The CACFP food program in North Carolina.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services runs the CACFP food program in North Carolina. 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 North Carolina
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Community Nutrition Services Section
Go to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services page
USDA's directory of state CACFP offices lists this link for the agency.
Source: FNA Contacts: Child and Adult Care Food Program (results page 2 of 3)How to join CACFP in North Carolina, step by step
Take "Is CACFP for me?"
Start with the state's short guide. It shows how the program works and who can join.
Source: How to Apply to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)Do the prescreen
Answer a set of online questions to see if your program can take part.
Source: How to Apply to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)Pass the prequalification
If you pass the prescreen, you send more facts for the state to check.
Source: How to Apply to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)Take the required trainings
Take at least three live webinars before you start the application.
Source: How to Apply to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)Apply in NC CACFP CONNECTS
Once you have access, fill out the online application and send the papers it asks for.
Source: How to Apply to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)Home daycares sign with a sponsor
A family or group day care home signs an agreement with a sponsoring organization.
Source: How to Apply to the 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 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 North Carolina
The steps to open a licensed child care center.
- How to start a home daycare in North Carolina
The kinds of home daycare the state allows, and the steps.
- North Carolina 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 North Carolina?
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Community Nutrition Services Section runs the program.
How do I join CACFP in North Carolina?
Start with this step: Take "Is CACFP for me?". All 6 steps are on this page, each with its source.
Can a home daycare join CACFP in North Carolina?
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 North Carolina?
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), North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Read November 4, 2026.
- How to Apply to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Read November 4, 2026.
Questions about childcare in North Carolina?
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