NCDHHS Connects Children and Adults to Healthy Food Through the Child and Adult Care Food Program | Eastern NC Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH     The Child and Adult Care Food Program helps eligible children and adults access healthy, nutritious food by reimbursing qualified child care programs, adult day programs and other non-residential care programs for meals and snacks served to enrollees. CACFP is administered federally by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and at the state level by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

    CACFP is available to programs that serve children and adults in the following categories who meet federal income requirements:

• Infants and children through age 12 in child care centers and family child care homes
• Children of migrant workers aged 15 or younger
• Children age 18 or younger in afterschool care centers and emergency shelters
• Children age 18 or younger with mental or physical disabilities
• Adults 60 years of age or older receiving non-residential care
• Adults age 18 or older living with chronically impairing disabilities

    Each year, the USDA uses federal poverty information to update the income eligibility guidelines for the CACFP. The latest income guidelines are effective July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. The guidelines determine an enrolled participant's eligibility for free and reduced-price meals offered through the CACFP.


    Most child care programs and all family child care homes that participate in the CACFP provide meals to all enrolled participants without any separate charge. Reimbursement rates for meals served are based on household incomes of those enrolled for care. Programs and centers interested in participating in CACFP can complete a self-assessment and begin the application process online.

    More information on CACFP is available at www.ncdhhs.gov/nccacfp.

    Nondiscrimination Statement

    In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

    Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.


    To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant's name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

    1. Mail:

    U.S. Department of Agriculture

    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

    1400 Independence Avenue, SW

    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

    2. Fax:

    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

    3. Email:

    Program.Intake@usda.gov

    This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

• NC Department of Health and Human Services
• 2001 Mail Service Center
• Raleigh, NC 27699-2001
• Ph: (919) 855-4840
• news@dhhs.nc.gov