Training for the Child and Adult Care Food Program

Annual Training Requirements for CACFP Sponsors

Operators are required to complete CACFP and Civil Rights training annually. HNS offers many training options for organizations to complete throughout the fiscal year. All trainings available to contribute to the new training requirements are listed on this webpage and announced monthly in the HNS Events Forecast. 

Please note, there are some instances in which ADE HNS will require the completion of a specific training. In the event that a training is mandatory, the requirement will be announced formally in an HNS memorandum.

Training Plan: This training plan is an optional resource for institutions to plan and track the process towards the training requirements. Operators are responsible for ensuring completion of any training(s) made mandatory by ADE HNS. 

Training Requirements for Program Year 2026 Renewing Applicants:

• **Specific to PY26 Renewal** - Two Mandatory Live Webinars (please note, completion of mandatory webinars contributes to CACFP training requirements)
  • Staying on Track with the Essentials of CACFP for Program Year 2026 (Click here to register) | Thursday, September 4, 2025 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Completion of the live webinar or webinar recording is mandatory for all renewing CACFP organizations.
  • Understanding CACFP Monitoring Requirements and the Five-Day Reconciliation (Click here to register) | Tuesday, September 9, 2025 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Completion of the live webinar or webinar recording is mandatory for all renewing multi-site organizations.
• CACFP Training
  • Complete at least 10 Training Hours
  • Complete at least one Nutrition and at least one Administration training
  • Every person on the Permanent Agreement must complete at least one training
• Civil Rights Compliance for Child Nutrition Program Operators
  • In addition to the CACFP training, all institutions are required to complete the annual civil rights training. Completion of the civil rights training does not count toward the 10 hours of CACFP training. 

 Build Your Employee Training Plans

ADE is here to help you fulfill your training needs to successfully operate your programs and to help you and your staff obtain the annual training hours required. Because the trainings offered are vast in quantity and diverse in content, ADE has drafted specialized curricula based on job duties to help customers get started creating training plans for the year. Each curriculum provides suggested training relevant to a specific role. Please note that the trainings are suggested but not required.

• CACFP Training Curriculum

Required Civil Rights Compliance Training

To access the complete collection of Civil Rights trainings, please visit HNS' Civil Rights webpage.

Administration Virtual Trainings

Administration Trainings	Training Title and Link	Training Length
Online Course	Orientation to the Child and Adult Care Food Program	1.5 Hours
Administration Essentials Series	Participant Enrollment	1.0 Hour
	Meal Count Summary	0.5 Hour
	Training Requirements	0.25 Hour
	CACFP Procurement Basics	1.5 Hours
	Recordkeeping Requirements and Cost Reporting	1 Hour
	Monitoring Requirements for Multi-Site Sponsors	0.25 Hour
What to Expect Series	What to Expect: CACFP Administrative Review	0.5 Hour
How-to Guide	How to Submit CNPWeb Applications for the Child and Adult Care Food Program	0.5 Hour
How-to Guide	How to Submit a Claim in CNPWeb for the Child and Adult Care Food Program	0.75 Hour
How-to Guide	How to Navigate Menu Modifications	1 Hour
Webinar	Staying on Track with the Essentials of the CACFP for Program Year 2026 (Recording) (Slides) (Q&A)	1 Hour
Webinar	Understanding CACFP Monitoring Requirements and the Five-Day Reconciliation (Recording) (Slides) (Q&A)	1 Hour

Nutrition Virtual Trainings

Nutrition Trainings	Training Title and Link	Training Length
Nutrition Essentials Series	Introduction to the CACFP Meal Pattern and Creditable Foods	1 Hour
	Menu and Supporting Documentation	0.5 Hour
	Meal Service and Food Safety Requirements for the CACFP	0.5 Hour
Infant Feeding Essentials Series	Infant Feeding Requirements for the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	How to Feed Infants Breastmilk and Formula	0.75 Hour
	How to Feed Infants Solid Foods	1 Hour
Quick Guide	Menu Supporting Documentation	N/A
Featured ICN Trainings (Free ICN account required)	CACFP Optional Best Practices	1 Hour
	Serving Nutritious Foods in Child Care	2 Hours
Featured Empower Training	Creating a Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Environment [English] [Spanish]	1 Hour
Featured Team Nutrition Trainings	Feeding Infants: 0-5 Months	0.5 Hour
	How to Support Breastfeeding in the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Feeding Infants: Starting with Solids	0.5 Hour
	Crediting Store-Bought Combination Baby Foods in the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Mealtimes with Toddlers	0.5 Hour
	Meal Planning for the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Methods for Healthy Cooking	0.5 Hour
	Offer Versus Serve in the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Breakfast Basics	0.5 Hour
	Serving Adult Participants in the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Using the Nutrition Facts Label in the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Serving Milk in the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Serving Vegetables in the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Serving Meat and Meat Alternatives at Breakfast	0.5 Hour
	Using the WIC Food List to Identify Creditable Foods in the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Identifying Whole Grain-Rich Foods for the CACFP Using the Ingredient List, Part 1	0.5 Hour
	Identifying Whole Grain-Rich Foods in the CACFP, Part 2	0.5 Hour
	In-Grained: Easy Tools to Determine Serving Amounts	0.5 Hour
	Crediting Single-Serving Packages of Grains in the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Grain-Based Desserts in the CACFP	0.5 Hour
	Grains Ounce Equivalents Tools for CACFP Operators	0.5 Hour
	Adding Whole Grains to Your CACFP Menu	0.5 Hour
Webinars	Crediting Grains in the CACFP Using Oz Eq (Slides) (Recording)	1 Hour