Child Care Centers
To be eligible to participate in the Child and adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a child care center must be a licensed child care facility, and must either operate a nonprofit organization or maintain 25% Title XX enrollment.

The income level of the parents served by the center determines the reimbursement rate. Golden Food Program maintains a database of the center's enrolled families and their income classification in order to obtain the best possible rate.

We charge 10% of the centers reimbursement for our services. Because we are better able to keep abreast of program guidelines than busy center administrators, many centers report making more money from the program using GFP than when they filed their claims themselves.

History of CACFP
1972 - P.L. 92-433 extended SFSPFC authorization through Fiscal Year 1975.

1975 - P.L. 84-105 added Section 17 to the National School Lunch Act, establishing and authorizing for three years, the separate Child Care Food Program (CCFP), an mandating a number of significant changes.

Required child care facilities to meet certain licensing or approval standards to participate;

Extended eligibility to include any private or non-profit organization providing non-residential child care services, regardless of location specifically including Head Start programs, family and group day care homes, and sponsoring organizations; and

Structured application procedures on the National School Lunch Program's free and reduced price eligibility requirements, based on the household size and income of each enrolled child.

1978 - P.L. 95-627 CCFP was permanently authorized to address the availability of advance payments, a broader definition of "children" to include disabled persons over 18 years of age and the expansion of eligibility to include outside-school-hours care centers.

1981 - P.L. 97-35 reduced the eligibility age limit from 18 to 12 years of age, except for migrant children and disabled persons, and set a limit on the maximum number of reimbursable meals to two meals and one snack per child per day.

1982 - P.L. 97-370 limited submission of reimbursement claims to 60 days following the claim month.

1988 - P.L. 100-435 allowed the claiming of an additional meal for children in care at centers for eight or more hours per day.

1989 - P.L. 101-147 authorized two-year application and changed the name of the CCFP to the Child Care Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

1994 - P.L. 103-448 further amended the renewal application process to allow three-year applications and provided categorical eligibility for Head Start and Even Start program enrollees.

1996 - P.L.-104-193 reduced the number of meals per child per day to three and implemented means testing for day care home reimbursements.

1998 - P.L. 105-336 consolidated benefits for homeless children under the CACFP and expanded the program to include an risk after-school program for children through the age of 18 in low-income areas.

USDA Updates
Significant Changes Made to the Infant Meals Pattern
(News Release: January 2000)

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released an Interim rule, which makes significant changes to the infant Meal Pattern. We have summarized the change below.

Whole milk is no longer included in the infant Meal Pattern. All infants (birth through 11 months) must receive either Iron Fortified infant Formula (IFIF) or breast milk.

Meals or snacks containing breast milk only can be claimed for reimbursement. This is effective immediately.

In an effort to not waste breast milk, USDA has authorized the reimbursement of "breast milk only" meals that contain less than the minimum regulatory amount of breast milk, if the child is not able to consume the required portion. If the full portion is not initially offered, the provider must offer additional breast milk if the infant is still hungry. In addition, under no circumstance can infants be offered less than the stipulated minimum serving of infant formula or other components of the meal pattern.