For Immediate Release:
July 14, 2003
For more information, contact:
Ann McCormack, RD, MPH, Chief
Bureau of Community Food and Nutrition Assistance
Section for Nutritional Health and Services
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
573-751-6269
Parents may want to add another item to their checklist of things to look for when selecting a
childcare center. That item would be to determine if the childcare center in question participates
in the Missouri Child and Adult Care Food Program. If it does, parents can be assured that their
children are being offered the benefit of nutritious meals served by a staff that has access to
training and monitoring on a daily basis.
More than 3,000 centers participating
Approximately 3,100 child and adult care facilities throughout the state will participate in the
federally-funded meal reimbursement program this year. Centers with children 12 and under (18
and under for children enrolled in at-risk after school programs), and adults functionally
impaired, or over 60 who are in day care settings, are eligible to receive the funds. It is projected
that $37 million will be paid to participating facilities in the state in 2003.
While not all parents benefit directly from the program, since most centers include meals in the
price of the daycare, there are numerous indirect benefits. This federally-funded program helps
ensure that every child in a participating center is fed a nutritious meal and cared for by a staff
that has access to nutrition-related training, technical assistance and monitoring from the
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Section for Nutritional Health and Services,
the agency administering the program.
New income minimums in place
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, recently released the new income levels determining
eligibility for the centers. For-profit centers may qualify if 25 percent of enrolled children or 25
percent of license capacity (whichever is less) are eligible for the free or reduced price meals.
Nonprofit and license-exempt centers automatically qualify. To find out if a center qualifies,
parents need only inquire.
| Eligibility Scale for Reduced Price Meals | Eligibility Scale for free meals | |||||
| Family size | Annual | Month | Week | Annual | Month | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $16,391 | $1,366 | $316 | $11,518 | $960 | $222 |
| 2 | 22,089 | 1,841 | 425 | 15,522 | 1,294 | 299 |
| 3 | 27,787 | 2,316 | 535 | 19,526 | 1,628 | 376 |
| 4 | 33,485 | 2,791 | 644 | 23,530 | 1,961 | 453 |
| 5 | 39,183 | 3,266 | 754 | 27,534 | 2,295 | 530 |
| 6 | 44,881 | 3,741 | 864 | 31,538 | 2,629 | 607 |
| 7 | 50,579 | 4,215 | 973 | 35,542 | 2,962 | 684 |
| 8 | 56,277 | 4,690 | 1,083 | 39,546 | 3,296 | 761 |
| For each additional family member, add |
+5,698 | +475 | +110 | +4,004 | +334 | +77 |
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, the administering
institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age
or disability.
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W,
Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call
(202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
For more information visit the Section for Nutritional Health and Services website at
http://www.dhss.state.mo.us/cacfp/index.html.