National CACFP Week Gets a Boost: Resolution Shines Light on Child and Adult Nutrition Program

This resolution throws support behind designating the third week of March 2025 as "National CACFP Week." What's CACFP? It's the Child and Adult Care Food Program – basically, a federal initiative that helps provide nutritious meals and snacks to kids and adults in daycare centers, after-school programs, and other care facilities. Think of it as a safety net ensuring folks get decent food while they're in care.

Fueling Up: What CACFP Does

The core idea is simple: healthy food equals healthier people. CACFP provides funding to cover the costs of meals and snacks for over 4.5 million children and 115,000 adults daily. We're talking almost 1.7 billion meals and snacks each year (Section 1). The resolution highlights how participating in CACFP can lead to better health outcomes, like reducing the chances of kids being underweight or overweight. It also points out that better nutrition can boost the effectiveness of programs like Head Start and improve kids' overall development (Section 1).

Beyond the Plate: Real-World Impact

Imagine you're a single parent working two jobs. Knowing your child is getting nutritious meals at daycare thanks to CACFP is a huge weight off your shoulders. Or picture a senior citizen in an adult care facility who relies on these meals for their daily nutrition. This program impacts real people, every single day. The resolution even notes that CACFP's setup, which often involves nonprofit sponsoring organizations, supports working families and small businesses (Section 1). For example, a local non-profit might partner with a daycare center to manage the food program, freeing up the center's staff to focus on childcare. The resolution stresses that this innovative approach boosts the quality of care, particularly in low-income communities (Section 1).

Leveling Up: Proposed Improvements

The resolution isn't just patting CACFP on the back; it's pushing for improvements. It calls for things like covering an extra meal or snack for kids who are in care for a full day (Section 2). It also suggests lowering the eligibility requirements for certain areas, making it easier for facilities to qualify for the program, and providing annual eligibility to for-profit child care centers (Section 2). Basically, they want to make CACFP accessible to even more people and streamline the process. The resolution also urges that child care settings should have annual food inflation fairly included. (Section 2). They also want to reduce administrative burdens to encourage participation. (Section 2).

The Big Picture

This resolution recognizes that CACFP is a key part of the "care economy" – all the services that support people who need care, whether they're kids or adults. By making sure nutritious food is available, the program can actually help lower overall costs in this sector. It's about investing in people's well-being from the start. This resolution is about acknowledging the program's importance and pushing for ways to make it even better.