The Child and Adult Care Food Program: Barriers to Participation and Financial Implications of Underuse

Tatiana Andreyeva; Xiaohan Sun; Mackenzie Cannon; Erica L Kenney

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2021.10.001

The Child and Adult Care Food Program: Barriers to Participation and Financial Implications of Underuse

J Nutr Educ Behav. 2022 Apr;54(4):327-334. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2021.10.001. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

Authors

Tatiana Andreyeva¹, Xiaohan Sun², Mackenzie Cannon³, Erica L Kenney⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT. Electronic address: tatiana.andreyeva@uconn.edu.
² The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
³ Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT.
⁴ Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.

PMID: 34865970
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2021.10.001

Abstract

Objective: To assess facilitators and barriers to participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and estimate foregone federal funds because of CACFP underuse.

Methods: An online survey of food service practices and experiences with CACFP among Connecticut-based licensed child care centers (n = 231).

Results: Serving meals and the center's nonprofit status predicted CACFP participation. The most common challenge among participants was collecting family income eligibility. Streamlining paperwork (mentioned by 44% of respondents) and funding for nonfood, administrative costs (40%) were recommended facilitators to increase CACFP uptake. Nonparticipating centers had limited knowledge about the program and its eligibility. Foregone federal funding due to CACFP underuse among eligible Connecticut centers was estimated at $30.7 million in 2019, suggesting that 20,300 young children from low-income areas missed out on CACFP-subsidized food.

Conclusions and implications: Improving knowledge about CACFP and reducing participation burdens through additional funding and technical assistance can help expand the program to support child nutrition.

Keywords: CACFP; child care; food assistance; food policy; preschool-age children.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Child
Child Care
Child Day Care Centers
Child, Preschool
Food Assistance*
Food Services*
Humans
Meals
Nutrition Policy