National Days in April

April 8: National Empanada Day



Read The Empanadas that Abuela Made (Bertrand, 2003) and try making the empanada recipe with your child care children and for your family!

Food Program Anniversaries in April

5 years: Terrya Bolden

10 years: Dora Agyeman-Ampaw, Jennifer Osowski

15 years: Peggy Jeske

20 years: Le’Dena Ford

35 Years: Barbara Schneeberger 

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

Welcome to Our New Providers!

Trypheana, Sheresa, Laquita, Tacoma, and Jessica in Milwaukee

Stephany in Plymouth

Renee in Green Bay

Mary Jane in Chippewa Falls

We welcome you and applaud this mark of professionalism!  

Week of the Young Child 2025

WECA is planning several events, activities, and opportunities for early educators, children, and families to celebrate Week of the Young Child® together April 5-11! Our partnership with PBS Wisconsin offers a variety of resources and opportunities to make the week meaningful and informative.

Week of the Young Child®, first established in 1971, is an annual celebration sponsored by National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world’s largest association of early childhood professionals. The week focuses public attention on the needs of young children, their families, and the early childhood educators and programs that meet those important needs.



Watch your inbox for a separate email with all the details about this year’s celebration! Bookmark this website page and check back for updates there, too. 

Components and Crediting 

Recipes to Try! 

United States Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Eating on a Budget Cookbook features this recipe for Brown Rice Pilaf, a whole grain-rich side: p 9.

USDA’s Healthy Eating on a Budget offers this recipe for vegetarian Lentil Stew: p 19

NOTE: The cost analysis per recipe and per serving may not be accurate. 

Ask the Food Program

Question:

The information that is gathered during child enrollments is a bit hazy – for me and for my child care parents – when it comes to Providers own, Related non resident, Related resident and Own non participating. Can you help clarify this?

Answer:

Thank you for asking about this! Here is an image of the Child Enrollment section from CACFP.Net that relates to your question:

• Providers own: A child of the child care provider.
• Foster Child: The provider’s OR child care parent’s Foster Child.
• Related non resident: A child that is related to the provider and does not reside with the provider. The only relationships that fall under this umbrella are niece, nephew, grandchild, 1^st cousin.
• Related resident: A child that is related to the provider and resides with the provider. The only relationships that fall under this umbrella are niece, nephew, grandchild, 1^st cousin.
• Own non participating: A child of the child care provider. If this is selected, the child will not be claimed on the provider’s menus, (for example, because the provider does not meet the Household Income threshold that allows the provider to claim and be paid for own children’s meals/snacks when child care children are also eating.)

As you noted, child care parents are confused by this during the enrollment and re-enrollment process. Therefore, Food Program advises providers to double check Child Enrollment Forms after submission to verify that the information added by parents is accurate and correct. If the parent has marked one of the bulleted fields above and that information is INCORRECT, be sure to mark the correction on your copy of the Child Enrollment Form, and have the parent sign and date the change. Then, email foodprogram@wisconsinearlychildhood.org to have the database information corrected.

NOTE: When claiming their own children, providers must submit Household Size Income Information to the Food Program and be approved to be reimbursed for their own children’s meals/snacks when child care children are also eating.

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.

New Guidance: Added Sugars in Breakfast Cereals in the CACFP

Effective Oct.1, 2025, providers who participate on CACFP must offer breakfast cereals that contain no more than 6 grams of added sugar per dry ounce. 

How do you determine that? Use this resource from USDA.

NOTE: The Nutrition Facts lists the serving size in both cups and grams.

Monitoring and Oversight

Federal Recordkeeping Requirements for CACFP

Keep three years, plus the current year, of Food Program records. They must be maintained onsite for the most recent 12 months, plus the current month. Records prior to the most recent 13 months may be stored onsite or offsite, either electronically or on paper, but they must all be accessible for WECA, DPI, or USDA review at any time during your normal business hours. 

Is Your Contact Information Correct?

To keep you informed, the Food Program needs your correct contact information.

Changed your email?

Notify us here: Change in Email Address

If your name or address changed, you MUST submit a copy of your new cert or license. Email it to foodprogram@wisconsinearlychildhood.org or fax it to 866-222-9520.

WECA may send you updates about the Food Program through email and/or text message or voicemail – another reason to ensure your contact information is always up to date.

Special Needs: Definition for the Food Program

Special Needs applies to a child aged 13 or older with a handicapping condition that significantly interferes with day-to-day life. A documented Special Need allows a child who would normally ‘age out’ of Food Program participation to continue to be claimed past the 13^th birthday. The Food Program does not use Special Needs for children under 13, as the Program must be equally available to all children in child care from birth through age 12.

Documents for Special Needs are found on the Food Program website clustered here under Special Dietary Needs Requests and Special Needs Verification.

Questions Regarding Your Payment?

You can request an adjustment to your reimbursement if you believe you’ve been paid incorrectly. Contact the Food Program by the 15th of the month in which the reimbursement was received at foodprogram@wisconsinearlychildhood.org or 800-783-9322. Adjustments cannot be made for late claims or for late or incorrect forms such as tier documentation.   

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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