The Child and Adult Care Food Program, CACFP, is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) meal reimbursement program helping Family Day Care Homes (FDCHs) provide well balanced, healthy and nutritious meals and snacks to children in private home settings. CACFP’s role is critical in creating more affordable options for low-income Arizona families.
Non-profit organizations, including Military or Tribal, with an agreement with the Arizona Department of Education may serve as a day care home sponsoring organization for the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Licensed or providers approved to provide care who offer organized nonresidential childcare for children, generally 12 years of age or younger, in a private home may operate the Child and Adult Care Food Program by entering into an agreement with a sponsoring organization.
Family Day Care Home Sponsoring Organization:
If you are a non-profit organization, including Military or Tribal, interested in becoming a Family Day Care Home Sponsoring Organization, please contact the Community Nutrition Program’s Specialist of the Day by calling (602) 542-8700, press 1.
Family Day Care Home Providers:
The following information is for in-home childcare providers interested in applying to operate the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
Step 1: Assess Eligibility and Interest
Who is eligible to participate in a Family Day Care Home setting?
Any licensed or certified FDCH providers, including Military and Tribal, that meets local/state health, safety and sanitation standards may enter into an agreement with an eligible Sponsoring Organization. The provider should offer regularly scheduled, organized enrichment/educational activities to children in a supervised environment.
What age of children qualify?
Children ages 12 and under may participate as well as migrant children 15 and under and disabled children as defined in 7 CFR 226.2.
Is the CACFP right for me?
The following are basic expectations of providers operating the CACFP. To successfully operate the food program, you must be comfortable with the following:
Attend trainings and comply with Federal regulations.
Complete and maintain paperwork on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis including but not limited to sign in and out sheets, meal participation records, menus, applications, etc.
Receive announced or unannounced home visits by auditors, ADE/USDA staff persons, and sponsor monitors.
Step 2: Find a Sponsoring Organization
What is a Sponsoring Organization:
A sponsoring organization is a non-profit organization, including the Military or Tribal, that has an agreement with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Health and Nutrition Services (HNS) Unit and provides services to FDCH providers.
How do I find a Sponsor for my home:
Click here for Family Day Care Home Sponsoring Organizations. ADE recommends you contact and invite several sponsoring organizations to your home to become acquainted and comfortable with them before entering into an agreement. They will explain the rules and requirements and you will select only one.
What are the responsibilities of a Sponsoring Organization:
Sponsors will recruit, monitor and reimburse the providers and conduct in-service training to FDCHs. This includes assessing compliance of meal pattern requirements, keeping records of procedures, verifying provider’s household income and determining eligibility of their own children (if in the program) and classifying homes for reimbursement as Tier I or Tier II. They will visit your home at least three times during the year.
Step 3: Work with Sponsoring Organization to Receive Training and Apply for the CACFP
After selecting a sponsoring organization to work with, you will collaborate with your sponsor contact to schedule a time to receive training and apply for the CACFP.
All Family Day Care Home Sponsoring Organizations are required to renew annually. Each year, you will be contacted by the Arizona Department of Education with specific renewal details, including renewal training requirements.
The following forms and resources are available to assist in the completion of your renewal application. These items will be updated as needed by ADE.
Important Dates and Deadlines:
DCH Renewal Applications are due on or before October 1.
All Family Day Care Home Providers are required to renew their participation in CACFP every two years. Your Family Day Care Home Sponsoring Organization will guide you regarding the specific renewal details, including which forms, licensing requirements, and renewal training requirements.
ADE must conduct compliance reviews of all sponsoring organizations operating the CACFP at least once during each three-year review cycle. The objectives of the compliance reviews are to:
Determine whether program requirements are met
Provide technical assistance
Secure any needed corrective action
Assess fiscal action and, when applicable, recover improperly paid funds.
7 CFR Part 226 – Primary regulation governing the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
2 CFR Part 200 – Uniform administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for Federal programs.
48 CFR Part 31– Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR 31) is the primary regulation governing the acquisition of supplies and services with Federal Funds.
FNS Instructions:
FNS 796-2, Revision 4– Provides guidance to institutions in developing the financial information needed to comply with requirements of the CACFP.
Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements:
2 CFR Part 225 – Establishes cost principles for State, Local, and Indian Tribal governments.
2 CFR Part 230 – Established cost principles for non-profit organizations.
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is excited to announce a new partnership with the Chef Ann Foundation, Life Time Foundation, and Whole Kids Foundation! These organizations are part of the newly formed ScratchWorks Collective and are dedicated to improving the quality of school meals and love sharing their expertise with school nutrition professionals. These partners look forward to supporting 10 Arizona Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in a three-phase program to help operators regain their kitchens and menus as they recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chef Ann Foundation will kick-off this collaborative work by sending a culinary trained school food operational expert to each of the selected LEAs for a one-day on-site consultation to create a two-year plan with built-in mentoring designed to transform your kitchens, develop your staff, and take control of your finances to support the menu of your dreams.
