The goal of the program is to ensure that children under 13 years of age in day care and/or after school programs receive healthy, well-balanced food every day, thereby improving their diets and helping them build good eating habits.

CCFP provides financial assistance to nonresidential, licensed family child care home providers in the form of reimbursement for each meal served daily to young children in their care. To qualify for reimbursement, meals and snacks must meet rigorous, USDA nutritional standards.

HISTORY
 

Because the welfare of children always has been a priority for Lutheran Services Florida (LSF), in 1987 the Agency founded the Child Care Food Program (CCFP) to help children receive nutritious, daily meals. The Program also provides families with referrals to affordable, home day care facilities where children are served well-balanced food throughout the day. Beginning with only 40 day care homes, today the Child Care Food Program has grown tenfold to include almost 450 providers.

Since LSF began the program fourteen years ago, nearly 25,000 children have benefited. Last year alone, more than 50,000 meals and snacks were served every week to children in day care facilities affiliated with the LSF Child Care Food Program.

Because many children come from low-income families with both parents working full-time jobs, often the most nutritious food they will eat all day is what they are served in their day care facilities.

BENEFITS

• Children receive complete, well-balanced daily meals and snacks.

• CCFP Specialists instruct licensed family child care home providers how to develop a wide variety of nutritious meals and maintain weekly menus to ensure they are in compliance with USDA requirements.

• Family child care home providers may be reimbursed for meals that comply with USDA requirements.

• Family child care home providers receive continual training and technical assistance from CCFP Specialists.

• CCFP Specialists monitor day care homes for proper sanitation and meal preparation.
   

Licensed Family Child Care Home Providers Must:

• Be in compliance with and maintain all state licensing requirements

• Have no more than ten children in their care at any given time

• Serve nutritious, well-balanced meals that meet all USDA guidelines

• Maintain daily records of meals

• Prepare and submit menus to CCFP Specialists

• Agree to random monitoring visits

Funders:  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services. 
In Florida, the Child Care Food Program is administered by the Department of Health, Bureau of Child Care Nutrition Services.