You are receiving this newsletter because you are enrolled in the WECA Food Program.
October 2021 | View as Webpage
Your Monthly News & Updates
COMING SOON-Electronic Provider Formula Agreements!
Have you ever forgotten to send in a PFA for a newly-enrolled infant? It’s an easy mistake to make – and an expensive one, because you cannot be paid for the meals and snacks you serve to an infant without it.

Electronic PFA’s to the rescue! Instead of a form to print out, fill out, and mail, electronic formula agreements will save ink, paper (i.e. trees!), and postage. Enrolling an infant electronically will automatically trigger an electronic formula agreement for that child, and the form will only submit if it has been filled out completely.

Until then, continue to send a properly completed Provider Formula Agreement each time you enroll a child under 12 months into child care.
National Days This October
Wednesday, October 6th is National Noodle Day. Celebrate by reading Strega Nona (DePaola, 1975) to the children in your program.
Tuesday, October 26th is National Pumpkin Day. Enjoy Pumpkin Pumpkin (Titherington, 1990) with your child care children.
Let's Cook! Wee Chefs - Big Results!
by Julie Giles, WECA Food Program Specialist
This month, my petite chefs and I made Pumpkin Burgers! (Recipe located on page 11).
This was a more involved recipe than we have made before, which also meant a new opportunity to do different tasks – like mashing pinto beans – and expose ourselves to new ingredients – cumin, paprika, and fennel, for example – and their looks, smells, and tastes. Some changes to the recipe were deliberate: I thought sriracha sauce and jalapeno pepper in combination with the other flavors might be a bit too much for my young friends’ palates. Some changes were accidental: Blending all the breadcrumbs throughout instead of coating the outsides of the burger. Oops! Regardless, they smelled delicious while cooking and were chock full of vegetables. And they tasted great! Sully, who is 2 years old, happily joined us in cooking but declined to taste the burger on his plate. But there’s always next time!
Speaking of next time…. Drum roll, please!
Our November 2021 recipe is Chicken Dumpling Soup. (Recipe can be found on page 14)

Care to join us in preparing it? If you do and wish to send in comments about your experience making it and serving it in your child care, your name will be entered in a Wee Chefs drawing! Potential submissions should be emailed on or before Tuesday, October 19th. Submissions can be emailed to me. Use Wee Chefs and the name of your child care home in the subject line of your email.

We LOVE photos! If you include a photo of your small friends cooking and it is selected for possible inclusion in the newsletter, a required Waiver will be emailed to you for each child’s parent to sign and return in advance of publication.
Free Food Safety Kits from Institute of Child Nutrition
Family child care providers may now order printed copies of the Institute of Child Nutrition’s (ICN) Food Safety Kit for CACFP Providers. Supplies are limited to one kit per child care home!

Complete the order form at this link. The Institute of Child Nutrition will take orders until supplies run out.

The kit includes:
  • Keeping Food Safe in Family Child Care (food safety best practices guide with CACFP recipes) 
  • Feeding Infants Safely in Family Child Care (informational booklet)
  • Laminated handwashing poster
  • Cooking temperatures magnet
  • Appliance thermometers (2)
  • Food thermometer
  • Insulated tote
  • Pen
  • Instruction sheet 
CACFP Tuesday Talks
Wisconsin Community Nutrition News!
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) held a CACFP Tuesday Talks webinar, Veggie and Fruit Ideas, on August 17, 2021.
The recorded webinar, its presentation handout, and a Q&A on the questions that were asked during the webinar are now posted. The following links will take you directly to these postings:

PLEASE NOTE:
The following information in the webinar is different for home providers and FDCH sponsor staff:
  • Home providers should disregard references to the DPI guidance memos unless directed to them by their sponsor. They should rely on their sponsor’s guidance for their specific policies and procedures.
Homemade Combination Foods
Whenever you serve one of your own recipes that combines two or more foods, be sure to enter each component on your menus. We don’t know your recipes! Be sure the appropriate serving size (by age) for each component is being served to each child.

DPI Translated Forms
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has many Family Day Care Home forms available in Spanish and Hmong on its site.

How to Add a Child Electronically in CACFP.Net
  1. Log into CACFP.Net and click on My CACFP info, Children.
  2. On the left, you will see the list of your current children.
  3. Click the box “Add a child” located below your list of current children.
  4. On the right side, enter the correct child information for that child.
  5. Enter the parent information, which MUST include the Parent's email address.
  6. At the bottom of the page, click “Send this electronic form to parent” for review and signature. You will see a message: “Email has been sent to the parent.”
  7. The parent will receive an email from System Administrator, which will contain a Pin#. 
  8. The parent will click on the link in the email and enter the Pin. They will receive a message stating the form will be sent to them shortly.
  9. The parent will then receive an email from LFWorkflow@wisconsinearlychildhood.org to finish enrolling the child and submit the form.
  10. Once the parent has successfully submitted the Child Enrollment Form you will receive an email from LFWorkflow@wisconsinearlychildhood.org with a copy of the signed form.

Be sure to check the enrollment form over carefully, and then print it and save it in your binder OR store it electronically. Either way, you must have access to each child enrollment form for any visit from WECA or DPI.
Requirements for Infants
You Must:
  • Offer to supply an approved iron-fortified infant formula to each infant in care at no cost to parents.
  • Enter the formula name on the Parent/Provider Formula Agreement that you submit for the infant. Otherwise, your form is incomplete and cannot be processed.
  • Offer to supply formula even if the infant now gets breast milk or if the parent now supplies the formula.
  • Submit your form and be sure to keep a copy.
  • Inform WECA whenever a parent supplies one meal component (solid or fluid) for an infant.
  • Online claimers: On the CACFP.Net Main Menu page, click on One Infant Meal Component Provided by Parent. Complete the form and submit.
  • Paper claimers: On your infant menus, highlight in yellow the component supplied by the parent.

Note for online claimers: If you serve different meal components to two or more developmentally ready infants in the same age category at the same meal service, click on the Infant of the Same Age fed Different Foods, complete the form, and submit.

Be sure you submit a Parent/Provider Formula Agreement at the same time you enroll an infant. Without both forms on file, you cannot be paid for the child’s meals and snacks.
CACFP Special Dietary Needs Tracking Form
You must complete both a Special Dietary Needs Tracking Form and a Special Diet Form if you have a child in care:
 
  • with a food sensitivity, allergy, or disability OR
  • to reflect parents’ wishes for meal substitutions based on religious, ethnic or lifestyle reasons OR
  • to document alternate milk preferences to dairy milk.
 
Submit both forms at the same time, and keep a copy of each in your binder. When your Area Coordinator conducts a visit, she will check to see that the meal or snack offered to the child is consistent with his documented special dietary needs.
Your Obligation at an In-Person or Virtual Home Visit
When you signed the Food Program Sponsor/Provider Agreement, you agreed to allow representatives from WECA, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and/or USDA to make announced and unannounced visits to your family child care home. They may review your meal service and food program records at any time during your hours of operation.
 
When these representatives arrive for a home visit, and you’re open (whether children are present or not), your up-to-date menus and attendance records must be available for their review.
 
If your child care is closed due to illness or for a vacation, notify your area coordinator before 7:00 a.m. Send her an email or leave a message on her WECA voicemail. Look at the Food Program Staff Directory for contact information. If she phones for a virtual visit or stops for an in-person visit during your normal serving time and you’re unavailable or out, she must deduct any affected meals/snacks, according to USDA policy. If your mealtimes change, let her know so she can plan her visits to coincide with your new meal or snack time.
Moving? Let Us Know!
As soon as you know your new address and moving date, notify us. Log in to CACFP.Net, select Changes, Provider Changes, complete the information and submit the form. Email a copy of your updated regulation listing your new address to Julie Giles. You cannot be paid without a current regulation on file or if there is a lapse between the end date of your former license or certificate and the start date of your new regulation.
 
Remember that your new address may also affect your tier, which determines your rate of reimbursement.
Is Your Email Correct?
This year we will continue to send you more communications via Constant Contact-for example, how to get your annual WECA earnings, tier renewal letter, etc. It’s the easiest way for us to communicate with all of you at the same time. Don’t miss out on anything important!
  • Make sure we have your correct email address
  • Make sure these emails are not going into your junk folder
  • Do not unsubscribe from Vertical Response emails
Registration is Still Open for the WECA Conference
The 2021 Virtual Conference LIVE workshops have passed, but a majority of them are now available on-demand. You can still register to gain full access to more than 40 workshops focused on early childhood education best practices, diversity, equity, inclusion, and more! Access to the conference workshops is available until December 31, 2021.
The Provider Connection is published by the WECA Food Program Claims Director: Pam Polenz
Provider Connection Editor: Julie Giles Questions: Call 608-240-9880 or visit our website.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider
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