Child and Adult Care Food Program · Indiana
Indiana CACFP — State Agency, Sponsor Requirements, and Meal Pattern Overview
Indiana participates in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) under USDA Food and Nutrition Service rules. The program is administered locally by Indiana Department of Education, School and Community Nutrition. 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 Indiana must follow.
Indiana CACFP State Agency
- Agency
- Indiana Department of Education
- Division
- School and Community Nutrition
- Phone
- (317) 232-0850
- Official CACFP page
- https://www.in.gov/doe/students/school-and-community-nutrition/child-and-adult-care-food-program-cacfp/
- FNS Region
- Midwest Regional Office — USDA FNS Midwest
Who Can Participate in CACFP in Indiana
Any public or private nonprofit organization operating one of the following in Indiana may apply to IDOE 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 Indiana sponsoring organization.
- Head Start and Early Head Start programs federally funded to serve low-income preschoolers.
- At-risk afterschool programs in area-eligible Indiana 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 Indiana CACFP Sponsor
- Confirm you meet federal eligibility under 7 CFR 226 and any additional Indiana state licensing or nonprofit status requirements.
- Review the sponsor application packet published on the IDOE CACFP page.
- Complete the required sponsor training. In Indiana, training is delivered directly by IDOE 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 IDOE.
- 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 Indiana
Every CACFP site in Indiana — 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
Indiana State Agency Monitoring and Reviews
IDOE conducts CACFP administrative reviews at least every three years for all sponsors it oversees in Indiana, 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 Indiana 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 Indiana?
CACFP covers year-round care. When school is out, Indiana sponsors often also run the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or sun-meals non-congregate service. See the Indiana SFSP state page for the state agency and summer meal rules.
Build compliant CACFP menus for your Indiana site
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