Child and Adult Care Food Program
About The Program
Why CACFP Is Important To You
USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program plays a vital role in improving the quality of child care and making it more affordable for many low-income families. Each day in the United States, 2.6 million children receive nutritious meals and snacks through CACFP.
Day Care Family and Group Homes
A family or group day care home must sign an agreement with a sponsoring organization to participate in CACFP.
Day care homes must be registered with the Montana DPHHS Quality Assurance Division to provide day care services. Reimbursement for meals served in day care homes is based upon eligibility for Tier I rates (which targets higher levels of reimbursement to low-income areas, providers, or children) or lower Tier II rates.
Day Care Centers
Day Care Centers must sign an agreement with the state agency to participate in CACFP. Centers must
be licensed with the Montana DPHHS Quality Assurance Division to provide day care services. Reimbursement for meals served in centers is based upon income eligibility. Please see the page Food Payments for a detailed explanation of income eligibility.
Meal Reimbursement
Sponsoring organizations receive claims from family and group day care homes and process them for cash reimbursement for serving meals to enrolled participants that meet Federal nutritional guidelines.
The CACFP meal pattern varies according to age and types of meal served. Day care programs may be approved to claim up to two reimbursable meals (breakfast, lunch or supper) and one snack, or two snacks and one meal, to each eligible participant, each day. Program payments are based on the number of meals served to enrolled children, multiplied by the appropriate reimbursement rate for each breakfast, lunch, supper, or snacks they are approved to serve.
We Can Help You Determine Your Eligibility
The MT CACFP sponsoring organizations will work with family and group day care homes to determine their eligibility for meal reimbursements and at which level — Tier I or Tier II. Please see the page Sponsors to select an organization Please see the page Food Payments for a detailed explanation. The State Agency works with centers to determine meal reimbursement eligibility.
