Child Care Homes

Most daycare home providers are eligible to participate in CACFP, including:

• Registered family day care providers
• Licensed group family day care providers
• Legally exempt, or informal, providers that receive child care payments from a county or city agency

The NYS Department of Health’s CACFP prescreening tool can help you determine if your day care is eligible. You can also contact the Early Care and Learning Council, or your local CACFP sponsoring agency for more information.

CACFP reimburses providers for each creditable meal or snack served, up to two meals and one snack per child per day.

There are two reimbursement levels, or tiers:

• Tier 1:  Providers who serve low-income children, live in a low-income area, or live in a household that meets income guidelines may be eligible for these higher reimbursement rates.
• Tier 2: Providers who do not qualify for Tier 1 are reimbursed using these rates.

The reimbursement rates for July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025 are listed below.

CACFP reimbursements can make a big difference in your food budget, even if you serve just a few children. For example, a provider in a low-income area who serves five children a morning snack, lunch, and supper 20 days per month could receive up to $723 per month in reimbursement.

To be eligible for reimbursement, meals and snacks must follow the CACFP meal patterns, which require certain food components (e.g., vegetables, fruits, grains, fluid milk, meat or meat alternate), and minimum serving sizes for different age groups. Click here for sample menus and additional information.

Day care home providers who participate in CACFP do so through a local sponsoring agency, often a Child Care Resource and Referral Center. To apply, contact your local sponsor; click here for a list of sponsors by county.

Child Care Homes Factsheet

Child Care Meals Palm Card

State:

NYS Department of Health

National:

USDA

National CACFP Sponsors Association

FRAC