How to Apply to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

CACFP Application Process   

Thank you for your interest in joining the North Carolina Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The CACFP requires a multi-step application process as follows:

  1. Is CACFP for me? This provides information to help you to become familiar with what the CACFP is and how it works, understand the different types of CACFP institutions, see if your organization is eligible to participate in the CACFP, and provides links to the next steps in the application process.
  2. Prescreen - The prescreen is a set of questions to determine if your organization is eligible to participate.
  3. Prequalification - If your organization passes through the prescreen, you will be prompted to provide additional information for prequalification.
  4. Training - A link to register for training is provided after your organization passes the prequalification requirements. There are three live webinars to complete: CACFP Basics, NC CACFP CONNECTS, and Budget trainings in addition to mini webinars required before approval.
  5. Access Request - A link to access request is provided after training is complete. Access request requires an online request in the system as well as a completed access request form.
  6. Online Application - The completion of our online application and required documents followed by approval from the State agency.
Tab/Accordion Items

  • Child Care Centers: Public or private nonprofit child care centers, Head Start programs, and some for-profit* centers which are licensed or approved to provide day care may serve meals and snacks to infants and children through CACFP. 

  • Family Day Care Homes: CACFP provides reimbursement for meals and snacks served to small groups of children receiving nonresidential day care in licensed or approved private homes. A family or group day care home must sign an agreement with a sponsoring organization to participate in CACFP. The sponsoring organization organizes training, conducts monitoring, and helps with planning menus and filling out reimbursement forms. 

  • At-Risk Afterschool Programs: Afterschool care programs in low-income areas can participate in CACFP by providing free snacks and suppers to children under 18 years of age. 

  • Homeless Shelters: Emergency shelters which provide residential and food services to homeless families with children may participate in CACFP. Unlike most other CACFP facilities, a shelter does not have to be licensed to provide day care.  

  • Adult Day Care Centers: Public, private nonprofit, and some for-profit* adult day care facilities which provide structured, comprehensive services to adults 60 years of age and over as well as functionally impaired, nonresident adults may participate in CACFP. 

  • Outside-School-Hours Care Centers 

* For-profit centers are eligible to receive meal reimbursement if they receive Title XIX or Title XX funds for at least 25% of enrolled participants. 

The CACFP participant age requirements (which can vary depending on the type of facility) include: 

  • Children birth to 18 years old  

  • Children of migrant workers age 15 or under  

  • Mentally/physically disabled children age 18 or under  

  • Chronically impaired disabled adults 18 years of age or older  

  • Adults 60 years of age receiving non-residential care  

NC CACFP Regional Consultants, each with an assigned group of counties, administer the program on the local level. Consultants process application changes, monitor programs, audit program records, and provide technical assistance through on-site visits to facilities. Their goal is to enable and ensure that institutions are aware of and follow the guidelines of the CACFP in order that participants receive the maximum benefits that are available to them. 

What is an Independent Center (IC)? 

An IC is a child care center, at-risk afterschool care center, emergency shelter, outside-school hours care center or adult day care center. 

An IC is contracted with the State Agency to: 

  • Assume administrative responsibility for implementing the CACFP program, including:  

  • Training and monitoring staff 

  • Tracking meals and filing claims 

  • Performing all aspects of day-to-day operations for purchasing, menu design, and point of service 

  • Completing annual application updates 

  • Assume financial responsibility for program operations 

What is a Sponsoring Organization (SO)? 

An SO is a non-profit, for-profit, or public organization which assumes responsibility for administration of the food program for affiliated or unaffiliated facilities. 

Unaffiliated Facilities 

  • One or more day care homes 

  • A child care center, emergency shelter, at-risk afterschool care center, outside-school hours care center, or adult day care center which is a distinct legal entity separate from the sponsoring organization 

  • Two or more child care centers, emergency shelters, at-risk afterschool centers, outside-school hours care center, or adult day care centers; or 

  • Any combination of the above options 

Each facility has their own separate Federal EIN number. 

Affiliated Facilities 

  • Any combination of two or more child care centers, at-risk afterschool care centers, adult day care centers or outside-school hours care centers 

  • Are part of the same legal entity as a sponsoring organization 

Each facility has the same Federal EIN number. 

Eligible sponsoring organizations of family day care homes and sponsoring organizations of child care centers may now apply for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administrative Start-Up or Expansion funds. These grant funds are to be used for outreach, recruitment, and training activities to expand family day care home participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) in low-income, rural, or underserved areas across North Carolina.  

See the memo and instructions below to learn more. 

Last Modified: 02-02-2022 

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