Early Childhood and Child Care Study

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a Federal program that provides meals and snacks in child and adult day care facilities. The child care component of the CACFP provides Federal funds for meals and snacks served to children in nonresidential day care facilities. These include family and group day care homes (homes), Head Start centers, and some child care centers. In fiscal year 1995, the program served an average of 2.3 million children daily at a cost of $1.5 billion. Forty-two percent of these children were served through homes; 58 percent through centers.