Jana Funk
Extension Home Economist
Oklahoma State University
Copyright/Access Information
The Department of Human Services has set Food and Nutrition guidelines.
Child care providers must follow these guidelines. For example:
Minimum Meal Pattern Plan for Children
| Meal | 1 to 3 Years | 3 to 6 Years | 6 to 12 Years |
| Breakfast | |||
| Milk, fluid | 1/2 cup | 3/4 cup | 1 cup |
| Juice or fruit | 1/4 cup | 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup |
| Cereal or bread | |||
| Enriched or whole grain bread | 1/2 slice | 1/2 slice | 1 slice |
| or cereal (cold, dry) | 1/4 cup | 1/3 cup | 3/4 cup |
| Cooked cereal or grains | 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup | 1/2 cup |
| Mid-morning or Mid-afternoon Snack | |||
| Milk, fluid, or juice; or fruit; or vegetable | 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup | 1 cup milk, 3/4 cup juice |
| Cereal or bread | |||
| Enriched or whole grain bread | 1/2 slice | 1/2 slice | 1 slice |
| or cereal | 1/4 cup | 1/3 cup | 3/4 cup |
| Cheese or meat | 1/2 ounce | 1/2 ounce | 1 ounce |
| Peanut butter | 1 tablespoon | 1 tablespoon | 2 tablespoon |
Lunch or Supper |
|||
| Milk, Fluid | 1/2 cup | 3/4 cup | 1 cup |
| Meat and/or meat alternate | |||
| *Meat, poultry, or fish - cooked | 1 ounce | 1 1/2 ounces | 2 ounces |
| *Cheese | 1 ounce | 1 1/2 ounce | 2 ounces |
| Egg | 1 egg | 1 egg | 1 egg |
| Cooked dry beans or peas | 1/4 cup | 1 3/8 cup | 1/2 cup |
| Peanut butter | 2 tablespoons | 3 tablespoons | 4 tablespoons |
| Vegetables and fruit - 2 kinds | 1/4 cup total | 1/2 cup total | 3/4 cup total |
| Bread and bread alternates | |||
| Enriched or whole grain bread 1/2 slice 1 slice | 1/2 slice | 1/2 slice | 1 slice |
| Cooked pasta or noodle products | 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup | 1/2 cup |
| Cooked cereal grains | 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup | 1/2 cup |
| Meal | 1 to 3 Years | 3 to 6 Years | 6 to 12 Years |
| Breakfast | |||
| Milk, fluid | 1/2 cup | 3/4 cup | 1 cup |
| Juice or fruit | 1/4 cup | 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup |
| Cereal or bread | |||
| Enriched or whole grain bread | 1/2 slice | 1/2 slice | 1 slice |
| or cereal (cold, dry) | 1/4 cup | 1/3 cup | 3/4 cup |
| Cooked cereal or grains | 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup | 1/2 cup |
| Mid-morning or Mid-afternoon Snack | |||
| Milk, fluid, or juice; or fruit; or vegetable | 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup | 1 cup milk, 3/4 cup juice |
| Cereal or bread | |||
| Enriched or whole grain bread | 1/2 slice | 1/2 slice | 1 slice |
| or cereal | 1/4 cup | 1/3 cup | 3/4 cup |
| Cheese or meat | 1/2 ounce | 1/2 ounce | 1 ounce |
| Peanut butter | 1 tablespoon | 1 tablespoon | 2 tablespoon |
Lunch or Supper |
|||
| Milk, Fluid | 1/2 cup | 3/4 cup | 1 cup |
| Meat and/or meat alternate | |||
| *Meat, poultry, or fish - cooked | 1 ounce | 1 1/2 ounces | 2 ounces |
| *Cheese | 1 ounce | 1 1/2 ounce | 2 ounces |
| Egg | 1 egg | 1 egg | 1 egg |
| Cooked dry beans or peas | 1/4 cup | 1 3/8 cup | 1/2 cup |
| Peanut butter | 2 tablespoons | 3 tablespoons | 4 tablespoons |
| Vegetables and fruit - 2 kinds | 1/4 cup total | 1/2 cup total | 3/4 cup total |
| Bread and bread alternates | |||
| Enriched or whole grain bread 1/2 slice 1 slice | 1/2 slice | 1/2 slice | 1 slice |
| Cooked pasta or noodle products | 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup | 1/2 cup |
| Cooked cereal grains | 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup | 1/2 cup |
| *1 pound of meat or cheese meets minimum serving for | 16 children | 11 children | 8 children |
Call 405-521-3327 for the name of a child and adult care food
program sponsor near you.
Save the Children is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving
the lives of children. Child care home providers enrolled in this
program are reimbursed monthly for the cost of food services for
the children.
This program improves the diets of children in child care homes
by helping the homes provide well-balanced meals. Participation
in this program provides quality meals without passing on the
added expense to the parents. The approximate rate of reimbursement
per child per day enrolled or attending is as follows (FY93 rates):
Breakfast: $0.80
Lunch/supper: $1.4525
Snack: $0.4325
Per child, per day enrolled: $2.685
For one month (average 21 days), you can receive for one child:
$55.28
Benefits include better nutrition for the children, a return of
tax dollars to the community, and nutritional training for the
child care home provider.
To participate in this program, the provider must accept several
responsibilities. The provider must keep records of the food served
and the number of meals served to children. The meals served must
follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture food requirements. For
more information on this food program contact:
Judy Pittman, Coordinator
Family Day Care Food Umbrella
Save the Children
1447 Peachtree St. N.E., Suite 700
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
Phone: 404-885-1578
Read contents labels to be sure you are buying foods that will
be good for the children. Be cautious of foods containing large
amounts of salt (sodium) and sugar (dextrose, sucrose, and fructose).
Try to avoid foods with additives and artificial colorings. Do
not serve cereals with sugar among the first four ingredients.
Avoid serving pre-packaged foods. Convenience foods can cost more
than foods made from scratch. Avoid non-nutritious snack foods
such as foods high in sugar, like cookies, or in fat, such as
potato-chips. Plan foods that will contribute to the children's
daily nutritional needs. Include cooking and food preparation
activities as part of your curriculum or daily activities. This
will save time and will enhance children's knowledge of nutrition,
math, sensory perception, and other skills. Contact your county
OSU Extension Center for recipes that are quick and easy to make.
Ask for circular C3306, "Meals in Minutes."
Be sensitive to family religions, nationalities, and ethnic backgrounds.
The practice of different cultural customs develops self-esteem
and cultural awareness for all children. Also, serving foods that
the child knows and likes can create an important link between
the child's home and your child care home.
The Child Care Food Program is a federal food program that
provides reimbursement for serving nutritious meals to children
in licensed child care homes.
This program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture
and is administered at the State level by the State Department
of Education.
The program is administered at the local level by Community Action
Agencies or other non-profit organizations.
Meals provided must meet the USDA requirements for meal patterns
and portions.
Breakfast:
milk
fruit or juice
protein once a week
cereal or bread
Lunch/supper:
milk
meat or protein substitute
fruit or vegetable (two)
bread or grain
Snack:
any two of:
milk
fruit or vegetable
bread or cereal
meat or protein substitute
To annually have your home approved as a licensed child care
home.
To participate in sponsor training sessions on menu planning and
nutrition.
To maintain proper records of meals, the number of children served
each meal type each day, and enrollment.
The portion of the reimbursement which covers your food costs
is not taxable!
The remaining portion is considered as payment for your labor
and is taxable.
If your food costs exceed your amount of reimbursement, then the
excess is considered a business expense and is tax deductible.
For More Information
Call 405-521-3327 for the name of a Child and Adult Care Food
Program sponsor near you.
Requirements Checklist:
- Licensed Family Day Care Home
- Record of the number of meals
- Record of the number of children
- Provide/post weekly menus
- Send information to sponsoring organization
- Serve appropriate foods by following USDA and licensing guidelines
- Document food expenses with receipts
Prepared by:
Kristi Clapp - Director, CACFP
United Community Action Program, Inc.
P.O. Box 384
Pawnee, Oklahoma 74058-0384
Phone: 918-762-2628
Information from the Southern Association on Children
Under Six
Getting preschool children to eat balanced meals is a challenge
that most teachers, aides, and administrators have had to meet.
The children's appetites diminish as they grow more slowly. At
the same time, they have become more determined to be independent
and often assert their wills by rejecting foods offered to them.
Most child care providers know that young children tend to enjoy
meats, cereals, baked products, fruits, desserts, and sweet juices.
They commonly dislike cooked vegetables, mixed dishes, and foods
that have a coarse texture. Fibrous meats, such as roasts, are
the most difficult foods for preschoolers to eat. But the situation
is not hopeless. Preschoolers do become more willing to try new
foods as they grow. Many children will happily sample a food that
they rejected just days earlier.
Parents may be overly concerned about their children's eating
habits or misunderstand the normal course of child development.
Help parents set reasonable goals for expanding their children's
diets and reassure them that setbacks are natural.
Here are some specific ideas for helping young children eat healthy,
balanced meals.
- Be sure that all of the foods you offer are nutritious. Avoid
"junk foods" that are high in salt, fats, and sugar.
- Always remember that eating is one of the fundamental pleasures
of life. Share that feeling with children in your charge.
- Respect young children's strong dislikes of certain foods. It
is not possible to argue them into eating something that repulses
them. Just substitute another item with as little comment as possible,
so that the child's refusal to eat something does not become an
issue.
- Continue serving small portions (one to two teaspoons) of vegetables
so that meals are balanced, even if children do not eat them.
- A pleasant lesson about vegetables and some encouragement for
children to eat them may increase their popularity.
- Serve very small portions of all foods, making "seconds"
available for any children who want them.
- Serve the children who eat slowly first so that no one need
be rushed to finish the meal or snack.
- Cooking classes for young children (and their parents) are another
way to introduce new foods and serving techniques.
- Invite parents to join the group for breakfast, lunch, or snacks.
- Serve meals at the same time each day. This allows children
to develop a rhythm of hunger. You may need to serve snacks later
or lunch earlier if you notice much unhappiness around 11 a.m.
- Do not allow children to become overly tired before lunch or
snacktime. They can feel too tired to eat.
- Make mealtimes and snacktimes pleasant occasions. Celebrate
good table manners and friendly conversation. This will reinforce
the idea that eating is a happy activity, not a stressful one.