CACFP Requirements for Family Style Dining

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) has specific requirements that must be met for a meal or snack to be reimbursable.

• Portions — Required CACFP portions of each meal component must be prepared, taking into consideration staff participation, child participation, seconds, and spillage of food for each meal service. Adults receive a child's portion of each component to model for the children.
• Service — All meal components and recommended portion sizes for all children and staff must be presented on the table at the same time and served at once. No food item can be held back as a reward or treated as a dessert item. Food may not be held back for concerns of spillage, or for eating or drinking only one food. Milk cannot be held back until the children eat the solid foods.
• Choice — Children may choose the foods they want and the amount. Adults are asked to invite children to taste all foods. A child may refuse to eat any part of the meal. Adults may not use any type of coercion, mental or physical, to get the child to eat any food or beverage they decline.