Who Can Participate in CACFP in Colorado

Any public or private nonprofit organization operating one of the following in Colorado may apply to CDPHE 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 Colorado sponsoring organization.
• Head Start and Early Head Start programs federally funded to serve low-income preschoolers.
• At-risk afterschool programs in area-eligible Colorado 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 Colorado CACFP Sponsor

1. Confirm you meet federal eligibility under 7 CFR 226 and any additional Colorado state licensing or nonprofit status requirements.
2. Review the sponsor application packet published on the CDPHE CACFP page.
3. Complete the required sponsor training. In Colorado, training is delivered directly by CDPHE and includes meal pattern, civil rights, recordkeeping, and financial management modules.
4. Submit the sponsor application along with your management plan, budget, outside employment policy, and any required licenses to CDPHE.
5. 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 Colorado

Every CACFP site in Colorado — 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.

Colorado State Agency Monitoring and Reviews

CDPHE conducts CACFP administrative reviews at least every three years for all sponsors it oversees in Colorado, 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 Colorado 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.

Other CACFP state agencies in the FNS Mountain Plains Region