Seven Ways to Celebrate National CACFP Week, March 10-16

ROUND ROCK, TEXAS, USA, March 5, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- From March 10-16, over 200,000 program operators will be celebrating National CACFP Week, a national campaign designed to raise awareness of how the USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program works to combat hunger. Once again, NCA is partnering with Sesame Street in Communities.

The goal of the CACFP is to serve nutritious meals to children in child care homes, centers and afterschool programs, as well as adults in day care. Secondary goals include the establishment of positive eating habits at the earliest stages of development, reduction of future health care and education costs that are due to lack of proper early development, and training and support of local child care personnel. Research also indicates that the CACFP is an indicator of quality child care.

Here are seven ways that members of the CACFP community can make the most out of this year's CACFP Week.

1. Those who register for National CACFP Week will receive a complimentary CACFP Week Sample Menu. This year’s theme is eating the rainbow, so the sample menu focuses on a different color of the rainbow for each day of the week.

2. NCA hosted a free webinar called Food Program Fun: CACFP Week At-a-Glance, which helped participants prepare for the campaign with ways to celebrate and how to raise awareness within their network. This webinar is available to watch on demand.

3. There are a variety of activity pages and educational PDFS that are free to download, print and share. There are also exclusive member resources, including a new “Anytime Rainbow Super Foods” that ties into the theme of eating the rainbow. The materials can be downloaded on the Campaign page.

4. NCA also has materials that can be used to advocate for the CACFP, including advocacy templates, a request for proclamation, a community outreach flyer, and promotional materials for providers and sponsors. NCA members also get access to a parent newsletter template available in both English and Spanish.

5. Every year, NCA also hosts a social media challenge where it invites the community to showcase creditable snacks that are being served every day in the food program.

6. There are so many stories to tell in the CACFP, which is why NCA is hosting a free webinar as a kickoff for this year’s celebration. “Good News! Sharing Your CACFP Story” will take place on Monday, March 11 at 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern.

7. At the end of the week, supervisors and participants can print out their own Certification of Awesomeness. These certificates are available in English and Spanish, as well as designed for child care and adult care.

Since 1986, the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) is the leading national organization for sponsors who administer the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). We provide education and support to thousands of members in the CACFP community and to sponsors of all sizes from across the country. We strive to improve communication between families, care givers, sponsors, and their supervising government agencies.

Jennifer Basey
National CACFP Sponsors Association
+1 512-850-8278
email us here
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