The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) has announced its ongoing collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). This initiative offers reimbursement for nutritious meals served at various care centers, including adult and child day care centers, family day care homes, after-school programs, emergency shelters, and head start programs. The funding comes from the USDA and is distributed to program operators through an agreement with the NJDA based on monthly claims.
Several locations have successfully utilized CACFP to implement feeding programs. These include Wishing Well Adult Day Health Care Center and Rainbow Children’s Medical Day Care in Mercer County, Programs for Parents in Essex County, Circle of Friends in Union County, Acelero Learning Monmouth/Middlesex Inc., and Ocean Inc. Child Development Center in Ocean County.
The CACFP is accessible to public, private nonprofit, and for-profit organizations that provide licensed or registered non-residential day care services. Eligible organizations include adult care facilities, childcare providers, FDCH sponsors, afterschool programs, schools, food banks, city government organizations, and those offering services for children with disabilities or special health needs. For-profit centers may qualify if they receive compensation under Title XX/XIX of the Social Security Act for at least 25% of their participants who are receiving non-residential care or if 25% of their participants qualify for free or reduced-price meal benefits.
The application process for CACFP involves seven steps: Outreach Survey to determine eligibility; Pre-Registration to ensure business requirements are met; Training through required online sessions; obtaining an Agreement Number for online application access; completing the Online Application Required Records; a Pre-Approval Visit to observe CACFP operations; and Final Approval once all steps are completed.
Interested parties can apply by contacting NJDA CACFP via email at NJCACFPCommunication@ag.nj.gov or by calling (609)-984-1250. The process begins with completing the NJDA CACFP Outreach and Eligibility Tool.
Reimbursement rates have been set for the period from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. It is noted that in accordance with federal civil rights law and USDA regulations and policies, discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity is prohibited.
