Community Education and Provider Services

CONTACT INFORMATION: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
703-324-8100 TTY 711
Pennino Building, 12011 Government Center Parkway, 8th Floor
Fairfax, VA 22035
H. Jene Moore
Director

USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

The US Department of Agriculture Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is designed to improve the health and nutrition of participants and promote the development of healthy eating habits through nutrition and education.

* Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination in all county programs, services and activities. To request reasonable accommodations or to receive this information in an alternate format, call 703-324-8100 or TTY 711.

By joining the USDA Food Program, family child care providers receive:
  • Reimbursement for some of the cost of providing healthy meals and snacks to children in care.
  • Ongoing education on food safety, nutrition, menu planning, shopping and budgeting.
  • Consultation with registered dieticians at the Early Childhood Programs and Services.
  • A great marketing tool for your home child care business, assuring parents that children in your care are receiving healthy meals and snacks.
Program Requirements

To participate in the program, you must:

  • Have a current Fairfax County child care permit or state license.
  • Have children, other than your own, in your care.
  • Sign a provider agreement with the Early Childhood Programs and Services.
  • Follow the USDA meal pattern.
  • Serve nutritious foods.
  • Submit menus and attendance records each month for reimbursement.
  • Record each meal or snack at the time it is served (point of service).
  • Allow a minimum of three home visits per year.
  • Complete annual USDA regulations training.

Read more about the program in English and Spanish*.

Early Childhood Programs and Services will provide the forms and assistance you will need to obtain reimbursement each month. 

Frequently Asked Questions for Family Child Care Providers About the USDA Food Program

1. How can the CACFP help me (the family child care provider)?

The CACFP will help you by providing reimbursement for meals and snacks that meet recommended nutrition guidelines to children in care. The program provides training on menu planning, food safety and nutrition and let parents know that children receive nutritious meals. Nutrition is an important part of quality child care and a healthy lifestyle.

2. What meals can I claim?

Family child care providers can claim up to two meals and one snack per child per day. You can choose the combination that works best for your program.

3. How do I get my reimbursement?

Reimbursement checks are mailed directly to you on a monthly basis.

4. Does the CACFP meal pattern allow for variations to accommodate participants who cannot eat certain foods because of religious reasons?

Yes. In many cases substitutions to accommodate religious dietary restrictions can be made within existing meal pattern requirements. The adjustments can be made as needed by submitting a letter from the parent for an alternate meal pattern.

5. Is an infant meal reimbursable if the iron-fortified infant formula is supplied by the parent or guardian?

Yes. Reimbursable meals for infants may contain either breast milk or iron-fortified formula, or both. Infant formula may be supplied by the family child care provider or by the parent. However, the meal must be served and fed to the infant by the provider.

6. How can my participation in the CACFP help parents?

Parents who leave children in your care want to feel confident that the child receives the best care, the care of a professional. Your participation in the CACFP assures parents that their child is receiving nutritious meals based on USDA nutrition standards, a sign of quality child care, and will learn to develop healthy eating habits that will last life time.

7. What does a program visit look like?

Your Child Care Specialist will visit your program 3 times a year to review your paperwork, answer your questions, and bring you nutrition education material, record keeping calendar, attendance sheets and menus.

8. Can I claim meals for my own children?

Under certain guidelines, family child care providers may claim meals and snacks served to their own children when in child care. ECPS staff can help you determine if you are eligible.

USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program Orientation

To join the USDA Food Program, please call 703-324-8100 to register for an orientation session or contact your child care specialist in the Early Childhood Programs and Services for an in-home orientation.

Discover how the USDA Food Program will benefit your family child care business. Learn about the resources you receive when you participate in the Food Program. Learn how to join the Food Program and the easy way to submit your monthly claims for reimbursement.

Please note: After you join the Food Program, your child care specialist will visit you in your home and will provide you with a certificate for two hours of training credit.

When you have your first child in care you ready to join the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program. We will come to your home and teach you how to start claiming. Call Simran Saigal at 703-324-8260 or Alisa Brooks at 703-246-8778 and they will arrange for your in-home Food Program training.

Meals at No Charge for All Children

Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, Early Childhood Programs and Services announces the sponsorship of the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program. The same meals will be available at no separate charge to all participants at each site. 

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling 866-632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

  1. Mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
  2. FAX:
    833-256-1665 or 202-690-7442
  3. Email:
    program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Meals will be provided at this center: At all operating At-Risk NCS Sites.

For further information please contact NCS Sites Administration at 703-449-1414 Option 1.

For additional information, you may also contact the Virginia Department of Education, Office of School Nutrition Programs by calling 804-225-2082.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling 866-632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

  • Mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
  • FAX:
    833-256-1665 or 202-690-7442
  • Email:
    program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Fairfax Virtual Assistant