Child and Adult Care Food Program · Iowa
Iowa CACFP — State Agency, Sponsor Requirements, and Meal Pattern Overview
Iowa participates in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) under USDA Food and Nutrition Service rules. The program is administered locally by Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services. 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 Iowa must follow.
Iowa CACFP State Agency
- Agency
- Iowa Department of Education
- Division
- Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services
- Phone
- (515) 281-5356
- Official CACFP page
- https://educate.iowa.gov/pk-12/nutrition/cacfp
- FNS Region
- Mountain Plains Regional Office — USDA FNS Mountain Plains
Who Can Participate in CACFP in Iowa
Any public or private nonprofit organization operating one of the following in Iowa 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 Iowa sponsoring organization.
- Head Start and Early Head Start programs federally funded to serve low-income preschoolers.
- At-risk afterschool programs in area-eligible Iowa 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 Iowa CACFP Sponsor
- Confirm you meet federal eligibility under 7 CFR 226 and any additional Iowa state licensing or nonprofit status requirements.
- Review the sponsor application packet published on the IDOE CACFP page.
- Complete the required sponsor training. In Iowa, 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 Iowa
Every CACFP site in Iowa — 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
Iowa State Agency Monitoring and Reviews
IDOE conducts CACFP administrative reviews at least every three years for all sponsors it oversees in Iowa, 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 Iowa 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 Iowa?
CACFP covers year-round care. When school is out, Iowa sponsors often also run the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or sun-meals non-congregate service. See the Iowa SFSP state page for the state agency and summer meal rules.
Build compliant CACFP menus for your Iowa site
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