I just received an email from Child Care Works  and I’d like to share some news with you from them:

Many of you have been in touch with Minnesota Senators and Representatives asking for their support of this legislation, which includes the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) that provides meals and snacks for low-income children in child care settings – your voice made a difference! The bill (S. 3307) passed both the U.S. House and Senate and is on the way to President Obama for signature. See below for some details of changes to CACFP included in the bill.

REPORT: CACFP Provisions in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (S. 3307)
S. 3307 funds federal child nutrition programs, including CACFP, through Fiscal Year 2015 and includes a funding increase of $4.5 billion over 10 years. With regard to CACFP improvements, the bill specifically:

• Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to work with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to encourage state licensing agencies to include wellness standards within state licensing standards in order to ensure that licensed and regulated child care centers and family child care homes provide physical activity opportunities, limit screen time and offer food consistent with the healthy meals patterns and nutrition standards of CACFP;
• Expands the afterschool meals program for at-risk children to permit communities in all 50 states to be reimbursed for a meal, instead of just a snack;
• Strengthens nutrition requirements for child care providers participating in CACFP, and provides guidance and technical assistance to help providers improve the health of young children;
• Establishes a simplified method of determining sponsor monthly administrative funding by requiring only the number of homes multiplied by the administrative reimbursement rate calculation to determine the sponsors’ administrative funds; and
• Eliminates the need for sponsors and child care centers to resubmit duplicative paperwork each year.