Food Program Anniversaries in June

5 years: Zandra Kopitzke 

25 years: Lois Peterson; Luerse Anderson 

30 Years: Michelle Stauff

35 Years: Barbara Tessmer

We applaud your commitment to serving nutritious meals and snacks to the children in your care!  

Welcome to Our New Providers!

Brandi, Katrina, Sheneka, Sakajha, Felicia and Haneen in Milwaukee 

We welcome you and applaud this mark of professionalism!  

Components and Crediting 

Ask the Food Program

Question:

I am confused about serving corn and corn products on the Food Program. Corn is a vegetable, but some components made from corn credit as a grain component. Please clarify! 

Answer:

Thank you for that question! Corn kernels credit as a vegetable when fresh, canned, frozen or on-the-cob: 

(Crediting Handbook for the CACFP, p 55) 

To know what products made from corn credit as a grain on CACFP, consider the following. 

“A creditable grain product must be: 

• Whole grain-rich OR 
• Enriched OR 
• Bran or germ.” 

(Crediting Handbook for the CACFP, p 80) 

• Examples of whole-grain corn products are here: 

(Crediting Handbook for the CACFP, p 85) 

Nixtalmized corn, “(i.e., corn treated with lime), such as hominy, corn masa (dough from masa harina), and masa harina (corn flour) are considered whole grain when evaluating products for meal requirements. Nixtamalization is a process in which dried corn is soaked and cooked in an alkaline (slaked lime) solution.... If the ingredient statement indicates the corn is treated with lime (for example, “ground corn with trace of lime” or “ground corn treated with lime”), then the corn is nixtamalized.” (Source: Crediting Handbook for the CACFP, p 86) 

If you offer a serving of a corn product that is whole grain-rich, including Nixtalmized corn products, be sure to click the whole grain box in CACFP.Net to be credited for a whole grain-rich source on that calendar day. 

• Common enriched grains made from corn are listed here: 

(Crediting Handbook for the CACFP, p 86) 

Products made or baked from whole grain-rich corn products or enriched corn products credit on CACFP when served in the proper portion size. 

(Crediting Handbook for the CACFP, p 101) 

(Crediting Handbook for the CACFP, p 97) 

• There are many grain products from corn that do not credit on CACFP. Products made from non-creditable grains or flours do not credit on CACFP:

(Crediting Handbook for the CACFP, p 87) 

Confused? If this information just made you more confused, this resource may help as you are choosing items to serve that meet CACFP requirements. 

Rev. 12/2022 (WIC approved foods 11/1/22 - 10/31/25)  

If you look for products listed on the full document, look for both the information in the top of each field which is highlighted in this image from Tortillas/Wraps - i.e., “White Corn” or “Yellow Corn,” which will be found on the packaging – and the brand name. Both the label information and the bulleted, brand names must match to be sure the product credits as a Wisconsin WIC Approved Whole Grain. 

Recipes to Try! 

Pupusa de Queso 

Is It a Grain-Based Dessert?

Do you think of it as a dessert or treat? Perception counts! Check out this resource for more information. 

Monitoring and Oversight

Tiering is Expiring on June 30, 2025

Every income eligibility determination expires on June 30, 2025. 



Important reminders about tier applications: 

• Remember that the deadline for a July 1 effective date is always July 31. 
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not allow adjustments for late or missing paperwork/documentation. 
• It is your responsibility to submit all required forms and documentation by the deadline. 

Tier information and applications will be emailed to your email address on file on July 1, 2025. No information is available until July 1, 2025. 

Tiering for Children Enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start

Do you have one or more children enrolled in Head Start enrolled in your child care? According to DPI, “All children enrolled in Head Start, including Early Head Start, are automatically Tier 1 eligible with certification from the Head Start agency.” 

Proper documentation of Head Start enrollment is: 

• A copy of the approved Head Start application; or 
• A document that includes: 
• Certification that the children are currently enrolled in Head Start 
• Name or signature of Head Start personnel providing the certification 
• Date of certification 

The above documentation must be provided annually to verify a child’s continued eligibility for Tier 1.  

NEW: School-Aged Child in Care During School Hours

When you claim meals or snacks for school-aged children that are customarily served during their school hours, such as A.M. Snack or Lunch, you must let the Food Program know why they are in child care. In CACFP.Net go to Site Changes, and select School Age Requests: 

Select the date, the name of the child from those enrolled in care, and click the meals and snacks. Add a statement about why the child is in care, such as “No school,” as shown below. Be sure to save your changes. 

This information will be sent electronically to the Food Program. 



Without this information on file, meals and snacks served to school-aged children during school hours from August through June may not be allowed. 

Parent Letter: Building for the Future

Family child care homes that participate on CACFP must either have the current Parent Letter posted on site, or a copy can be distributed to each family with a child in care. 

Current Nondiscrimination Statement  

Whenever you reference participating on the Food Program or on CACFP in your written materials - for example, in your policy book or on your website – you must also have the current nondiscrimination statement included with that information. Find it here.  

If the material or document is too small to permit the full statement be included, the material MUST at a minimum include: "This institution is an equal opportunity provider." Use the same sized font as elsewhere in the document. This is a federal regulation.  

Enrolling Children in CACFP.Net 

When you add a child in CACFP.Net, be sure to use the parent email address in the field shown here: 

Providers should not use their own email addresses in this field. The form emailed to the parent after the provider submits the child enrollment information is protected by a PIN. Only the parent or guardian is authorized to fill out this section of the child enrollment form; the provider is not. 

If you work with a family that does not currently have an email address, you may help them set up email. Do not use your own email address for children that are not your own. 

NOTE: Children will be subject to re-enrollment one year from the day the parent signs the enrollment form. 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

The Provider Connection is published by the WECA Food Program.

Any Questions: Call 608-240-9880 or visit our website.

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