Karamu Nutrition Program Table of Contents
The Child And Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is designed to provide good nutrition. But the USDA can only do so much. At Karamu we are committed to making nutrition easy and economical for providers. We do this by offering a host of benefits to assure that your CACFP participation is a pleasant and positive experience. Our benefits include simple and easy forms, a variety of economical pre-planned menus, courteous and convenient training & support, detailed pay stubs, direct deposit of your meal reimbursement money, and the exclusive Karamu Provider’s Guidebook for quick answers to most of your food program questions! And even more, we serve every county and DHS district in the state. So no matter where you are in Tennessee, we’re there for you! What is the Child and Adult Care Food Program?The Child And Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded program. The CACFP means nutritional meals for children and peace of mind and important income for providers. As a participant in the CACFP, childcare providers receive monthly cash payments for serving nutritious USDA approved meals and snacks to the children they serve. In some cases providers can even be reimbursed for food served to their own children! The goal of the CACFP is to make good nutrition available to children from birth through 12 years of age. (The CACFP is funded (in part) under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Human Services.) Back to TopWho Benefits from the CACFP?Naturally, the children you care for benefit through the good food and nutrition that they receive. The childcare parents benefit because their children receive free and well-balanced meals while they are in care. And finally, the childcare provider benefits by receiving monthly cash payments to help cover the cost of the foods you purchase and serve. Also, being able to offer free food to the children in your care is a valuable business asset for childcare providers that can help attract customers. Back to TopWhat Must I do to Participate in the CACFP?To participate on the program you must be a registered or licensed childcare provider. You must serve meals and snacks that meet the nutritional guidelines established by the USDA and you must agree not to charge your childcare parents for the food you serve. Finally, you also need to be sponsored onto the program through a state-approved sponsor such as The Karamu Nutrition Program. As your sponsor, Karamu will train and assist you in meeting the USDA guidelines. Back to TopHow Much Money Will I Receive?Once a month, you will submit your food program records to Karamu. In turn we will compile a record of the meals and children that you served and issue you a payment accordingly. Providers are reimbursed in accordance with meal rates set by the USDA. There are two different sets of rates a provider could receive. The basic rates are known as Tier 2 rates. All providers automatically qualify to receive these rates. There is also a second set of rates (known as Tier 1 rates) which are somewhat higher than the basic rates. Providers can qualify to receive the higher rates if they are in a school zone or census tract that serves low income children or if your annual household income is within the guidelines set by the federal government. Karamu will help determine if you can qualify as a Tier 1 provider. The current Tier 1 and Tier 2 rates are listed on our Food Programs page. The exact amount of reimbursement you receive each month will depend on the number of children you serve, the number of days you are open, the types of meals you serve, and the Tier reimbursement rates that you receive. Back to Top
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