Child care centers, afterschool programs, shelters, and adult day centers all feed people every day, and plenty of eligible ones still aren’t claiming federal money for it. The Child and Adult Care Food Program, or CACFP, is how USDA pays for those meals. Super-Natural Eats provides afterschool meal service built to CACFP guidelines. This is what the program covers and how the money works.
Quick Answer: What Is CACFP?
CACFP is a federal USDA program that reimburses nutritious meals and snacks served to eligible children and adults in care. It covers child care centers, day care homes, adult day care centers, afterschool programs, and emergency shelters. In fiscal year 2025 it served about 4.8 million children and adults on an average day, about 1.7 billion meals at a federal cost of roughly $4.26 billion.
Who CACFP Serves
The program draws its age limits from federal regulation. “Children” generally means 12 and under, with exceptions:
- 15 and under for children of migrant workers
- 18 and under in emergency shelters
- 18 and under at the start of the school year for at-risk afterschool programs
- Persons with disabilities of any age, if enrolled in a facility where most participants are 18 and under
The shelter age limit has shifted over time. The 2004 reauthorization raised it from 12 to 18, and the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act temporarily raised it to 24 during the COVID-19 emergency.
On the adult side, a participant must be enrolled in an adult day care center and be either 60 or older or a functionally impaired adult 18 or older. Adults who live in institutions don’t qualify.
For-Profit Providers
For-profit child care centers can join, but they have to clear a bar every month: at least 25% of the children in care (enrollment or licensed capacity, whichever is less) must be eligible for free or reduced-price meals, or at least 25% must receive Title XX benefits (the federal Social Services Block Grant) while the center receives Title XX funds. For-profit adult day centers face a similar 25% test tied to Medicaid (Title XIX) or Title XX benefits.
How the Child and Adult Care Food Program Is Run
CACFP is authorized under section 17 of the National School Lunch Act. USDA funds it through grants to states. In most states the education agency runs it, but a few use another agency. Colorado is one of them: here it’s called the Colorado Food Program, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment administers it. CDPHE says the application generally takes several months, including a records trial period and a pre-approval site visit.
CACFP Meal Patterns
A reimbursable lunch or supper must include all five components: milk, meats or meat alternates, vegetables, fruits, and grains. At-risk afterschool and adult day care centers may use offer versus serve. Breakfast needs three: milk, vegetables or fruits, and grains, though meat or a meat alternate can stand in for grains up to three times a week. Added-sugar limits also kicked in October 1, 2025, capping yogurt at 12 grams per 6 ounces.
How CACFP Reimbursement Works
Rates reset every July 1. For July 2026 through June 2027 in the contiguous states, centers earn $4.76 per free lunch or supper and $2.54 per free breakfast. Day care homes use tiers instead: a Tier I home earns $3.31 per lunch, a Tier II home $1.99. Tier I covers homes in low-income areas or providers with household income at or below 185% of the poverty guidelines.
Most centers and homes can claim up to two meals and one snack, or two snacks and one meal, per person per day. At-risk afterschool programs can claim one meal and one snack. Emergency shelters can claim up to three meals.
Center Rates Beyond Lunch
Breakfast and snacks have their own rates. For 2026-27, centers earn $2.54 per free breakfast, $2.24 reduced, and $0.42 paid. A free snack pays $1.30. Center rates follow the Consumer Price Index for food away from home, while day care home rates follow the food-at-home series, which is why the two move differently year to year.
These cash rates don’t include USDA Foods, or cash in lieu of them, which institutions get as extra help on each lunch or supper served.
Sponsors and Day Care Homes
Family day care homes don’t deal with the state directly. They join through a sponsoring organization, which gets its own administrative payment per home per month. For 2026-27, that’s $157 per home for the first 50 homes, stepping down to $119 for the next 150, $93 for the next 800, and $82 after that.
Tier I status doesn’t last forever either. It holds for one year when it’s based on the provider’s household income, five years when it’s based on school data, and until newer data comes out when it’s based on census data.
Two CACFP Rules That Change the Math
Two details change the math for a lot of programs. Both live in 7 CFR part 226, so read it before signing anything.
At-Risk Afterschool Sites Qualify by Neighborhood
An afterschool site doesn’t need income forms from every family. A public or nonprofit program qualifies if it’s organized mainly to care for kids after school during the regular school year, runs regularly scheduled, supervised activities that include education or enrichment, meets state or local health and safety standards, and sits in the attendance area of a school where at least 50% of enrolled children are certified for free or reduced-price meals. Then every meal is reimbursed at the free rate, based on the actual meal count. Competitive sports programs don’t qualify.
You Can Buy Meals, Not Management
Any CACFP institution may contract with a food service management company. Bids totaling $50,000 or more go to the state agency for approval first. But no institution may contract out management of the program itself, so claims and records stay in-house. That split matters for adult day centers as much as for child care.
Is CACFP Worth It for Your Program?
CACFP pays for meals in child care, afterschool, shelters, and adult day care, and a lot of eligible providers still skip it. A 2024 USDA study found 61% of likely-eligible child care centers participated in 2019, which leaves roughly two in five on the sidelines. Any program that feeds people daily should take a look. For schools with an afterschool program, Super-Natural Eats provides afterschool meals built to CACFP guidelines, so reach out through our contact page to start the conversation.