Understanding USDA CACFP Meal Guidelines for Preschools & Schools

If you run a preschool, daycare, or before/after-school program, you've probably come across the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a federal program administered by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service that reimburses eligible child care providers for serving nutritious meals and snacks. Even if your program isn't enrolled in CACFP, its meal pattern is a widely used benchmark for what a balanced meal for young children should look like.

The Five Meal Components

CACFP meal patterns are built around five components, and a reimbursable meal generally needs to include a required combination of them depending on the meal type (breakfast, lunch/supper, or snack):

• Milk: age-appropriate milk options served at breakfast and lunch/supper.
• Meat / Meat Alternate: protein sources including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, or nuts and seeds.
• Vegetables: served as part of lunch/supper and encouraged across the day.
• Fruits: fresh, frozen, canned, or dried, often paired with vegetables in a combined "fruit/vegetable" requirement.
• Grains: with an emphasis on whole grains where possible.

What Changed Recently

In April 2024, the USDA finalized updated Child Nutrition Program meal patterns aligned with the 2020 to 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, with new flexibilities phased in starting July 2024, and including allowing nuts and seeds to count for the full meat/meat alternate requirement at any meal, not just up to a partial limit. Requirements continue to evolve, so it's worth checking the USDA Food and Nutrition Service site directly for current serving-size tables for each age group.

Why This Matters If You Outsource Meals

If you're evaluating a meal service or catering partner, ask how they plan menus against these five components, how they handle age-specific portion sizes, and how they document meals if you ever need to report for CACFP reimbursement. A good partner should be able to walk you through their menu planning process, not just hand you a menu.

This article is a general overview and not official guidance. For exact serving sizes and current requirements, consult the USDA Food and Nutrition Service directly.