The New York State Child and Adult Care Food Program
The New York State Department of Health annually receives funding from the federal government to support and further enhance New York's Child and Adult Care Food Program's (CACFP) statewide.
The CACFP initiative is supported through an entitlement program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and continues New York's commitment of promoting the health and well being of its residents. Currently, more than 1,500 sponsoring organizations representing 12,000 licensed or registered center-based or family day care sites are participating statewide. On average, day care providers serve approximately 285,000 meals to children and adults each day. In 2008, New York received nearly $170 million in federal USDA funds for this expanded nutrition program.
Participating sponsors include:
- Child care centers, including Head Start centers, and outside school hours programs serving children up to 12 years of age;
- Community-based adult day care centers that are approved by federal, state or local authorities to provide day care services to adults with disabilities;
- After school programs providing educational or enrichment programming for children up to 19 years of age; and
- Homeless shelters providing meals to resident children living with a parent or guardian.
The level of support for free or reduced price meals received by all eligible participants is based on household income as follows:
Standards for Determining Eligibility Income Eligibility Guidelines*
(Effective From July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009)
| Household Size | FREE MEALS | REDUCED MEALS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Month | Week | Year | Month | Week | |
| 1 | $13,520 | $1,127 | $260 | $19,240 | $1,604 | $370 |
| 2 | $18,200 | $1,517 | $350 | $25,900 | $2,159 | $499 |
| 3 | $22,880 | $1,907 | $440 | $32,560 | $2,714 | $627 |
| 4 | $27,560 | $2,297 | $530 | $39,220 | $3,269 | $755 |
| 5 | $32,240 | $2,687 | $620 | $45,880 | $3,824 | $883 |
| 6 | $36,920 | $3,077 | $710 | $52,540 | $4,379 | $1,011 |
| 7 | $41,600 | $3,467 | $800 | $59,200 | $4,934 | $1,139 |
| 8 | $46,280 | $3,857 | $890 | $65,860 | $5,489 | $1,267 |
| For each additional family member | $4,680 | $390 | $90 | $6,660 | $555 | $129 |
* The income eligibility guidelines are used to categorize the household income reported on the income eligibility application into the free or reduced category. For example, if the monthly income for a family of two is less than $1,517, the center would be eligible for reimbursement at the 'Free' rate. If the household income for a family of two is between $1,517 and $2,156 per month, the center would be eligible for reimbursement at the 'Reduced' rate.
Further Information
A list of the participating programs may be obtained by contacting the New York State Health Department at 1-800-942-3858.