How To

Crediting Foods  |   Meal Service  |   Menu Planning

Crediting Foods in CACFP Child Care Programs

• CSDE Guide: Guide to Meeting the CACFP Meal Patterns for Children and Crediting Requirements
• Crediting Commercial Processed Products (CSDE's Crediting Foods in CACFP Child Care Programs webpage)
• Crediting Foods Made from Scratch (CSDE's Crediting Foods in CACFP Child Care Programs webpage)
• Crediting Foods in CACFP Child Care Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Crediting Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (USDA)
• CSDE Operational Memo No. 7A, 9C-16 and 9H-16: Requirements for Documenting CACFP Meal Pattern Contribution of Processed Foods 

Meal Service in CACFP Child Care Programs

Eating Environment  |   Family Style  |   OVS  |   Water Availability

Eating Environment

• Best Practices for Child Care Professionals Creating and Maintaining a Wellness Environment in Child Care Centers Participating in the CACFP (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• CSDE Guide: Guide to Meal Service Requirements for CACFP Child Care Programs
• Creating and Maintaining a Wellness Environment in Child Care Centers Participating in the CACFP (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Introduction to Happy Mealtimes in Child Care Settings (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Mealtimes with Toddlers in the CACFP (USDA webpage)
• Positive Eating Environment Tool (U.S. Department of Human Services Head Start)
• Ready, Set, Go! Creating and Maintaining a Wellness Environment in Child Care Centers Participating in the CACFP (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• More resources: "Child Care Eating Environment" in CSDE's Resource List for Wellness Policies in Schools and Child Care

Family Style Meal Service

• CACFP and Family Style Meal Service (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• CSDE Guide: Guide to Meal Service Requirements for CACFP Child Care Programs
• Family-Style Dining in Child Care Settings (Virtual Lab School)
• Family Style Meal Service (Oregon Department of Education)
• Family Style Meal Service with Children in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (USDA webpage)
• Grab and Go Lesson: Benefits for Serving Meals Family Style in Child Care (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Grab and Go Lesson: CACFP and Family Style Meal Service (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Mealtime Memo: The Basic Guide to Family Style Dining – Part 1 (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Offer Versus Serve and Family Style Meals (National CACFP Association)
• Parent Handout: Serving Meals "Family Style" (USDA)
• Tips for Serving Meals Family-Style (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• USDA Guide: Family Style Meal Service with Children in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
• USDA Memo CACFP 05-2017: Offer Versus Serve and Family Style Meals in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
• Why You Should Serve Family Style (National CACFP Association)

Offer versus Serve (OVS)  Allowed only for at-risk afterschool centers

• Offer versus Serve in At-risk Afterschool Centers (CSDE)
• USDA Memo CACFP 02-2025: Offer Versus Serve and Family Style Meals in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

Water Availability

• CSDE Guide: Guide to Meal Service Requirements for CACFP Child Care Programs
• Grab and Go Lesson: Offering and Making Water Available in Child Care (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Offering Water in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (USDA)
• USDA Memo CACFP 18-2016: Water Availability in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
• USDA Memo CACFP 20-2016: Resources for Making Potable Water Available in Schools and Child Care Facilities
• "Water Availability" in CSDE's Resource List for Child Nutrition Programs

Menu Planning for CACFP Child Care Programs

Cycle Menus  |   Menu Planning Guidance  |   Menu Planning Training

Cycle Menus

• CACFP Fact Sheet: Cycle Menus (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• CARE Connection Online Training: Planning Cycle Menus in Child Care (Institute of Child Nutrition) 
• Cooking Up Healthy Habits: A Guide to CACFP Meals (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)
• Cycle Menus for Child Care: Preschoolers (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Recipes for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE's Menu Planning for Child Nutrition Programs webpage)
• Snack Inspiration: Menus with 240 Snack Ideas (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)

Menu Planning Guidance

• General Guidance
  • Best Practices: USDA Memo CACFP 15-2016: Optional Best Practices to Further Improve Nutrition in the Child and Adult Care Food Program Meal Pattern 
  • Best Practices for Menu Planning (National CACFP Association)
  • CSDE Guide: Guide to Meeting the CACFP Meal Patterns for Children and Crediting Requirements
  • Menu Planning Basics: A Guide for CACFP Operators in Child Care (Institute of Child Nutrition)
  • Menu Planning Basics for CACFP: CACFP iTrain Simple Lesson Plan (Institute of Child Nutrition)
  • Menu Planning for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
  • Sample CACFP Menus ("Documents/Forms" section of CSDE's Meal Patterns for CACFP Child Care Programs webpage)
• Breakfast
  • CSDE Sample Menus for CACFP Child Care Programs ("Documents/Forms section)
  • Cycle Menus for Child Care: Preschoolers (Institute of Child Nutrition)
  • It's Breakfast Time! Child and Adult Care Food Program Breakfast Menu Planner for Children 3 Through 18 Years of Age (USDA)
• Lunch and Supper
  • CSDE Sample Menus for CACFP Child Care Programs ("Documents/Forms section)
  • Cycle Menus for Child Care: Preschoolers (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Nutrition Facts Label
  • CARE Connection Online Training: CACFP: Navigating Nutrition Facts Labels (Institute of Child Nutrition) 
  • Reading Food Labels for Allergens ("Documents/Forms" section of CSDE's Special Diets in CACFP Adult Day Care Centers webpage)
  • Using the Nutrition Facts Label in the CACFP (USDA webpage)
• Snacks
  • CSDE Sample Menus for CACFP Child Care Programs ("Documents/Forms section)
  • Cycle Menus for Child Care: Preschoolers (Institute of Child Nutrition)
  • Let's Make a Snack: Child and Adult Care Food Program Snack Menu Planner for Children 3 Through 18 Years of Age (USDA)
  • Serving Snacks in the CACFP (USDA)
  • Snack Inspiration: Menus with 240 Snack Ideas (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)
• Resource Lists
  • Resource List for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
  • Resource List for Food Safety in Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
  • Resource List for Menu Planning and Food Production for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
  • Resources for the CACFP Meal Patterns (CSDE)
• Special Diets
  • Resource List for Special Diets in Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
  • Special Diets in CACFP Child Care Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Sugar Limit for Breakfast Cereals and Yogurt
  • Calculating Sugar Limits for Breakfast Cereals in the CACFP (USDA)
  • Calculating Sugar Limits for Yogurt in the CACFP (USDA)
  • Choose Breakfast Cereals That Are Lower in Added Sugars (USDA)
  • Choose Yogurts That Are Lower in Added Sugars (USDA)

Menu Planning Training

• CACFP Cooking Videos (USDA webpage)
• CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays Training Webinar Series: Topics related to the CACFP meal pattern requirements (USDA)
• CACFP Meal Pattern Training Slides (USDA webpage)
• CACFP Training Tools (USDA webpage)
• CARE Connection Online Training: Planning Cycle Menus in Child Care (Institute of Child Nutrition) 
• CARE Connection Online Training: Serving Nutritious Foods in Child Care (Institute of Child Nutrition) 
• CARE Connection Online Training: Step-by-Step Menu Planning (Institute of Child Nutrition) 
• More training: Training for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)