HR2859-119

What This Bill Does

The Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act amends the Child and Adult Care Food Program in section 17 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. Beginning with the first month after enactment, every covered meal and supplement served under CACFP receives an additional 10-cent reimbursement, adjusted under the school-lunch inflation adjustment rule. The bill also applies the added amount to family and group day care home reimbursement calculations and makes conforming corrections to cross-references and a consultation typo. The practical effect is a per-meal funding increase for child care centers, adult day care centers, and family child care homes that participate in CACFP.

Who Benefits and How

Child care centers participating in CACFP benefit because each reimbursable meal and snack earns an additional 10 cents. Family child care homes benefit because the extra reimbursement applies to their meal and supplement payments. Children receiving CACFP meals benefit if providers use the higher reimbursement to maintain or improve meal quality. Adult day care centers benefit from the same per-meal and supplement reimbursement increase.

Who Bears the Burden and How

USDA Food and Nutrition Service staff must implement the 10-cent increase and annual adjustment. State CACFP agencies must update reimbursement systems, sponsor guidance, and claims processing. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of higher CACFP reimbursements. Program sponsors must account for the new reimbursement line and maintain meal-count documentation.

Key Provisions

• Adds a 10-cent reimbursement for every CACFP meal and supplement.
• Requires the additional reimbursement to be inflation-adjusted under section 11(a).
• Expands the family and group day care home reimbursement calculation to include the added amount.
• Amends CACFP cross-references and corrects a consultation spelling error.