CASY CACFP Newsletter
Welcome to FY21 Fourth Quarter CASY Food Program Newsletter
CASY Quarterly Food Program Newsletter
CASY Quarterly CACFP Newsletter
The CASY CACFP Quarterly Newsletter is issued by the CASY Food Program office at the beginning of each quarter throughout the CACFP Fiscal Year (FY). Each quarter this newsletter will bring you, our CACFP child care providers, Food Program updates, trainings, resources, nutrition education activities, recipes ,etc. Read each newsletter thoroughly as it may contain information important for the proper operation for your Food Program.
We want this newsletter to be of benefit to our CASY Food Program providers. Along with the information and resources we will be passing along we would like you to give us input on the information that you are interested in and need. Please send us your requests for information and resources you would like us to publish in this newsletter. Also send us your Food Program tips, tricks, recipes or activities to share with fellow CACFP child care providers.
COVID-19 Relief Funds Payments for Eligible CACFP Family Day Care Home Providers
- Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Funds for CACFP Operators: Homes and centers that both participate in CACFP and are eligible to receive CCDF will receive additional funds based on their May through September 2021 Food Program claims if eligible for CCDF prior to each claim month. These monthly payments will be paid out following each claim month of May through September 2021. These funds must be used for CACFP allowable costs to support food program operations. The funds will be sent the same means as regular CACFP reimbursement but may be received as a separate payment. Direct Deposit information will be posted in KidKare messages. NOTE: Payments will be disbursed automatically to all facilities that are eligible. Funding amounts will be based on an IDOE claim calculation.
- USDA Relief Funds for CACFP Operators: Institutions and facilities that participate in CACFP and had a decrease in CACFP reimbursement during the months of March through June 2020 will receive additional funds based on a USDA claim comparison calculation. One payment will be paid out the summer of 2021. The payment date to be determined by IDOE. Funds must be used for CACFP allowable costs to support food service operations. Funds will be sent the same means as regular CACFP reimbursement but will be received as a separate payment. Direct Deposit information will be posted in KidKare messages. NOTE: Payments will be disbursed automatically to all facilities that are eligible. Payments will be calculated by the IDOE.
- Nationwide Waiver of Area Eligibility for Family Day Care Home Providers in School Year 2021-2022: This waiver allows day care homes participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program to claim all meals and snacks served to enrolled children at the Tier 1 rate regardless of their location. It is allowing all day care homes, regardless of their location, to receive Tier I reimbursement for all meals and snacks. This waiver is effective July 1, 2021and remans in effect through June 30, 2022. NOTE: Tier I reimbursement rates will automatically be calculated for Tier II FDCH providers beginning with July 2021 CACFP claim.
ATTENTION: FY 2022 is coming and so are Grains Ounce Equivalents
Background
The Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, published on April 25, 2016, specified that CACFP meal planners must use ounce equivalents to determine the amount of creditable grain served as part of a reimbursable meal or snack. The implementation date of the “ounce equivalents” requirement for crediting grains served in the CACFP was delayed to FY22, October 1, 2021.
When
Effective October 1, 2021, grains served as part of reimbursable meals and snacks must be credited as oz eq in the CACFP. CACFP Operators must ensure that they are offering the minimum required serving size of creditable grains in oz eq for each age group for each meal and snack served.
Prior to October 1, 2021, CACFP Operators credited grains as slices and servings, where 14.75 grams of creditable grain equals 1 slice or serving. When crediting grains as oz eq, 16 grams of creditable grain equals 1 oz eq. Therefore, a larger amount of a grain product must be served to meet the minimum serving size listed in the CACFP meal patterns charts with the conversion from using slices and servings to oz eq. For updated serving sizes see the Grains Ounce Equivalents chart linked below.
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/using-ounce-equivalents-grains-cacfp
The CACFP Infant Meal Pattern
This grains oz eq requirement applies to the Infant Meal Pattern as well. For the updated serving sizes see the Infant Grains Ounce equivalents chart linked below.
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/feeding-infants-using-ounce-equivalents-grains-cacfp
Remember! The only grain that can be served for breakfast, lunch, and supper in the infant meal pattern is iron-fortified infant cereal. Bread and bread-like items, crackers, iron-fortified infant cereal, and RTE breakfast cereals can be served as part of a reimbursable snack only.
Good News
The good news is, with resources developed by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Team Nutrition, nobody is going to have to weigh a piece of bread. Refer to the regular and infant menu grains oz eq serving size charts linked above. For further information on grains oz eq see the resource sheets and webinars linked below.
Resource Sheets:
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/calculating-ounce-equivalents-grains-cacfp
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/crediting-single-serving-packages-grains-cacfp
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/determining-ounce-equivalents-grains-cacfp-recipes
Webinars:
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/in-grained-easy-tools-determine-serving-amounts
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/crediting-single-serving-packages-grains-cacfp-webinar
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/exhibit-grains-tool-rescue
For any questions regarding this requirement contact Terri Hemminghouse, Director of CACFP at themminghouse@casyonline.org or 812-231-8913.
Mandatory CACFP Online Trainings required to complete
5 of your FY21 CACFP 6 hours training requirement
Listed below are the trainings the CASY Food Program office will accept for your FY21 (October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021) CACFP training hours. Both trainings must be completed and submitted to the CASY Food Program office by September 10, 2021
1. Civil Rights in Child Nutrition Programs online training (1hr): Required for all enrolled CASY Food Program providers. Click on this link to access this required training:
2. CACFP Child and Adult Meal Pattern Requirements online training (4hrs):Required for all enrolled CASY Food Program providers. Link to this training is below
You are responsible for submit your training documentation to the CASY Food Program office. We do not receive training documentation from this site. Providers must send all training documentation to themminghouse@casyonline.org or CASY Food Program, 1101 S 13th St, Terre Haute, In 47802, ATTN: Terri.
NOTE: This quarterly newsletter will qualify for one (1) food program related training hour. Make sure the CASY Food Program always has your current email address and always review the newsletter. Never know, there may be some giveaway opportunities coming to you in future newsletters. Once you have completed the above mandatory requirements plus review the newsletter,, you will have met your 6 required food program related training hours.
For any CACFP training questions, contact Terri at themminghouse@casyonline.org or at 812-231-8913.
Looking for Nutrition Education and Physical Activities for your children?
Use the Kids' Corner resources found at nutrition.gov to teach children the importance of nutrition and physical activity. Resources found at this site include interactive websites, games, activity sheets and physical activities. See Kids' Corner link below.
https://www.nutrition.gov/topics/nutrition-age/children/kids-corner
CASY Food Program Contact Information
Terri Hemminghouse, Director of CACFP
Sherrie Snyder, CACFP Monitor
Email: themminghouse@casyonline.org
Website: casyonline.org
Location: 1101 South 13th Street, Terre Haute, IN, USA
Phone: 812-231-8913
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CASYFood
Let's have a fun giveaway!
We are looking forward to receiving your recipes. The deadline to submit your kid friendly recipes is August 10, 2021. We will draw the winner from all received recipes on August 11, 2021. The winner will be notified immediately as well as their name posted in the next quarterly newsletter. We will also share the recipes in future quarterly newsletters.