Child and Adult Care Food Program · Illinois
Illinois CACFP — State Agency, Sponsor Requirements, and Meal Pattern Overview
Illinois participates in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) under USDA Food and Nutrition Service rules. The program is administered locally by Illinois State Board of Education, Nutrition Department. 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 Illinois must follow.
Illinois CACFP State Agency
- Agency
- Illinois State Board of Education
- Division
- Nutrition Department
- Phone
- (800) 545-7892
- Official CACFP page
- https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Child-Adult-Care-Food-Program.aspx
- FNS Region
- Midwest Regional Office — USDA FNS Midwest
Who Can Participate in CACFP in Illinois
Any public or private nonprofit organization operating one of the following in Illinois may apply to ISBE 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 Illinois sponsoring organization.
- Head Start and Early Head Start programs federally funded to serve low-income preschoolers.
- At-risk afterschool programs in area-eligible Illinois 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 Illinois CACFP Sponsor
- Confirm you meet federal eligibility under 7 CFR 226 and any additional Illinois state licensing or nonprofit status requirements.
- Review the sponsor application packet published on the ISBE CACFP page.
- Complete the required sponsor training. In Illinois, training is delivered directly by ISBE 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 ISBE.
- 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 Illinois
Every CACFP site in Illinois — 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
Illinois State Agency Monitoring and Reviews
ISBE conducts CACFP administrative reviews at least every three years for all sponsors it oversees in Illinois, 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 Illinois 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 Illinois?
CACFP covers year-round care. When school is out, Illinois sponsors often also run the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or sun-meals non-congregate service. See the Illinois SFSP state page for the state agency and summer meal rules.
Build compliant CACFP menus for your Illinois site
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