Food Program Anniversaries in November 

5 years: Maria Lopez

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

2027 Annual Provider Training Launched 

On Oct. 1, 2026, the Food Program launched annual provider training for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.  

Participating providers were emailed using the email address on file on Oct. 1, 2026, with an invitation to the 2027 Mandatory Provider Training. The email included login information for Talent LMS.  

Having trouble logging in? First, check the User Guide information that was attached to your email. Second, consider joining the monthly Open Office hours in November. Details, including the link to join, are shared below. 

DPI mandates that providers complete training annually to remain in good standing. Failure to complete annual training will result in providers being made Seriously Deficient. 

Components and Crediting 

Ask the Food Program

Question:

I am enrolling an infant in my child care. I haven’t had an infant in care for a WHILE. What do I need to do?

Answer:

Thank you for that question!

Providers have a responsibility to offer a brand of iron fortified infant formula and infant foods, when the child is developmentally ready for them, to all families with infants in their care at no additional cost. This is to satisfy the mandate that the Child and Adult Care Food Program be equally available to all children in care. Failing to do this may indicate that a provider is discriminating against infant children, which is a potential Civil Rights violation.  

To keep things simple, providers may select a brand of iron fortified infant formula that is easy for them to purchase – i.e., that doesn’t require traveling across town to find it in a special store. They may also choose an iron fortified infant formula that has a cost that is manageable. Note that providers are not required to provide different brands of iron fortified infant formula to different infants in care or to match the brand of formula that is already being served to that infant. When they complete the electronic Child Enrollment Form with the attached Formula Agreement, providers should populate the brand of iron fortified infant formula they will offer at no additional cost to the family: 

The brand of iron fortified infant formula offered should always be selected/populated when a child younger than 12 months of age is enrolled on the CACFP. (The only exception to this is if the infant is the provider’s own biological child, and the provider is breastfeeding that infant.) 

In the Other field, be sure to select the Formula agreement box as shown in the above image.

When the parent completes their section of the Child Enrollment/Formula Agreement, they will choose what component(s) they are opting to supply, and what component(s) they are authorizing their child care provider to supply. Here is an image from the parent’s section of the form:

Upon submission, the information from the form is captured in the database for that enrolled infant. Providers should review the completed form for accuracy and completeness.  



When infants are developmentally ready for food components in addition to breast milk or iron fortified infant formula, the provider has a mandate to offer to provide them. This MAY NOT mean that they offer table food with the texture that the older children in care are being served, but that they offer the type and texture of food that an infant child – with an immature digestive system – is developmentally ready for and can tolerate. Providers may purchase commercial baby food in jars or pouches which have been prepared with the proper, smooth texture for infants. Some providers blend or mash their own baby food. Best practice is to allow the baby’s family to introduce a new food at home first (e.g., sweet potatoes) to be sure the child shows no sensitivity or reaction to it and tolerates it well before it is offered in child care.   

(Source: Feeding Infants in the Child and Adult Care Food Program https://fna-bwbufwdzbabpezgc.z01.azurefd.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/fi-ch6-solidfoods.pdf) 

Feeding Infants in the Child and Adult Care Food Program has a wealth of information for providers and includes parent communication tools and handouts. Find more information here: https://www.fna.usda.gov/tn/cacfp/feeding-infants     

Recipe(s) to Try!  

Consult the CACFP Training Spotlight: Recipes for Foods Prepared From Scratch, for links to LOTS of recipes and information about Standardized Recipes and their proper use in CACFP. https://dpi.state.wi.us/media/25904/download?inline 

Documenting a Child’s Special Diet  

Special Diet forms are required whenever a child in your care can’t be fed according to the CACFP guidelines.  

Documents to Complete for Disability Related Special Dietary Needs Requests: “A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more ‘major life activities’ including care for oneself, performing manual tasks, eating, breathing, digestive, bowel, and bladder, neurological, respiratory, circulatory, and endocrine functions.”  

1. Special dietary Needs Tracking Form Section 1: Disability (for WECA to Complete)
2. Medical Statement (for Licensed Health Care Professionals to Complete: Physician, Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioner (APNP), Dentist, Registered Dietician, Optometrist, Podiatrist)

Documents to Complete for Non-Disability Related Special Dietary Needs Requests: i.e., for preference, including religious or ethnic preferences, or lifestyle reasons.  

1. Special Dietary Needs Tracking Form Section 2: Non-disability Special Dietary Need (SDN Request (For WECA to Complete)
2. SPECIAL DIET FORM (For Providers to Complete)

• When a parent requests an alternate milk due to preference, consult the Creditable Non-Dairy Beverages (Fluid Milk Substitute) for beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to cow’s milk.

YOU MUST REPORT EVERY SPECIAL DIET required for a child, whether Disability-Related or Non- Disability Related. It does not matter whether the meals are reimbursable or not. 

• Work with the parent/guardian to obtain the appropriate documentation so appropriate and safe meals can be served to the child.    
• Submit the forms to jgiles@wisconsinearlychildhood.org for review and possible approval.  

NOTE: Meals and snacks served to a child with a Special Diet between the date of discovery of the Special diet and approval of the Special Diet (if it can be *) may be disallowed. *NOT EVERY SPECIAL DIET CAN BE REIMBURSED.  

Creditable and Non-Creditable Cheeses 

Natural cheese, cheese food, cheese product: What’s the difference? This handout from DPI is a handy guide to creditable and non-creditable cheeses. 



Remember: Cheese food and cheese spread are not creditable for infants.  

Monitoring and Oversight

New Census Data  

2026 Child and Adult Care Food Program area eligibility data are now available.

Note: The map works best when opened in a Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox web browser.

Helper Statement for Licensed or Large Family Child Care Homes

If you will be working with an assistant and have not already submitted a Statement for Providers with Assistants, please complete the form linked here: https://wisconsinearlychildhood.org/programs/food-program/food-program-statement-for-providers-with-assistants/ 

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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