Study shows higher CACFP reimbursement sustains family child care participation
- Samantha Marshall
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
"...[T]he flexibilities implemented were associated with a plateau in participation among Tier I providers, whereas an increasing participation trend was observed among Tier II providers, the group that received the most significant increase in reimbursements" ( Matias, et al. 2026).
A trend analysis of licensed family child care providers in California that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) displays what many of us assumed in the CACFP community - higher reimbursement rates increase participation among family child care providers.
Since 1996, when tiering for family child care providers in the CACFP was established, there has been a steep decline in participation among family child care providers. There has been a long-standing assumption that there is a correlation with the onslaught of tiering and the decline of family child care in the CACFP. During the public health emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic, ALL family child care providers were paid at the highest rate, Tier I, for 2 years.
The University of California, Berkley, the Nutrition Policy Institute out of UCANR, and the CACFP Roundtable were funded to do a study to look into what this meant for CACFP participation of family child care providers in California. We had the opportunity to gather real-time survey data, qualitative data through interviews, and to perform a trend analysis by analyzing secondary data provided by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS).
Some key findings:
Over the 2018-2023 data collection period, the monthly CACFP participation rates averaged 45.3% to 47.7% of licensed family child care providers
89.8% were Tier I and 10.2% were Tier II
After the higher-tier reimbursement rates and the extra 10 cents per meal expired, there was a statistically significant decrease in CACFP participation for both Tier I and Tier II providers. Tier II showed a steeper decline.
Additional flexibilities, including remote monitoring, may have contributed to the sustainability of Tier I providers during this time period
"...[I]ncreased participation translated to ~4,820 more children served by Tier II providers during the 24 month waiver...this is equivalent to providing 7,230 more CACFP reimburesable meals or snacks each yaer to children with low incomes"( Matias, et al. 2026).
Citation: Susana L. Matias, Kassandra A Bacon, Danielle L. Lee, Samantha Kay-Daleiden Marshall, Celeste Felix, Elyse Homel Vitale, Lorrene D. Ritchie, Trends in California Child and Adult Care Food Program Participation Among Family Child Care Home Providers: The Role of Tiered Meal Reimbursements, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 58, Issue 2, 2026, Pages 97-104, ISSN 1499-4046, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2025.11.008.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404625004804)
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