All the most current resources you need to successfully operate the Child and Adult Care Food Program are available here. TDA keeps this page updated with any new policy updates and news, including the following:
- Handbook release notices with update summaries
- Form release notices
- Brand new policy updates that haven’t yet been updated within the handbooks
- FAQs and other resources, as required
Please bookmark this page and check back periodically.
August 29, 2025 - Increase to the Formal Procurement Threshold
On September 1, 2025, in accordance with Texas Senate Bill 1173, which raises the formal procurement threshold for school districts from $50,000 to $100,000, TDA is also raising the formal procurement threshold to $100,000 for all nutrition and household programs. As such, beginning September 1, any single transaction over $10,000 but below $100,000 will require the small purchase method, and transactions of $100,000 and over will require formal procurement. TDA is in the process of updating these thresholds in all program handbooks.
August 18, 2025 - Onsite Monitoring Waiver Renewal Request
TDA is requesting from USDA the renewal of the waiver that gives TDA the discretion to allow sponsors of day care homes, child care centers, and adult day care centers to conduct one required site/provider visit offsite, with an option for a second offsite review for sites/providers over 100 miles or 2 hours' travel time from the nearest sponsor office. Note that all At-risk sites must be reviewed onsite. If approved, TDA will post eligibility requirements and waiver request instructions on this page.
August 15, 2025 - RELEASE: Cash-in-lieu Value of Donated Foods
The cash-in-lieu rate of donated foods has increased half a penny from last year to $0.3050. This rate and all CACFP reimbursement rates for PY 2025-2026 are located here: https://squaremeals.org/Programs/Child-and-Adult-Care-Food-Program/Reimbursement-Rates.
August 6, 2025 - RELEASE: 2025-2026 CACFP Reimbursement Rates
On July 24, meal reimbursement rates for the Child and Adult Care Food Program were published in the Federal Register and subsequently posted on the CACFP Reimbursement Rates page. The Cash-in-Lieu value of USDA Foods, however, has not yet been published. Please continue to check this page and the Reimbursement Rates page daily, as TDA will post these rates as soon as they are released.
July 17, 2025 - Guidance on the Interpretation of Discrimination Based on “Sex” in USDA Child Nutrition Programs
USDA has rescinded the May 2022 Bostock policy update that sought to require federally-funded food and nutrition service programs to redefine discrimination by reason of “sex” under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (FNA) as not based on just male or female, but also “gender identity.” While an official updated Nondiscrimination Statement has not been issued by USDA, Contracting Entities should update electronic resources and any newly printed materials to reflect the version of the NDS available on SquareMeals. TDA will continue to provide guidance on any further updates to the NDS. More information is available here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/guidance-discrimination-sex
July 5, 2025 - TDA Requesting Waiver to Allow Non-Congregate Feeding during Unanticipated CACFP Facility Closure
TDA is submitting a request to USDA to allow non-congregate feeding, including waiver of meal service times and the allowance of parent pick-up, if an unanticipated event or emergency closes any CACFP facility. If approved, CACFP facilities must submit notification of any closures for review and approval via an online form that will be available on SquareMeals. Please continue to watch this update for further news about the potential availability of this waiver.
June 6, 2025 - NEW WEBINAR RECORDING: Walkthrough of May 30, 2025 CACFP Handbook Release
TDA has released a video offering an overview of the recent updates to the Child and Adult Care Food Program Handbook. Designed for CACFP contracting entities, it provides a guide to the latest updates to the Handbook so CEs can confidently navigate the changes. Additionally, the video provides an overview of the Handbook consolidation project and the status of future updates.
You can access the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uut-pEmIYGA
The video has also been added to the Webinar library located on the CACFP Resources page: https://squaremeals.org/Programs/Child-and-Adult-Care-Food-Program/Resources
June 6, 2025 - RELEASE: Revised CACFP Site/Provider and Sponsoring Organization Permanent Agreement Prototypes
TDA has released updated versions of the following CACFP Permanent Agreement prototypes:
- Permanent Agreement Between Sponsoring Organization and Adult Day Care Site
- Permanent Agreement Between Sponsoring Organization and Child Care Site
- Permanent Agreement Between Sponsoring Organization and Child Care Site – Sponsoring Organization Provides Meals/Snacks
- Permanent Agreement Between Sponsoring Organization and Day Care Home Provider(s)
These updates provide minor clarifications to align with regulatory requirements. While existing Permanent Agreements between sponsors and their sites/providers do not need to be re-signed, sponsors must use these updated prototype Agreements moving forward when bringing new sites/providers under their sponsorship.
These agreements are located on the CACFP Administration/Forms page: https://squaremeals.org/Programs/Child-and-Adult-Care-Food-Program/Administration-Forms
May 30, 2025 - RELEASE: Eight Revised Sections of the CACFP Handbook
On May 30, TDA posted to SquareMeals a major release of the CACFP Handbook. This release represents TDA’s next phase in consolidating the four CACFP Handbooks down to one. In addition to the consolidation of Sections 1000, 2000, 4100, 5000, and 7000, this release also accomplishes the following:
- Implementation of outstanding federal guidance from rulemaking and memos that have only been communicated previously in newsletters, FAQs, webinars, and SquareMeals.
- Clarification or correction of guidance based on the most frequent questions TDA receives.
- Initial efforts to rewrite and reorganize content for a better end-user experience
What this release does not yet include:
- All feedback received from our stakeholders. Outstanding feedback is being analyzed, and further updates to these sections and others not included in this release are forthcoming.
- Final reorganization and rewrites. The next release of the handbook will consolidate Section 3000, the rest of Section 4000, and Section 9000. Following that release, additional restructuring of this single handbook will occur as necessary to make the guidance more intuitive.
A summary of all handbook updates is included at the top of each newly released section, and the substantive updates are highlighted in yellow within each section. The following handbook sections were updated in this release:
- Section 1000, Introduction (NEWLY CONSOLIDATED)
- Section 2000, Eligibility and Application Requirements (NEWLY CONSOLIDATED)
- Section 4000 (4100, Meal Service and 4200-, Managing the Program)
- Brand new consolidated Section 4100, Meal Service, implements numerous meal pattern/meal service updates and clarification based on the Dietary Guidelines Final Rule from 2024 and various USDA-issued memos.
- The remaining Section 4000 content remains unchanged/unconsolidated in this release, but the content that is now in Section 4100 has been removed.
- Section 5000, Visits, Reviews, and Audits (NEWLY CONSOLIDATED)
- Section 6000, Civil Rights (Already consolidated – new updates)
- Section 7000, Financial Management (NEWLY CONSOLIDATED)
- Section 8000, Denials, Terminations, and Appeals (Already consolidated – new updates)
- Section 10000, Serious Deficiency (Already consolidated – new updates)
Finally, within the next two weeks, TDA will post an informative presentation that walks through the most substantive changes implemented in this handbook release along with TDA’s plans for updates to the handbook in the future. That presentation will be posted on the Policy/Handbook page, under Policy Updates and News: https://squaremeals.org/Programs/Child-and-Adult-Care-Food-Program/Policy-Handbook
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