Enjoy the nutritional & financial benefits of the CACFP

Every day, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides nourishing food to more than 4 million kids and nearly 140 thousand adults. The Food Program is supported by the USDA and provides reimbursement for meals and snacks to eligible organizations that serve eligible children and adults.

There are two ways to participate in the CACFP:

Who is eligible?

Here are some of the eligible programs that can participate in the CACFP.

Child Care Center
Child Care Home
Adult Care Center
ARAS/SFSP
Emergency Shelter

Information by the CACFP.

How can I join the Food Program?

You can join the Food Program by finding a sponsor or becoming one.

Find a Sponsor
Become a Sponsor
Why participate in the CACFP?

The goal of the CACFP is to improve and maintain the health and nutrition of children and adults, promote the development of good eating habits, and integrate nutritious food service with organized child and adult care.

Nutritional
Benefits
Financial
Benefits
Economic
Value Benefits
It's no secret that the CACFP is paperwork-heavy, but it doesn't have to be with KidKare.

Our KidKare software solutions are designed to simplify claims processing and maximize reimbursements.

CACFP participants and sponsors will be able to catch errors that they could easily miss if they process claims by hand. Our software runs over 200 edit checks for missing information or compliance problems and sees any errors before you submit your claim.

KidKare is trusted by 75,000 + sponsors, owners, directors, sites, and providers.

Capterra

4.7 Start Rating with 522 Reviews

$ 0

Sponsor saved in one year​ using KidKare

+ 0

Children served​ on KidKare in 2022

+ 0

Healthy meals served ​on KidKare in 2022

For example: Licensed Child Care Homes, Licensed Adult Care Centers, At-Risk After-School Program, Summer Food Service Program, Out-of-School Time Program, Emergency Shelters, Head Start Program.

Solutions:

Enroll Kids
Electronically

Enroll children and capture state-specific income eligibility electronically from parents. No more paper, no more cost of storage, no more missing documents. ​

Track Attendance
& Meals

Take separate attendance and meal counts using any device. Fast, easy, reliable – no training required.​

Food
List

Create menus from a sponsor-controlled food list. Gone are the days of non-creditable food items on menus!​

Submit Claims
Electronically ​

Eliminate late submission - and encourage better record keeping habits from the start.

Find a Sponsor Today

Find a sponsor now and start using our KidKare software for free. To use our software for free, you must join a sponsor already using our KidKare software.

Click your state on the map to learn more about KidKare sponsors in your area. Your sponsor will help you get reimbursed for serving healthy meals.

We are working on updating our KidKare sponsor list.

We have sponsor solutions for multi-sites and single sites (CACFP independent centers).

Solutions:

National & State
Policies

Our software is always up-to-date with ever-changing national and state policies.

We follow all USDA and all state regulations for CACFP.

Electronic Claims
Processing

Run over 200 edit checks for missing information or compliance problems and see any errors before you submit your claim. Finding and fixing errors may result in a higher reimbursement!

Real-Time
Data

Real-time data is at your fingertips 24-7, so you always know where your Food Program operation stands.

Extensive
Reports

You have everything you need to ensure compliance and prepare for audits, thanks to 75 reports and customizable export files.

Our Sponsor solutions for:

Become a Sponsor Today

Click on your state in the map below to learn more about the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) in your state.

This is an interactive map! Click on your state in the map below and learn more about the CACFP in your state.

CACFP Testimonials
"
"The CACFP has helped me my program, because I gained new knowledge trought training about how to serve nutritious food and fight childhood obesity. It has also helped families to understand how they could feed their children at home".
Isabel Mauriz Family Childcare Home Provider
"
"We have been in this business 20 years and never did the food program. So what has surprised us is that I was thinking it was this big scary monster, and it really isn't. If you are doing what you are supposed to do according to rules and regulations, claiming your kids, buying what you are supposed to buy, and serving what you are supposed to serve, it's not an issue at all."
Rose Smith Trinity Owner & Executive Director
"
"The food program has helped my center be able to make better food purchases and to eliminate highly processed food. The food program schedule keeps us consistent, and there is less fuss at meal times because the kids know when to expect it".
La Nita Gant Owner
"
"Having CACFP meals offered in our five after-school programs has provided a means of nutrition to many of our food-insecure students. Our after-school program students thoroughly enjoy sitting down around the table and enjoying their meals together".
Kristen McFarland Program Director
CACFP FAQs

The goal of the CACFP is to improve and maintain the health and nutrition of children and adults, promote development of good eating habits, and integrate nutritious food service with organized child and adult day care.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is federally funded by the USDA. The program reimburses qualifying organizations for serving nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults.

Yes! By participating in the CACFP, you’ll receive reimbursement for meals you are probably already serving to eligible children and elderly or disabled adults.

Reimbursement for CACFP participants is dependent upon a variety of factors, such as what type of facility is administering the CACFP, the income level of participants and the income level of the area.

The USDA establishes reimbursement rates annually for each meal and snacks that are served.

There are two levels of reimbursement. Tier 1 and Tier 2. CACFP pays a higher level (Tier 1) of reimbursement to low income areas, and to daycare participants and children most in need. At a minimum, a participant will receive Tier 2 rates.

Child Care Center/Home or adult day care center: May claim up to 2 meals and 1 snack OR 2 snacks and 1 meal per participant, per day.

ARAS: May claim up to 1 meal and 1 snack per child, per day.

Emergency Shelters: May claim up to 3 meals OR 2 meals and 1 snack per child, per day.

Learn more >

There are five meal components: Grain, Vegetable, Fruit, Meat/Meat Alternate and Fluid Milk. In order to be reimbursed, the meal or snack must contain the required components in their minimum amounts by age. Crediting Handbook for the CACFP.

Public or private non-profit organizations or eligible for-profit organizations:

▪️Licensed Child Care Centers

▪️Licensed Child Care Home

▪️Licensed Adult Care Centers

▪️At-Risk After-School Program

▪️Summer Food Service Program

▪️Out-of-School Time Program 

▪️Emergency Shelters 

▪️Head Start Program

Eligible children include:

  • Infants and children through age 12 in child care centers and day care homes.
  • Children of migrant workers are eligible through age 15.
  • In afterschool care centers and emergency shelters, children through age 18 are eligible.

Eligible adults include:

  • Those enrolled in adult day care and are at least 60 years of age or physically or mentally impaired.

There are two ways to participate in the CACFP:

Becoming a CACFP Sponsor

A CACFP Sponsor is an organization that provides administrative, financial, educational, and nutritional tools and support to help CACFP participants claim reimbursement for the meals and snacks that they serve through the CACFP. Contact State Agency.

Finding a CACFP Sponsor

Contact a CACFP Sponsor in your state. They will answer your questions and enroll you. Contact CACFP Sponsor.

Our different KidKare software solutions are designed to simplify claims processing and maximize reimbursements.

CACFP participants and sponsors will be able to catch errors that they could easily miss if they process claims by hand, freeing up their time to focus on more important things.

Learn more >

Get Started Now with KidKare Food Program

Take the paperwork out of the Food Program and maximize your CACFP reimbursements with KidKare. Built exclusively for single-location childcare centers submitting claims directly to their state.

Record Attendance & Meal Counts

Meals & Attendance

Mark Infants as Fed

Detailed Meals & Attendance

Estimating Attendance

Expenses

Vendors & Receipts

Tools

Messages

School Calendar

Tools Menu

Get Your Site Setup

Access site admin login

Add site level permissions and users

Claims

Activate Children

Track Received Claims

Process Claims/Reprocess Claims

Submit Claims to State

Upload to CNP

Advance Claim Month

List Claims

What if my site doesn’t send me their claim?

What if my site needs to make changes after they send their claim?

What if I need to make changes but I’ve already marked my claim as submitted?

Milk

Milk Audit

Expenses

Manage and Verify Receipts

Manage Vendors

Menus & Attendance

Menu Templates

Create Master Menus

Copy and Paste Menus

Assign Menus to Sites

Center Daily Menu

Center Menu Calendar

Center Daily Attendance

Enroll & Edit Participants

Manually Enroll Participants

Import Rosters via Spreadsheet

Edit Participant Details

eForms

Add a Digital Signature for eForms

eForms Settings

Customize eForms Email Templates

Send Renewal Invitations via eForms

Send New Enrollments via eForms

Guardians View of an eForms Enrollment

View Status for Sponsors

View eForms Invitation Status Action Items

Approve & Renew Forms

Print Completed eForms

Set Up Your Account

Manage Client Information

Enroll Sites

Center Admin Permissions

Send Welcome Letter to Sites

Advance Claim Month

Add Additional Admin Users

Claim

Submit Claim Data to Sponsor

Milk

Substitute Milk & Child Milk Allergies

Milk Audit

Purchases and Write Offs

Milk Audit Reports

Expenses

Adding Vendors

Quick Entry Receipt

Itemized Receipts

Record Attendance & Meal Counts

Daily Menu

Menu Production Records

Menu Templates

Grain Ounce Equivalents

Menu Calendar

Creating Infant Menus

Mark Infants as Fed

Enroll & Manage Children

Enroll a New Participant

Edit Child Information

Claims

List Claims & Track Received Claims

Submitting or Retrieving Claims from Sites

Submit Claims to State

Claims Training

Set Up Accounts

Site Details and Settings for Sponsored Centers

Creating Roles and Permissions

Creating Center Staff Logins

Staff Login

Reports

Infant Feeding Report

Milk Audit Report

Claim Manual Report

Claims

Claims Feature

Calculate Claims Button

Claims Errors

EOM Best Practices

State Upload File and Submitting to CNP

Mark Claim as Submitted

Milk

Substitute Milk and Child Milk Allergies

Milk Audit

Purchase & Write Offs

Expenses

Adding Vendors

Quick Entry Receipt

Itemized Receipts

Plan & Record Menus​

Daily Menu

Menu Production Records

Menu Templates

Menu Calendar

Grain Ounce Equivalents

Creating Infant Menus

Record Attendance & Meal Counts

Basics Meal & Attendance

Detailed Meal & Attendance

Estimating Attendance

Enroll & Manage Children​

Enroll Participant

Edit Child Information

Set Up Your Site

KidKare introduction tour.

Staff login for the first time.

How to access your account

You can access your account by following the steps below:

1. Go to the KidKare website by clicking the link below https://app.kidkare.com/#/login/ 

2. Click on “I need a new Password” in the bottom right as shown in the image below.

3. Enter your email address into the email field and then click on “Send Me” 

  • Note: The email address will be the one the state has provided us. Please use the email address on record with your state. If you no longer have access to this email address please email success@kidkare.com 

 4. This should send an email to the email address entered from KidKare Enrollment Portal with a link to reset your password. Click on the blue link 

5. Enter your new password into the fields below and click “Go” 

6. Now you can go back to the login page and login with your email as the username and your new password! 

Discover KidKare

Be able to schedule your demo with our team by filling out the form.

Tax Tips in just a few clicks

Get access to our KidKare Accounting video tutorials by filling out the form.

Reports

Review OER for Sponsors

Reports in CX

Reports Training

Start Your Free Trial

KidKare Food Program Software is a solution for single location childcare centers that submit claims directly to their state.​

Get Started Now with KidKare Food Program

Take the paperwork out of the Food Program and maximize your CACFP reimbursements with KidKare. Built exclusively for single-location childcare centers submitting claims directly to their state.

We want to know you!

We understand that navigating the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) can be confusing and stressful. That's why we created our KidKare Newsletter.

Start Your Free Trial

KidKare Food Program Software is a solution for single location childcare centers that submit claims directly to their state.​

Non Congregate Sites

How to enroll a NC site

Entering Meal Deliveries

Start Your Free Trial

KidKare Food Program Software is a solution for single location childcare centers that submit claims directly to their state.​

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Free eBook:

Food Program Menus

Get our free ebook by subscribing to our monthly Newsletter, The Monthly Minute by KidKare.

Every month you will receive tips and tools to help you understand and master the Food Program.

We want to know you!

We understand that navigating the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) can be confusing and stressful. That's why we created our KidKare Newsletter.

Webinar Recordings

Getting Started, Rosters & Meal Counts

Menus

Reports

Claims

Get Started Now with KidKare Food Program

Built exclusively for single-location childcare centers submitting claims directly to their state.

Reports

Admin Reports (Non-menu)

SFSP Sponsor Menu Reports

Disbursement Journal & Status Report

Site Training Videos

Marking Meals & Attendance

How to Complete a Satellite Form

Submit Claims to Sponsor

How Sites view Menu Production Records

Claims

Track Received Claims

Mark Centers Claim for Processing

Review Claims before Submitting to State

Submit Claim to State

Advance Claim Month

State Claims List

Sponsor Monthly Tasks

Sponsor Attendance / Bulk Entry

Enter Receipts (Required)

Advance Claim Month

Create Menus

Create Master Menus (Required)

Copy & Paste Menus

Assign Menus to Locations

Setup Vendor with Menu Access

Set Up Your Account

Manage Sponsor Information

Enroll Sites

Create Additional Admin Logins

We want to know you!

We understand that navigating the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) can be confusing and stressful. That's why we created our KidKare Newsletter.

Get Help

Get Trained

Set Up Your Site

Import Your Roster

Creating Roles and Permissions

Creating Center Staff Logins

Roster

Roster Upload Explanation

Start your 30-day trial

KidKare Accounting is an all-in-one solution designed specifically for childcare providers, whether they participate in CACFP or not.

Start your free trial today by filling out the form below.

KidKare For Sponsors

Our CACFP sponsor software ensures compliance and maximizes CACFP reimbursements for your Sponsor organization and participants (sites and providers).

Watch our KidKare Food Program Software Demo

Be able to watch our demo by filling out the form.

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Just enter your email address below and we’ll set up a free 30 day trial just for you.

We believe in the application so much, that we know you’ll love it.