Expanding the Successful Child and Adult Care Food Program

Because CACFP plays an outsized function by leveraging resources, Congress should make a concerted effort to make the program even stronger.

Part of a Series

Idea of the Day

Idea of the Day

One of the many tools the nation has to support low-income families and their young children is the Child and Adult Care Food Program, or CACFP. Managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, and administered by states and nonprofit groups, CACFP provides snacks and meals to more than 3 million children at child care centers, family day care homes, Head Start programs, after-school programs, and homeless shelters. In 2014, the program funded nearly 2 billion meals; the vast majority of these went to children younger than 5. Subsidizing meals defrays overall child care costs for parents and contributes to children’s ability to thrive and learn. Beyond this, CACFP also has a track record of supporting healthy and safe child care environments.

For more on this idea, please see:

How the Child and Adult Care Food Program Improves Early Childhood Education by Christine Binder, Joel Berg, Maryam Adamu, and Katie Hamm

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