CACFP Program Trainings

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators who have taken “CACFP Meal Pattern Success: Serving Grains Using Ounce Equivalents” and are responsible for menu planning, purchasing foods, and ensuring CACFP Meal Patterns are followed.

This training was developed based on feedback from participants who took “CACFP Meal Pattern Success: Serving Grains Using Ounce Equivalents” in June 2021. They asked for more opportunity to practice using ounce equivalents. Thus, this webinar features hands-on activities designed to improve CACFP operators’ skills and confidence in using available resources to measure grains using ounce equivalents.

We strongly recommend taking “CACFP Meal Pattern Success: Serving Grains Using Ounce Equivalents” before taking this training. “CACFP Meal Pattern Success: Serving Grains Using Ounce Equivalents” provides participants with a solid foundation of knowledge on ounce equivalents in the CACFP. Additionally, the State agency mails a packet of training worksheets to all training participants. Those who took the webinar in June said the worksheets were one of the most helpful aspects of the training! So, we encourage you to make sure you’ve taken or will have taken for “CACFP Meal Pattern Success: Serving Grains Using Ounce Equivalents” before you participate in this practice session.

After this practice session, participants will be able to:  

• Use the Grains Measuring Chart on the Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains in the CACFP Training Worksheet
• Use the USDA Food Buying Guide Exhibit A Grains Tool 

• Date and Time: Wednesday, August 18th: 2:00 – 3:45 PM
• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration

• Date and Time: Friday, August 20th: 9:00 – 10:45 AM
• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration

• Date and Time: Tuesday, August 24th: 1:00 – 2:45 PM
• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration

• Date and Time: Thursday, August 26th: 10:00 – 11:45 AM
• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators who are responsible for menu planning, purchasing foods, and ensuring CACFP Meal Patterns are followed.

This webinar will cover how to measure and serve grains using ounce equivalents and identify resources which will assist CACFP operators in determining the amount of grains needed to meet CACFP meal pattern requirements. The CACFP requirement to measure grains using ounce equivalents will become effective on October 1, 2021.

The State agency will mail all registered participants a resource packet ahead of the training. Register by Wednesday, May 26, to ensure that you receive the resource packet ahead of the training webinar.

Missed the early registration deadline? No worries! Registration will remain open until the training begins. The resource packet will be made available electronically during the training.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Define ounce equivalents
• Determine whether grain products meet minimum ounce equivalent portion sizes using available resources
• Identify where to find ounce equivalent resources

• Date and Time: Monday, August 16th: 9:00 – 10:45 AM
• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration


• Date and Time: Tuesday, August 24th: 10:00 – 11:45 AM
• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration

This training will provide guidance and information on the daily, weekly, and monthly record keeping requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program. It is recommended that the attendee from the institution be the person(s) who is responsible for record keeping and CACFP training for the Sponsoring Organization.

• Date and Time: Thursday, September 16, 2021, from 9 AM- 12 PM

• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration

This training will provide guidance and information on the daily, weekly, and monthly record keeping requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program. It is recommended that the attendee from the institution be the person(s) who is responsible for record keeping and CACFP training for the Independent Center.

• Date and Time: Tuesday, September 14, 2021, from 9 AM -12 PM

• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration

FNS regional offices, state agencies, sponsoring organizations, and CACFP program operators, including child care providers, are invited to participate.

Join Team Nutrition for monthly training webinars on hot topics related to the CACFP meal pattern requirements. The webinar series takes place on the third Thursday of each month and is offered in English from 2:00-2:30pm ET and Spanish from 3:00-3:30pm ET.

Previous CACFP Halftime webinars have been recorded and are available on the USDA website link below. Topics previously covered include:

• Choose Yogurts That Are Lower in Added Sugars
• Serving Milk in the CACFP
• Menu Planning for the CACFP
• Identify Whole Grain-Rich Foods
• Grain-Based Desserts in the CACFP
• Offer Versus Serve in the CACFP
• Feeding Infants 0-5 months

To register for the webinar, please visit the CACFP Halftime Webinar page.

This training covers the process and requirements for institutions submitting a NEW application to participate in the North Carolina Child and Adult Care Food Program.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Complete the required forms to begin the online application process
• Understand the purpose and benefits of the CACFP
• Identify regulations that govern the CACFP and understand their importance
• Gain access to additional training requirements

• Date and Time: November 03, 2021, from 9AM-12 PM
• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration

This training covers the process and requirements for institutions submitting a NEW application to participate in the North Carolina Child and Adult Care Food Program.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Complete the required forms to begin the online application process
• Understand the purpose and benefits of the CACFP
• Identify regulations that govern the CACFP and understand their importance
• Gain access to additional training requirements

• Date and Time: November 04, 2021, from 1-4 PM
• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration

Join us for this live 3-hour webinar and learn how to plan nutritious and delicious menus that meet the CACFP Meal Patterns. In this training, participants will review the meal patterns, analyze their current menus, learn where to find new recipes, and be guided through a menu makeover.

• Date and Time: Tuesday, November 16, 2021, from 12:30 PM -4:30 PM
• Registration: Adobe Connect Registration

NC CACFP operators who are responsible for the administration of the program and completion of the annual application update and the budget for 2022.

Training for Application Update 2022 and the budgets for 2022 have been combined. These webinars will review all the forms and budget requirements needed for the annual application update and continued participation in the NC CACFP for Independent Centers and Sponsoring Organizations.

• Independent Centers
• Sponsoring Organization

This training was designed for institutions and facilities who receive or plan to receive meals from an outside vendor. During this training we will present an overview of food service contracts in the CACFP, choosing the right contract, contract renewals, procurement guidance, and food service contract submissions.

Directors, owners, administrators, and staff of all types of participating institutions

This Civil Rights training is a yearly training requirement for participating CACFP institutions and their facilities. The goal of this training is to describe the Civil Rights procedures and requirements that apply to both the State agency and local agencies operating the Child and Adult Care Food Program as described in the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Instruction 113-1 document.

At the end of these trainings, participants will be able to:

• Define Civil Rights
• Identify the six protected classes
• Define the annual Civil Rights training requirements
• Identify the nine areas of responsibility
• Solve Civil Rights case studies

Sponsoring Organizations desiring training for CACFP Administration Description

There are three course categories:

1. The Monitoring and Oversight course reviews the CACFP monitoring requirements and oversight activities for sponsoring organizations.
2. The Financial Viability course provides an overview of the CACFP performance standards and focus on the requirements specific to financial viability.
3. The Serious Deficiency course reviews the CACFP requirements of the serious deficiency process.

The courses can be accessed on the CORE website at https://www.core-cacfp.com. The enrollment key is CORE.

Directors, owners, and administrators of all types of participating institutions

This online training will provide an overview of the Corrective Action Document (CAD) process.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Explain the purpose of a CAD
• State why a CAD is necessary to close a review
• Answer five key questions for completing a CAD
• Identify examples of supporting documentation for CADs
• Complete the CAD section in NC CARES

Individuals responsible for completing Adult Income Eligibility Applications

This introductory training will cover Adult Income Eligibility Application requirements, review a sample Adult Income eligibility application form developed by the state agency, and provide tips on maintaining eligibility documentation.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify the requirements for collecting and maintaining eligibility applications
• Assess eligibility applications for accuracy
• Describe how to accurately report free/reduced/denied numbers
• Identify policy memos regarding classification of eligibility applications

Individuals responsible for completing Child Income Eligibility Applications

This introductory training will cover Child Income Eligibility Application requirements, review a sample Child Income eligibility application form developed by the state agency, and provide tips on maintaining eligibility documentation.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify the requirements for collecting and maintaining eligibility applications
• Assess eligibility applications for accuracy
• Describe how to accurately report free/reduced/denied numbers
• Identify policy memos regarding classification of eligibility applications

Individuals responsible for the CACFP Medical Statement for participants.

This training covers recent changes to the North Carolina CACFP Medical Statement for Meal Substitutions. View the webinar to learn about the reasons behind the changes, institution’s responsibilities, the CACFP medical statement, and additional guidance.

Individual(s) responsible for establishing and maintaining internal controls for their institution

Guide to property standards policies as a tool to provide greater accountability over assets and increased transparency of public funds.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Understand the basics of managing equipment and supplies
• Understand the requirement for a Property Policy

Child and Adult Care food program (CACFP) operators who are responsible for menu planning, purchasing foods, and ensuring CACFP Meal Patterns are followed.

This on-demand, self-paced course will cover how to measure and serve grains using ounce equivalents and identify resources which will assist CACFP operators in determining the amount of grains need to meet CACFP meal pattern requirements. The CACFP requirement to measure grains using ounce equivalents will become effective on October 1, 2021.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Define ounce equivalents
• Determine whether grain products meet minimum Ounce equivalent portion sizes using available resources
• Identify where to find ounce equivalent resources

Individual(s) responsible for reviewing institution menus and ensuring the CACFP meal patterns are followed including CACFP program operators and those who prepare foods for institutions.

This 30-minute webinar is geared to staff who work in child care centers or sponsored facilities who prepare menus, purchase food, and prepare meals. Participants will learn about the different and appropriate way in which combination foods can be documented in CACFP. A combination food is a food that contains two or more meal pattern components. Combination foods may be commercially prepared or made-from-scratch recipes.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify what food items qualify as combination foods
• List different ways to document combination foods
• Describe ways to locate documentation for combination foods
• Accurately describe the appropriate and required documentation for combination foods

Early childhood education staff, adult day care centers staff, administrators, child care providers, and community partners.

Farm to CACFP is a growing movement among facilities. Farm to CACFP includes incorporating local foods into menus, planting gardens, taking field trips to farms and farmers markets, and much more.

Learn how experiential gardening and nutrition activities paired with eating local foods can "plant the seeds" for healthy eating habits while supporting local economies.

At the end of the webinar, you will be able to:

1. Describe Farm to CACFP and its benefits
2. Identify ideas and resources for how get started with local foods and incorporate gardening and nutrition activities in your facility
3. Learn from community partners who are implementing Farm to Early Care and Education initiatives in their communities

Early childhood education staff, administrators, and child care providers.

Farm to Preschool is taking off across North Carolina. From starting a small garden to featuring local produce on menus, Farm to CACFP can increase children’s willingness to try new foods and is good for the local economy. This webinar will “dig in” to how you can start or enhance your farm to preschool activities while also following CACFP guidelines.

At the end of this webinar, you will be able to:

1. Describe Farm to Preschool (definition and benefits).
2. Identify ideas and resources for how to go fresh and local in your CACFP program.

Individuals at Sponsoring Organizations and Independent Centers who are responsible for menu planning, purchasing foods, and ensuring CACFP Meal Patterns are followed.

This 20-minute pre-recorded webinar explains CACFP Policy Memo 17-08 – Grain-Based Desserts in CACFP, including the definition of grain-based desserts in CACFP, healthy alternatives to desserts, and how to navigate the revised Exhibit A of USDA’s "Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs."

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify grain-based desserts in the revised Food Buying Guide
• List specific examples of grain-based desserts
• Identify alternatives to grain-based desserts when planning menus in the CACFP

Improve your understanding of serving meals and snacks in the CACFP with fun, online lessons designed to help you build nutritious and creditable menus. Receive a certificate and 0.5 DCDEE credit hour for each lesson completed.

Click here to watch a 5-minute video and learn how to sign up for healthycacfp.org and navigate the website.

Early childhood education staff, administrators, and child care providers.

Have picky eaters? Want to sample new foods in your child care facility, but don’t know the best approach? Need ways to help engage staff and promote healthy lifestyle choices at the same time? This webinar will help! You will learn the ‘how-to’ and best practices to follow nutrition standards for role modeling in your child care setting. The webinar will focus on 10 specific and simple tips for role modeling that you can begin to implement immediately following the webinar viewing. We will also share resources for promoting these nutrition standards.

At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Understand "best practice" physical activity and nutrition standards for child care as they apply to role modeling.
2. Use those standards in multiple areas of the child care setting to promote healthy lifestyle role modeling.
3. Identify available resources and materials that can be used for promoting these practices within your institution and with the families and lives of those in your care.

This session has been granted 1.0 Contact Hour Credit through the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE).

Individuals at Sponsoring Organizations and Independent Centers who are responsible for menu planning, purchasing foods, and ensuring CACFP Meal Patterns are followed.

Do you serve snacks in your child or adult care facility or at-risk afterschool program? Are you looking for nutritious alternatives to crackers and fruit juice? This 50-minute prerecorded webinar will give participants suggestions for healthy, creditable and affordable snacks in correct portion sizes to meet the revised CACFP snack meal patterns.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify CACFP child and adult meal pattern requirements for reimbursable snacks
• Use the Food Buying Guide to project food purchasing needs for CACFP snacks
• Plan healthy, reimbursable snacks

Individuals responsible for meals and menu planning at adult day care centers - cooks, kitchen managers, administrators, and adult day care providers.

This 50-minute webinar is geared to staff who work in adult day care centers.  Participants will learn about changes to the new CACFP Meal Patterns which promote increased consumption of whole grains, a greater variety of fruits and vegetables, and less added sugar and saturated fats in meals and snacks served in adult day care centers.  Participants will learn about resources available to help with successful implementation of the CACFP Meal Patterns.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify changes to the adult meal patterns
• Compare the revised adult meal patterns with the previous pattern
• Identify resources and tool available to help with successful implementation of the new meal patterns
• Implement the adult meal pattern successfully at your institution

Individuals at Sponsoring Organizations and Independent Centers who are responsible for menu planning, purchasing foods, and ensuring CACFP Meal Patterns are followed.

This webinar is geared to staff who work in child care centers serving children ages 1-18 years. Participants will learn about the CACFP Child Meal Pattern that became effective on October 1, 2017. This webinar will cover changes to specific meal components and additional changes that promote healthier meals for children in child care settings, at-risk afterschool programs, and emergency shelters.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify changes to the CACFP child meal pattern
• Know where to locate child meal pattern resources
• Implement the child meal pattern successfully at your institution

Individuals at Sponsoring Organizations and Independent Centers who are responsible for menu planning, purchasing foods, and ensuring CACFP Meal Patterns are followed.

This webinar is geared to staff who work in child care centers serving infants. CACFP meal patterns have been created to ensure infants are provided the most nutritious meals throughout the day. This includes support and promotion of breastfeeding, and offering solid foods based on developmental readiness. Participants will learn about changes to the infant meal patterns effective October 1, 2017.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify changes to the CACFP infant meal patterns
• Compare the revised CACFP infant meal pattern with the previous pattern
• Implement the infant meal pattern successfully at your institution

Sponsoring organizations, CACFP program operators, including child and adult care providers, state agency staff and community partners

Learn how North Carolina CACFP operators have embraced the revised CACFP meal patterns. In this 60-minute prerecorded webinar, we recap the meal pattern improvements, and feature the work of NC CACFP operators who participated in the state agency’s menu assessment project. Viewers will hear from programs meeting or exceeding CACFP best practices and learn about innovative menu planning training from Sponsoring Organizations.

Learn about the new Food Buying Guide (FBG) Mobile App and FBG Interactive Web Tool via a demonstration! The link to the recording of the webinar is available on the USDA Team Nutrition Webinar page.

FNS regional offices, state agencies, sponsoring organizations, and CACFP program operators, including child care providers, are invited to participate.

Since October 2017, USDA’s Team Nutrition had been presenting a series of interactive, skills-building webinars on the updated Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal patterns.

The webinar series take place on the third Thursday of each month and is offered in English from 2:00-2:30pm ET and Spanish from 3:00-3:30pm ET.

Previous CACFP Halftime webinars have been recorded and are available on the USDA website link below. Topics previously covered include:

• Choose Yogurts That Are Lower in Added Sugars
• Serving Milk in the CACFP
• Menu Planning for the CACFP
• Identify Whole Grain-Rich Foods
• Grain-Based Desserts in the CACFP
• Offer Versus Serve in the CACFP
• Feeding Infants 0-5 months

To access the recorded webinars, please visit the CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays Training Webinar Series page.