Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits in Children
Welcome to Mid Michigan Child Care Food Program
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that provides nutrition training and financial reimbursement for approved meals and snacks served in licensed child care homes, approved relative care/unlicensed homes and approved licensed day care centers. It is an extension of the National School Lunch Program and is administered in Michigan by the Department of Education and funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Mid Michigan Child Care Food Program (MMCCFP) is a "sponsor" of the CACFP and has a contract from the state to provide services and reimbursements directly to participating child care homes.
The primary objective of the CACFP is to ensure that children 12 years of age and younger enrolled in child care homes and centers receive well-balanced, nutritious meals. The program helps child care providers meet this goal through nutrition education, program training and financial reimbursement.
The CACFP
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Promotes good nutrition during the years when children are developing eating habits that can continue into adulthood.
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Educates children to make nutritious food choices and helps them develop a positive attitude towards food.
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Assists providers with planning balanced meals/snacks and dealing with issues that can arise when feeding children.
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Provides financial assistance to child care providers to help them run a quality business.
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Reassures parents that their children will receive high quality, nutritious meals while in care.
Participation in the food program is free. Your child care home or center must be licensed by the State of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services or you must be an approved unlicensed provider to sign an agreement with a sponsoring organization like Mid Michigan Child Care Food Program.
Once you're signed up with us, you'll plan and serve meals and snacks that meet USDA requirements to the children enrolled in your child care. The best part is that the guidelines are much like the meals you are already serving, so it's not difficult to follow at all! Keeping daily records of the meals is also simple - it only takes about three minutes a day to write down the meal/snack components and attendance. At the end of the month, you'll send the menus and attendance forms (referred to as a "claim") to Mid Michigan Child Care Food Program; the reimbursement checks for menus that met USDA guidelines are sent near the end of the month when Mid Michigan Child Care receives funds from Michigan Department of Education (MDE).
We cover the entire state of Michigan!
