Child and Adult Care Food Program · California
California CACFP — State Agency, Sponsor Requirements, and Meal Pattern Overview
California participates in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) under USDA Food and Nutrition Service rules. The program is administered locally by California Department of Social Services, CACFP Branch. Below is the current state agency contact, what sponsoring organizations need to know before applying, and a summary of the USDA meal patterns every site in California must follow.
California CACFP State Agency
- Agency
- California Department of Social Services
- Division
- CACFP Branch
- Phone
- (833) 559-2418
- CACFPInfo@dss.ca.gov
- Official CACFP page
- https://www.cdss.ca.gov/cacfp
- FNS Region
- Western Regional Office — USDA FNS Western
Who Can Participate in CACFP in California
Any public or private nonprofit organization operating one of the following in California may apply to CDSS to become a CACFP sponsor or independent center:
- Child care centers — licensed centers serving infants through age 12.
- Family day care homes — licensed homes operating under an approved California sponsoring organization.
- Head Start and Early Head Start programs federally funded to serve low-income preschoolers.
- At-risk afterschool programs in area-eligible California neighborhoods, serving suppers and snacks to children through age 18.
- Emergency shelters serving children and youth experiencing homelessness.
- Outside-school-hours care for school-age children before or after school.
- Adult day care centers operating non-residential programs for functionally impaired or older adults.
How to Apply as a California CACFP Sponsor
- Confirm you meet federal eligibility under 7 CFR 226 and any additional California state licensing or nonprofit status requirements.
- Review the sponsor application packet published on the CDSS CACFP page.
- Complete the required sponsor training. In California, training is delivered directly by CDSS and includes meal pattern, civil rights, recordkeeping, and financial management modules.
- Submit the sponsor application along with your management plan, budget, outside employment policy, and any required licenses to CDSS.
- Pass the pre-approval visit and enter into the sponsor agreement. Once approved you may begin claiming meals served according to the USDA CACFP meal pattern.
USDA CACFP Meal Patterns Used in California
Every CACFP site in California — whether a family day care home, child care center, Head Start, or adult day care — serves meals that meet the federal CACFP meal pattern. The pattern is age-specific. Pick your age group below for the full requirement table and minimum serving sizes.
Infants Birth through 5 Months
0-5 months · Breakfast, lunch/supper, snack
Infants 6 through 11 Months
6-11 months · Breakfast, lunch/supper, snack
Children Ages 1-2
1-2 · Breakfast, lunch/supper, snack
Children Ages 3-5
3-5 · Breakfast, lunch/supper, snack
Children Ages 6-12
6-12 · Breakfast, lunch/supper, snack
Children Ages 13-18 (At-Risk Afterschool Only)
13-18 · Breakfast, lunch/supper, snack
Adult Participants
Adults · Breakfast, lunch/supper, snack
California State Agency Monitoring and Reviews
CDSS conducts CACFP administrative reviews at least every three years for all sponsors it oversees in California, as required by 7 CFR 226.6(m). These reviews cover meal counts, meal pattern compliance, civil rights, recordkeeping, claims accuracy, and financial management.
Sponsors in California are also required to monitor each of their child care or day care home facilities three times per year, with at least two of those reviews unannounced and one including a meal service observation.
Need summer meals in California?
CACFP covers year-round care. When school is out, California sponsors often also run the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or sun-meals non-congregate service. See the California SFSP state page for the state agency and summer meal rules.
Build compliant CACFP menus for your California site
CrEATe is a free CACFP menu planner built for sponsors in all 50 states. Generate compliant breakfast, lunch, supper, and snack menus, validate meal patterns automatically, and export audit-ready production records for your California state reviews.