What are frequently asked questions related to centers?

What is the Child and Adult Care Food Program?
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program.  It provides cash reimbursement for nutritious meals and helps develop positive eating habits for children enrolled in nonresidential child care centers and day care homes.

Who can participate? 
Any public or private nonprofit organization providing licensed or approved nonresidential child care services may participate.  These include child care centers, Head Start centers, 21st Century Community Learning centers, emergency shelters serving homeless children, and day care homes.

Organizations providing after school care to youth up to age 18 may qualify for snack and supper reimbursement at the Category A rate during the school year.  The after school care must be located in an attendance area of a school where at least 50% of the enrollment are eligible for free and reduced price meals.

Private for-profit centers that receive compensation under Title XX of the Social Security Act may qualify.  At least 25% of the enrolled children or 25% of the licensed capacity must be Title XX beneficiaries or eligible for free (Category A) or reduced price meals (Category B).

What are center eligibility requirements?
All centers must be licensed or approved by the Bureau of Child and Adult Licensing, Department of Human Services or have Federal (military or tribal) licensing or approval.  The center must be non-residential.

After school care programs exempt from child day care licensing must meet state or local health and safety standards.

How does the program operate?
Child care centers apply for CACFP participation with the Michigan Department of Education as an independent center or under the auspices of a sponsoring organization which accepts final administrative and financial responsibility for CACFP operations.

What are meal service and participation requirements?
Participating centers may be approved to receive reimbursement for up to two meals and one snack, or two snacks and one meal, per child per day.

Meals and snacks must meet the meal pattern requirements identified in the CACFP regulations.

Children must be enrolled in the child care program and within the regulatory age limits; children 0-12 years old; migrant children 0-15 years old; and all handicapped children, regardless of age, if the majority of the enrollees in the child care center are 18 years old or younger; and youth through age 18 in eligible after school programs and emergency shelters.

What are the rates of reimbursement?
Reimbursement rates vary according to the need level of the child.  Categories are determined by the family size and income of each child's family.  In some cases, children are automatically eligible for Category A reimbursement.  Children who are recipients of Food Stamps, FIP benefits, emergency shelter children, or enrolled in a Head Start program and are income eligible for Head Start, are automaticallly eligibile for Category A.

REIMBURSEMENT RATES 

July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013 

Category	Breakfast	Lunch/Supper	Snacks
A	$1.55	$2.86	$.78
B	$1.25	$2.46	$.39
C	$ .27	$ .27	$.07

Each meal or snack served to an enrolled child is reimbursed at the rates established annually by the United States Department of Agriculture.

An additional $.2275 cash-in-lieu of commodities is reimbursed for each lunch and supper served.

What are the record keeping requirements? 
At a minimum, the following records must be maintained by participating centers.  This list is not all inclusive.

• CACFP application
• Center attendance records
• Enrollment records
• Menu record
• Meal attendance records
• Number of meals/snacks served to adults
• Household Income Eligibility Statements
• Food service program operating costs and income.