National Days in March

March 9: National Meatball Day  

Read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Barrett, 1978) and enjoy meatballs as a meat/meat alternate at any meal or snack. 

Refer to the CACFP Creditable and Non-Creditable Foods Guide: 1-18 Year Olds and Adult Participants in Adult Daycare Centers for more information.

(Source: https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/community-nutrition/pdf/creditable_non_creditable_foods_guide.pdf p 3-4) 

Food Program Anniversaries in March

• 5 years: Alethia Stanford 
• 10 years: Suzette Mayotte, Kishaunda Ransaw 
• 15 years: Beverly Townsend, Patricia Atkins 



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

Welcome to our New Providers!

• Stephanie in Arpin 
• Elizabeth in Milwaukee 
• Shauntele in Milwaukee 
• Nicole in Milwaukee 
• Jade in Milwaukee 
• Monique in Milwaukee 
• Tatyanna in La Crosse 
• Aviana in Green Bay 
• Hope in Superior 
• Anna in Sussex 
• Alissa in Sparta 
• Julie in Sheboygan 
• Brenda in Ashland 

We welcome you and applaud this mark of professionalism!  

National CACFP Week: March 10–16, 2024 

CACFP Week is a national educational and information campaign sponsored annually by the National CACFP Sponsors Association. It raises awareness of how the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program works to combat hunger and bring healthy foods to the table for children in child care homes, centers, and in afterschool and summer feeding programs across the country. 

“Below is the link to the proclamation from State Superintendent Jill Underly recognizing March 10-16, 2024, as Child and Adult Care Food Program Week. This proclamation acknowledges the significant contributions of programs that provide nutritious and well-balanced meals and snacks as part of the CACFP.”  

"This program has allowed me to pay my mortgage, and I am thankful for that. I appreciate this program so much!” - Maria, West Allis 

Your Chance to Win 

Submit one week – 7 days – of creditable snack ideas to the Food Program on or before March 16, 2024. Email your ideas to foodprogram@wisconsinearlychildhood.org for a chance to win a gift card! Be sure to include your name and provider number on your submission. 

Worried that your child care children won’t eat whole grain-rich foods? 

They may not! But they won’t if you aren’t offering them! Remember that you are mandated to offer healthy meals and snacks according to the CACFP guidelines. The children can decide which foods they will eat. Whether they eat all – or any! – of the components, if you have offered them – either by pre-plating a serving of each menu component OR, when serving family-style, by providing enough food in communal bowls for each child to take the full serving size – you can claim and be paid for that meal or snack. * 

Being sure you meet the Whole Grain-Rich mandate every day can make a difference to your Food Program reimbursement. 

At the current reimbursement rates for snacks: 

Tier 1: $ .93/snack X 6 children claimed = $ 5.58 per day  

Tier 2: $ .25/snack X 6 children claimed = $ 1.50 per day. 

With 21 claiming days for providers regulated Monday through Friday, doing away with a daily deduction for Whole Grain-Rich can add this much to your March Food Program reimbursement: 

Tier 1: $ 117.18 

Tier 2: $ 31.50 

*Up to a maximum of 2 meals and 1 snack or 2 snacks and 1 meal, per child, per day. 

For more information about family style dining, look for National CACFP: Benefits of Family Style Meal Service for Children. 

Annual Food Program Provider Survey 

The Annual Provider Survey is here! This is your opportunity to share feedback with the Food Program. Tell us what you like – and also give us your constructive feedback about what we might improve. We value your input! 

Components and Crediting 

Juice Reminder 

Only 100% fruit or vegetable juice is creditable on the Food Program. You must choose your juice from the list of foods in the drop-down menu in CACFP.Net so the program can keep track of how many times you serve juice each day.  



A creditable juice product will state Juice: Full-strength juice; single-strength juice; 100% juice; and reconstituted juice; juice from concentrate or juice concentrate. Items named cocktail, beverage or drink are not 100% juice and are not creditable. 

Per USDA meal pattern requirements: 

• Juice is not creditable for infants. 
• You may serve juice once per day, per family child care home, to children 1 year and older. 

Monitoring and Oversight

National CACFP: Benefits of Family Style Meal Service for Children  

“Participating in FSMS provides skills that reinforce learning and development, increase vocabulary, encourage social interactions with others, create feelings of independence, and instill lifelong healthy habits. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits.”  

• Social Skills  
• “Children have the chance to learn and practice social skills. Saying “please” and “thank you,” waiting their turn, and sharing the group meal are learned social skills. Engaging in conversation during the meal with others supports social development.” 
• Motor Skills  
• “When children pass a bowl or put food on their plate, they are learning and practicing self-serve skills that will expand both gross and fine motor skills. Keep in mind that children develop at individual rates and may be at different skill levels. Younger children may need more help learning self-serve skills. Help them by providing child-sized utensils that are easier to maneuver and foods that are easy to scoop or handle.” 
• Autonomy of Food Choice  
• “According to the Satter Feeding Dynamics Model, when children control food choices and portion sizes, they can regulate food intake and learn to eat a variety of food. Watching others take unfamiliar food encourages reluctant tasters to try something new. The choice of taking a small amount of food initially with the option of taking more later empowers children to expand their food choices. Adults should encourage but never force taking or tasting food. All these benefits can enhance self-confidence in children. They see all the different things they CAN do.”  

(Source: Excepts from Family Style Meal Service - National CACFP Sponsors Association)

Remedy for Child Specific Meal Deductions  

• Print a copy of the Child Enrollment.  
• Mark the days, meals, and snacks that should be authorized for that child.  
• If there is variability in the child’s schedule – because of the parent’s work schedule, because of the school schedule (such as early release,) or for other reasons - indicate “Schedule Varies.”  
• Have the parent sign and date the changes. Keep the form in your Food Program binder for review by your Area Coordinator during Home Visits.  

Email copies of the corrected child enrollment forms to: foodprogram@wisconsinearlychildhood.org  

In the Subject: List your name and your 6-digit provider number  

Ask that the database information be updated. Be specific:  

• Write the child’s full name: Example Mary Smith, child #1  
• Write the child’s id number (as listed in CACFP.Net)  
• Write the days that SHOULD be authorized  
• Write which meals and snacks should be authorized: BALPDE would be all meals and snacks  
• Attach a copy or an image of the corrected Child Enrollment form for any affected children

Be sure to carefully review the Child Enrollment information any time you and the parent enroll or re-enroll a child. Inaccurate or incomplete information is considered provider error and is not adjustable.  

NOTE: The Food Program will not adjust for any deductions to claims that have been processed due to children’s enrollment information being incomplete or inaccurate.  

The Food Program recommends that providers check their monthly Claim Summary information to see how their claim was paid. This is a good way to catch problems early and prevent future deductions to your claim!  

Are You a Licensed Provider Who Works with an Assistant? 

Use this form to let us know, especially if your helper is present so that your licensed child care home is compliant with age ratios: Statement for Providers with Assistants. 

Working with an assistant does not affect age ratios for a certified child care home. 

Need to Update a Parent Provider Formula Agreement? 

Does your child care parent want to change something on the PFA? Follow this process:  

1. Provider: Print off the copy of the Child Enrollment Form with attached PFA for that child.  
2. Parent: Update the form with the new information.  
3. Parent: Initial beside each change and sign and the date the updates to the PFA. 
4. Provider: Email a copy of the updated form to Margaret Mundt
5. Margaret Mundt: Updates the PFA information for the child in the Food Program database. 
6. Provider: Keeps a copy of the revised information (electronically or on paper) with their Food Program information for review during Home Visits.  

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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