 17(a) of the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) previously allowed the participation of a proprietary Title XX child care center “if such organization receive[d] compensation under such title for at least 25 percent of the children for which the organization provides such nonresidential day care services.”

This Instruction clarifies two issues concerning the staff-child ratios established for child care centers and outside-school-hours care centers in the CACFP regulations (226.6(d)(2)): (1) Are staff-child ratios based on actual attendance or on enrollment; and (2) When children from various age groups are in attendance, how is the necessary minimum number of staff members determined?

This Instruction sets forth the policy with respect to reimbursement of meals consumed off-site under the National School Lunch, Commodity School, and School Breakfast Programs.