Tulare County Office of Education - Child Care Educational Program

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USDA Food Programs

Child Care Providers:
As you well know, food costs are a large portion of childcare expenses. If you are not participating in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Funded Child Care Food Program, you should be. This program reimburses licensed or registered providers for a combination of two meals and a snack, or two snacks and one meal per child per day, until the child turns 13 years old. Provider's own children can be reimbursed as long as they are under the age of 10 and income eligible. Provider's foster children also qualify if they are under 10 years of age. Family Child Care Homes located within the attendance area of an elementary school in which 50% or more enrolled children have been determined eligible for free or reduced price school meals receive a higher, Tier I, reimbursement rate under the Child Care Food Programs. Tier II rates apply to Family Child Care Homes in areas that do not meet the 50% criteria. The two-tiered child care home rate structure is shown below.

	Tier I Rates	Tier II Rates
Breakfast	$0.98	$0.37
Lunch/Supper	$1.80	$1.09
Snack	$0.53	$0.14

If you are a licensed Family Child Care Provider, you can be reimbursed for meals and snacks served to children enrolled through any of these programs. (Reimbursement amounts will vary depending on the number of children enrolled, meals served to them and which reimbursement tier you qualify for.)

For more information, call the food programs listed below:

Community Connection for Child Care
- Mary Straw - (661) 861-5214
FRAMAX
- Beronica Galindo - (559) 275-6838
- Lucy Rios - (888) FRAMAXX (toll free)
KTM Services
- Kathy Turk - (559) 528-3641 or (559) 972-6882
- Mary Ellen Watkins - (800) 404-4250
Kings Community Action Child Care Food Program
- Star Esquivel - (559) 582-4386, ext. 158

The Child Care Food Program is a great marketing tool for providers. Parents love to know that they won't have to bring their children's food to child care and that their children will receive meals that meet the guidelines for good nutrition.

Tulare County Office of Education
Child Care Educational Program
7000 Doe Avenue, Suite C
Visalia, CA 93291

Ray Chavez, Administrator
(559) 651-3022
fax: (559) 651-3802

Please direct web site problems or comments to tcoeweb@tcoe.org.