The CACFP food program in Maine.

Maine Department of Education runs the CACFP food program in Maine. 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 Maine

Maine Department of Education, Child Nutrition

Go to the Maine Department of Education page

Source: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

How to join CACFP in Maine, step by step

Ask for training access
Email Child.Nutrition@maine.gov to get into EnGiNE, the training site.
Source: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
Finish the Basic Training first
A center must finish the CACFP Basic Training before it applies.
Source: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
Apply between July 1 and April 30
New applications are taken from July 1 to April 30. Training must be within six months of applying.
Source: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
Home providers join a sponsor
Family child care providers run the program under a sponsoring organization. The state lists them by county.
Source: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

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 Program
To 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 Rates

This 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 Maine
The steps to open a licensed child care center.
How to start a home daycare in Maine
The kinds of home daycare the state allows, and the steps.
Maine 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 Maine?

Maine Department of Education, Child Nutrition runs the program.

How do I join CACFP in Maine?

Start with this step: Ask for training access. All 4 steps are on this page, each with its source.

Can a home daycare join CACFP in Maine?

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 Maine?

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 2 of 3), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA). Read November 4, 2026.
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Maine Department of Education. Read November 4, 2026.

Questions about childcare in Maine?

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