Congress Increases CACFP Reimbursements and Extends CACFP Area Eligibility

News release from the National CACFP Forum!

Congress passed the Keep Kids Fed Act, which increases reimbursements to child care centers, homes, afterschool programs, and schools, streamlines access to healthy meals for children in family child care by extending the area eligibility waiver, and supports access to summer meals. Child and Adult Care Food Program: Effective June 30th 2022 – July 1, 2023

• Increases CACFP Reimbursements by 10 cents for each meal and snack for child care centers, homes, and afterschool programs. This will help to stem participation declines, support good nutrition, and provide relief for struggling child care to cope with supply chain and cost issues. These enhanced reimbursements will make it more affordable to provide the healthy foods required by CACFP. These healthy CACFP meals and snacks for young children in child care are essential to supporting good health and development.

• Extends the Area Eligibility waiver allowing family child care homes to receive the higher Tier 1 reimbursements through CACFP. Streamlines access to healthy meals for children in family child care homes by extending the area eligibility test waiver. This year, one of the most pressing problems is that schools do not have the income data needed to establish area eligibility. In addition, this test is not an effective mechanism, it misses many providers serving low-income children, especially in rural and suburban areas.

Summer and School Programs:

• Extends USDA’s authority to issue Summer Nutrition waivers through September 30, 2022; meal pattern waivers through June 30, 2022, and non-cost nationwide waivers through school year 2022-2023.

• Increases the school breakfast reimbursement by 15 cents and the school lunch reimbursement by 40 cents.

This is an important first step to provide child care providers, summer programs and schools the additional resources to help them overcome supply chain disruptions; soaring prices for food, transportation, and supplies; and rising labor costs. Permanent improvements streamlining access to healthy meals for all children in schools and child care must also be made through upcoming budget bills and Child Nutrition Reauthorization.