The CACFP food program in Colorado.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment runs the CACFP food program in Colorado. These are the steps to join, each with its source.
Checked on the state's and USDA's own pages, November 4, 2026.
Who runs CACFP in Colorado
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado Food Program
Go to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment page
Source: Colorado Food ProgramHow to join CACFP in Colorado, step by step
Fill out the intake form
A center fills out the intake form. Program staff read it and contact you.
Source: Colorado Food ProgramGet your portal account
You get an email with a form for a Colorado Nutrition Portal account. Then you start the online application.
Source: Colorado Food ProgramWork with a nutrition consultant
A consultant helps you finish. This includes two weeks of trial records and a visit to your site.
Source: Colorado Food ProgramFinish within 90 days
You have 90 days to finish the online application. The whole process often takes several months.
Source: Colorado Food ProgramApply any month but September
The program takes applications all year except in September.
Source: Colorado Food ProgramHome providers use the homes page
Licensed, qualified exempt and family, friend and neighbor home providers apply from the family child care homes page.
Source: Colorado Food Program
Who can join
- Child care centers
Licensed or approved public or nonprofit child care centers, Head Start and after-school care centers can take part.
Source: Child and Adult Care Food ProgramTo start, a center contacts its state agency.
Source: Program Operator (CACFP)- For-profit centers
At least 25 percent of the children must qualify for free or reduced-price meals. It counts enrolled children or licensed spots, whichever is less.
Source: 7 CFR 226.2 Definitions (eCFR, up to date as of 2026-11-02)- Home daycares
A home daycare cannot join on its own. It joins through a sponsoring organization.
Source: 7 CFR 226.2 Definitions (eCFR, up to date as of 2026-11-02)- After-school programs
Ask your state agency if your after-school program can serve CACFP meals.
Source: How to Participate in the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Component of CACFP (fact sheet)
What a CACFP meal must hold
- Breakfast
Serve all three: milk, a vegetable or fruit, and a grain.
Source: 7 CFR 226.20 Requirements for meals (eCFR, up to date as of 2026-11-02; section last amended 2026-06-08)- Lunch and supper
Serve all five: milk, a protein food, a vegetable, a fruit and a grain.
Source: 7 CFR 226.20 Requirements for meals (eCFR, up to date as of 2026-11-02; section last amended 2026-06-08)- Snack
Pick two of the five food groups. Milk and juice cannot be the only two.
Source: 7 CFR 226.20 Requirements for meals (eCFR, up to date as of 2026-11-02; section last amended 2026-06-08)- Milk
Children age 1 get unflavored whole milk. Children 2 to 5 get unflavored milk. It can be whole, 2 percent, 1 percent or fat-free. Children 6 and older may have flavored or unflavored milk.
Source: 7 CFR 226.20 Requirements for meals (eCFR, up to date as of 2026-11-02; section last amended 2026-06-08)
See the least amounts for each age on the full meal chart.
What CACFP pays
Payment rates change every July.
Source: CACFP Reimbursement RatesThis year's rates for centers and homes are on our CACFP rates page.
Forms and guides
- CACFP reimbursement rates
What USDA pays per meal and snack this school year.
- Free CACFP menu template
A week of meals by meal pattern component, one sheet per age group.
- Free CACFP meal count form
Each child’s meals, marked as they are served, with daily totals.
- How to start a daycare in Colorado
The steps to open a licensed child care center.
- How to start a home daycare in Colorado
The kinds of home daycare the state allows, and the steps.
- Colorado licensing guide
Ratios, trainings and the checklist the state asks for.
- CACFP in every state
Who runs the program in each state, and the full meal chart.
Questions, answered
Who runs CACFP in Colorado?
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado Food Program runs the program.
How do I join CACFP in Colorado?
Start with this step: Fill out the intake form. All 6 steps are on this page, each with its source.
Can a home daycare join CACFP in Colorado?
A home must have a current license or approval to care for children. A home daycare cannot join on its own. It joins through a sponsoring organization.
How much does CACFP pay in Colorado?
Payment rates change every July. This year's rates for centers and homes are on our CACFP rates page.
About this page
Checked on the state's and USDA's own pages, November 4, 2026.
Bloomily does not run CACFP or decide who can join.
This page is a summary of the state's and USDA's own pages. It is not legal advice, and rules change.
Sources for this state
- FNA Contacts: Child and Adult Care Food Program (results page 1 of 3), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA). Read November 4, 2026.
- Colorado Food Program, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Read November 4, 2026.
Questions about childcare in Colorado?
Tell us what you run or plan to open. A person on our team answers.