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The Head Start NPRM would replace the current Head Start Performance Standards, and nutrition safeguards are on the table. As nutrition experts, CACFP Roundtable breaks down what changes, what stays the same, and why the infrastructure behind nutritious meals matters. Read our full comparison of current standards vs. the proposed rule, get sample comment language, and find two ways to make your voice heard before the October 6 deadline: a quick action and a complete public co

On August 25, CACFP Roundtable met with the White House Office of Management and Budget as USDA drafts its proposed CACFP meal pattern rule. We led with what providers, operators, sponsors, and state staff told us in our "Getting Ready to Comment" survey: 72% say compliance costs already outpace reimbursement, and 70% want funding tied to any new requirements. Here's what we shared with OMB, and why the survey is still open.

This session, From Insight to Impact - How to Comment, was the last of the CACFP Roundtable's Growing Our Voice series. In this session, we talked about what it looks like to provide public comment, what it means, and the importance of a large volume of comments - especially unique comments. Summary You can watch the 30 minute recording here. Slides can be accessed here. Highly recommend taking the time to listen at minute 15:11 when Lindsay Datlow, PhD, R.D., explains what

A new published study provides evidence that CACFP costs have outpaced reimbursement.

Today, August 10, CDSS CACFP Branch published a CACFP Bulletin, Child and Adult Care Food Bulletin (CB) CDSS-CACFP-2026-02, Expanding Fluid Milk Options in Child Nutrition Programs. This CACFP Bulletin provides guidance on the final rule published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on May 8, 2026, which became effective June 8, 2026, and expands fluid milk options by allowing operators of the Child and Adult Care Food Program to offer whole and reduced-fat milk to particip

Today, the CACFP Roundtable shared community experiences that have been gathered through a survey and talking with CACFP community members. You can review the 30 minute recording here. Bottom Line (so far): Operators, state agencies, and sponsors are excited to serve healthy, nutritious meals. That is why they work so hard to be part of this program. They say yes to healthy meals — and they also say: we need time, we need funds, and we need flexibility, and these changes need

Yesterday, we came together to talk about what a proposed rule is and what it means to make public comment as we gear up to educate USDA FNA about the ground level operations of CACFP when the anticipated meal pattern proposed rule is published. The biggest takeaway? Your unique voice matters within the CACFP community's unified message. Watch the 30 minute recording to: Learn about the policy "lever" we're going to pull with the public comment on the proposed rule An overvie

Updated: 5/21/2026 with California CDSS CACFP Branch email addressing whole milk. Final Rule about Whole Milk USDA published the final rule "Expanding Fluid Milk Options in Child Nutrition Programs" last week. The rule becomes effective on June 8, 2026. This rule sets regulations around the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and alignment with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act expands fluid milk options in the National School Lun

USDA FNS published a Request for Information (RFI) in regard to the “Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Areas in Statistical Data, Analysis, and Research at the U.S Department of Agriculture This RFI asks for feedback in regard to the data that comes out of the Economic Research Service (ERS), the National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS), and the World Agricultural Outlook Board (OCE-WAOB). As it relates to CACFP, ERS, is the “Recognized Statistical Agency and Uni

Join us for a virtual CACFP Roundtable Deep Dive on March 10th from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m pacific time all focused around helping the mealtime experience with children who have different eating preferences. This deep dive is designed to help us think about taste and texture preferences as well as different types of mealtime behaviors. This deep dive will include simultaneous Spanish interpretation. Date: March 10th Time: 9: a.m - 12:00 p.m. pacific Where: Online Register her

Update 2/27/2026: Update about what is happening with the Claims Validation Review and USDA FNS off-site and on-site visits. Pop-Up Zoom Meeting: On-Site Claims Verification/Validation Reviews (CDSS Notice) 🗓️ Thursday at 11:00 AM Pacific | 📍 Zoom ⭐ Free for CACFP Roundtable Members 🏷️ $25.00 Non-members Register here Our communities are facing uncertainty and hardship in a number of ways. This week, California Department of Social Services - CACFP Branch, sent an e

Mealtime Memo February Mealtime Memo focuses on using protein in CACFP meals. In case you missed it, the January one was about how nutrition supports the healthy growth and development of children's minds. You can find both of those Mealtime Memos and all of the others here . CACFP 101 Webinar Stretch your food budget while still serving meals kids and adults love! Join us for CACFP: Healthy and Affordable – Serving CACFP Meals and Snacks on a Budget on February 17 at 3 PM ES

The 2026 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) rates have been published by USDA. Table from fns.USDA.gov : https://www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sunmeals/fr-020426 The rates are annually adjusted each year and reflect the changes in the Consumer Price Index, Food Away from Home series. There was an increase in rates ranging from a 4-cent increase to a 19-cent increase, the average, as FNS USDA state,s is a 3.7 percent increase from last year. Shown above are the combined rates of op

"...[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 -

Updated 2/5/2026 The government reopened on February 3, 2026, when a bi-partisan funding bill was passed and signed by President Trump. Members of Congress took out the funding of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as there was wide disagreement about increasing funding for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). DHS is flat-funded for the next two weeks as Members of Congress in both chambers attempt to come to an agreement about ICE funding and rules. The

Yesterday, President Trump signed into law the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025. This law amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The change allows whole milk to be served in schools, along with reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk. It can be organic or not organic. This bill also allows for parents to provide a written statement for a milk substitute. Previously, it was only allowed by a written statement from a licensed phy

In 2025, we saw some proposed policy changes, actual policy changes, and some implementation changes for the CACFP. I wanted to take a moment and circle back to put it all in one place and update you about what did or did not take place. We'll also take a quick look at what is happening now at the federal level. Longest Government Shutdown in History in 2025, will there be another? Last fall, we experienced the longest government shutdown in history. Congress passed a continu

Dietary Guidelines for Americans Every five years, since 1980, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) publish a report called the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This report is issued to help guide policy that impacts nutrition policy. It is also meant to guide doctors and the public about healthy ways to consume meals, snacks, and beverages. The Center for Science in Public Interest has an informational website about

The CACFP Roundtable collaborated with researchers at the Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI), University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), and the University of California, Berkley, to understand and document the impact of the Tier I for all and additional 10-cent per meal policy choices that Congress made during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and recovery. The temporary policy changes and anticipation of them going away created a real-world and natural ex

If you've been curious about how H.R. 1 (the Big Beautiful Bill Act) might impact the Child and Adult Care Food Program, FRAC is hosting a webinar on Thursday this week. See below. H.R. 1 is the bill passed in July that creates major cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid across the nation. This bill, which is in the first stages of implementation, decreases access to SNAP and Medicaid while creating tough decisions for funding state governm