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.
PL 101-147 provided for additional administrative payments to sponsoring organizations wishing to expand into rural and low-income areas.
The purpose of this FNS Instruction is to provide guidance regarding the number of applications that must be reviewed by state agencies conducting verification of eligibility for free and reduced price meals under the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
CACFP has long been recognized for its nutritional goals of providing nutritious meals to children and helping them establish good eating habits at a young age. Family style meal service provides a further opportunity to enhance these goals by encouraging a pleasant eating environment that will support and promote mealtime as a learning experience.
Sections 226.6 (d) and (e) of the CACFP regulations require that state agencies establish procedures to annually review information submitted by institutions to ensure that all participating facilities meet program licensing/approval requirements.
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.”
Section 226.23 (h) requires states to conduct follow-up reviews when the verification process reveals that deficiencies in eligibility determinations or application procedures exceed certain levels established by FNS.
This Instruction provides policy guidance regarding allowable costs related to the distribution of bonus commodities by sponsors of family day care homes in the CACFP.
This Instruction clarifies those areas in the CACFP regulations where the approval of FNS is required before an action can be initiated. In some cases, the FNS regional office will grant final approval.
This Instruction provides guidelines for determining the eligibility of individuals over 12 years of age with mental or physical disabilities in child care facilities under the CACFP. Note, individuals above age 18 years with mental or physical disabilities are also eligible for participation in adult day care centers participating in the CACFP.