National CACFP Week Gets a Nod for March 2025: Recognizing Key Role of Child and Adult Nutrition Program

This resolution puts a spotlight on the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) by designating the third week of March 2025 as "National CACFP Week." It's basically a shout-out to a program that helps millions of kids and adults get nutritious meals and snacks every day.

Grub and Growth

The resolution acknowledges the CACFP's impact. In 2024 alone, the program served over 4.5 million children in various care settings, from childcare centers to after-school programs. It also provided meals for over 115,000 adults in adult day care, pushing the total to nearly 1.7 billion meals and snacks served. Section 2 of the resolution directly ties the CACFP to better cognitive, social, emotional, and physical health for children. It even points out that kids in the program are less likely to be hospitalized and more likely to maintain a healthy weight.

Beyond the Lunchbox

It's not just about the food; it's about the bigger picture. The resolution highlights that CACFP is a public-private partnership, which helps support working families and small businesses like those who are running day cares. By improving access to nutritious meals, the program helps boost the quality of childcare, especially in low-income areas (as mentioned in Section 1).

Real-World Ripple Effects

Imagine a single parent working two jobs. Knowing their child is getting healthy meals at daycare, thanks to CACFP, means one less thing to worry about. Or consider a small, family-run daycare center. The CACFP helps them provide quality food, which can be a big draw for parents. It's a win-win, supporting both families and the businesses that serve them. The resolution highlights how the CACFP helps children to a more varied diet, which is important for overall health.

This resolution is all about recognizing a program, the CACFP, that's doing some serious heavy lifting in making sure vulnerable folks get the nutrition they need.