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Child Nutrition Programs - Child and Adult Care Food Program

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides meals and snacks to children at child care centers, family day care homes, emergency shelters, and after-school programs, and to older or functionally impaired adults at adult day care centers. CACFP is also allowed to provide suppers to children attending after-school programs in high-need areas, where at least 50 percent of children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals through the After-School Snacks and Meals program.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers CACFP and reimburses participating child and adult care providers for the meals and snacks served. Children in a participating child care center from households with incomes:

  • At or below 130 percent of the Federal poverty line can receive a free meal or snack.
  • Between 130 and 185 percent of the Federal poverty line can receive a reduced-price meal or snack.
  • Above 185 percent of the Federal poverty line can receive a low-cost, full-price meal or snack.

In fiscal year (FY) 2024, approximately 4.4 million children and about 116,000 adults received CACFP meals and snacks on an average day. In that year, the program served a total of about 1.7 billion meals at a cost of $4.1 billion.

Bar and line chart showing Child and Adult Care Food Program meals served and percent free or reduced-price for fiscal years 1976 through 2024.

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Download chart data in Excel format

A USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) report summarized research and found evidence that participation in CACFP by child care providers improves food security for households with children enrolled in the centers and increases children’s consumption of milk and vegetables. To learn more, please see:

Since 2017, nutrition standards for meals served in CACFP centers and day care homes have been required to be updated to better reflect Federal dietary guidance. These standards include a greater variety of vegetables and fruits, more whole grains, and less added sugar and saturated fat.

To respond to disruptions caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, USDA issued waivers allowing for flexibilities in the implementation of CACFP. The 2024 report, The Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report, provides a summary of these pandemic-related modifications to CACFP and other Child Nutrition programs. To learn more about ERS research on pandemic-era changes to CACFP, please see:

All values and figures are based on data available as of December 2024 and may be subject to revision.

Additional studies and information about program eligibility requirements, benefits, and application processes are available from the Food and Nutrition Service Child Nutrition Programs web page.