Child and Adult Care Food Program: Impacts of COVID-19 Differences in Reimbursement Rates on Family Childcare Home Providers, Children, and Families

Start Date: July 2022

ID #: 283-5102

Principal Investigator: Lorrene Ritchie, PhD, RD

Co-Principal Investigator: Susana Matias Medrano, PhD

Organization: Regents of the University of California

Funding Round: 2021 Special Solicitation on COVID-19 and Socioeconomic Recovery Efforts

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The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the largest U.S. nutrition program for childcare, provides tiered reimbursements to family childcare homes (FCCHs) to serve healthy foods to a large proportion of children from households with low incomes. Due to COVID-19, all FCCHs on CACFP temporarily received the higher Tier I reimbursement rate. The aims of the study are:  1) Quantify trends in CACFP participation as reimbursement changes from 2019 (Tier I/II) to 2021 (Tier I) to 2022 (Tier I/II); 2) Determine impacts on food quality and food security via a statewide survey of FCCHs and qualitative interviews with a subset of FCCHs, CACFP sponsors, and families; and 3) Collaborate with stakeholders to identify and disseminate policy recommendations to maximize CACFP participation and equitable access to healthy foods.

Start Date: 7/1/2022

Keywords: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), COVID-19

Focus Area: Early Childhood

Resource Type: Grant Summary

Age Groups: Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)

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