USDA CHILD and ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM Umatilla Morrow

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USDA CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM sponsored by: Umatilla Morrow Head Start, Inc. serving Umatilla, Morrow, Grant, Gilliam and Wheeler Counties

GENERAL INFORMATION PACKET

Background. Umatilla Morrow Head Start, Inc. (UMCHS) is the local sponsor of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). At the state level, Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is the administrative agency in charge of monitoring and dispersing funds to Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsors.

The primary goal of the Child and Adult Care Food Program is to improve the health and diet of children in a child care setting by (a) assuring that well-balanced nutritious meals are served to children (b) helping children learn to eat a wide variety of food as part of a balanced diet, and (c) helping children develop good eating habits that will last throughout their lives.

This federally funded program reimburses child care providers for part of the cost of foods they serve to children in registered family child care homes, certified family homes or DHS Listed homes.

CACFP ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT

CHILD CARE PROVIDER C First, a child care provider must have a current registration/license from Child Care Division (CCD), State Employment Office, or be Listed with Department of Human Services Self Sufficiency Program to be eligible to participate in the USDA/CACFP. As registration/license is renewed a copy must be sent to the USDA C Second, a provider must sign up with the local sponsor of the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program. A representative from the sponsoring organization will visit your home. During the visit, the representative will explain the rules and requirements and complete the registration forms requirements. You will also enter into an agreement with the sponsor (UMCHS) detailing the obligations and rights of all parties involved. Family child care provider must agree to provide meals that meet the minimum nutritional requirement prescribed by law and maintain full and accurate program records. You may sign up with only one sponsor.

CHILDREN under the age of thirteen are eligible to participate in the Food Program. When a child reaches their 13th birthday, they are no longer eligible. Some exceptions may exist for older migrant or disabled persons in care. C The meals served to all children for whom you provide child care are eligible for reimbursement once you have the parent fill out, sign, and submit an Enrollment Form. C Provider’s own children, children for whom the provider has legal guardianship, or children for whom the provider has a letter from a state agency authorizing the provider to act on behalf of the child, may be claimed in the food program if: a. The provider is income eligible. b. Provider’s children are residents of the household and qualify as provider’s own. c. At least one other enrolled non-resident child is also present and being claimed for that meal.

REQUIRED RECORD KEEPING 1. ENROLLMENT FORM 2. DAILY WRITTEN MENU of meals and snacks served at each meal service. A. REGULAR MENU ( 1 through age 12) B. INFANT MENU (0 through 11 months) 3. DAILY ATTENDANCE AND MEAL COUNT FORM 4. TERMINATION FORM 5. WEEKEND/HOLIDAY FORM

ENROLLMENT FORM. All children enrolled in your program, must have an Enrollment form completed and signed by the parent or guardian, even if you only had the child for a day or two. Enrollment forms must be renewed annually. C When parents fill out the Enrollment forms, the arrival and departure times must reflect the actual time the child will be in your care, not just the parent’s work schedule. C Parents must indicate what meals they authorize a provider to serve their child. C Parents must sign and date the form. Meals can not be claimed prior to the date on the Enrollment form. C If your child care family moves, has a new address, phone number, working schedule or name changed, the parent must complete a new enrollment form or meals will be disallowed . This new form must be on file in the main office at the time the claim is processed. C Reminder: it is your responsibility to ensure the form is complete and all information is accurate. C When Enrollment forms are received in the Main Office, staff will review the forms for accuracy. Any form that is incomplete or inaccurate will be returned to the parent. A feedback letter will be sent to you indicating the Enrollment form has been returned and the number of meals that will be disallowed for that month. C Infant Feeding Benefit Notification and Acknowledgement form. All children, including infants, must be enrolled in the CACFP program. Providers may not avoid this obligation by stating that the child is not “enrolled” in the CACFP, or by citing a logistical or cost barrier to offering a meal. Infants (children six weeks to one year) must have on file with the sponsor an Infant Feeding Benefit Notification and Acknowledgement form, in addition to the regular Enrollment form.

REGULAR MENUS (1 through age 12). Meals served must meet the minimum meal pattern set by the USDA. BREAKFAST LUNCH/DINNER SNACK (requires 3 components) ( requires 5 components) (requires 2 components, any Bread/Cereal Meat/Meat Alternate combination) Fruit/Vegetable/Fruit Juice Bread/Cereal Meat/Meat Alternate Milk-fluid milk only Fruit/Vegetable, 2 servings Bread/Cereal Milk-fluid milk only Fruit/Vegetable/Fruit Juice Milk-fluid milk only

Things to Keep in Mind When Planning Your Menus C FLUID MILK is a required component for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. C Only “FULL STRENGTH” OR 100% JUICE counts — drinks with “cocktail” in the label are not creditable. Some labels are indeed misleading! Just take a closer look at the labels on what you buy. Drinks like lemonade, Kool-Aid, fruit punch, fruit nectar are not creditable. C At SNACK, juice may not be claimed as one of the components of a snack when milk is the only other component served. C SPECIFY the kind of cereal and juice served on your Menu form. C BREAD/BREAD ALTERNATE/CEREALS. Enriched flour, whole wheat flour or the grain itself (rice, corn, oats...) must be the first ingredient listed in the packaging of bread/bread alternate and cereals to be

creditable. Products containing bran or germ are credited at the same level as items made from enriched or whole grain meal or flour. C SMALL AMOUNTS (less than 1/8 cup) of VEGETABLES AND FRUITS used as garnishes, may not be counted toward the vegetable/fruit requirement like a piece of lettuce or a slice of tomato in a sandwich. C YOGURT is a creditable meat/ meat alternate for main meals as well as snacks. Yogurt may be used to meet all or part of the meat/meat alternate requirement. Four ounces (weight) or ½ cup (volume) of yogurt will equal a one ounce serving of meat for 1-2 years of age; 3/4 cup = 1.5 ounce serving of meat for 3-5 years old, and 1 cup = 2 ounce serving of meat for 6-12 years old. Non-commercial and/or non- standard yogurt products, such as frozen yogurt, homemade yogurt, yogurt flavored products, yogurt bars, yogurt covered fruit and/or nuts or similar products cannot be credited. C COMBINATION DISHES may be credited for only two components. This is to ensure that children have a choice when a dish is disliked. Examples of combination dishes are: spaghetti -ground beef, pasta; beef stew -beef, potatoes/carrots; tuna casserole- tuna, pasta. C BOXED MACARONI AND CHEESE may only be claimed as a bread alternate. If you add a creditable amount of cheese and indicate as “homemade” (HM) you may claim it as a meat/meat alternate and bread/bread alternate. This is also an example of a combination food. C COMMERCIALLY PREPARED COMBINATION FOODS, such as breaded chicken nuggets, fish sticks, burritos, pizza, ravioli, meat pot pies, etc., can not be credited toward meeting a meal component if the actual content (i.e. meat, bread, vegetable) is not known. Reimbursement is allowed if these items have 1) a CHILD NUTRITION (CN) LABEL; or 2) are supplemented with additional items from the same component. C RAISINS are good sources of fiber and iron, but high in sugar. The required amount to be credible is impractical. Raisins need to be served with additional fruit or vegetable to meet component requirements. C PEANUT BUTTER. The required amount at lunch and dinner is impractical. To be creditable at lunch and dinner, an additional protein must be served. C CONDENSED OR READY-TO-SERVE SOUPS FROM A CAN like clam chowder, minestrone, split pea, tomato, 1 cup serving = 1/4 cup vegetable, ½ cup serving = 1/8 cup vegetable. C CREAM OF MUSHROOM/CELERY, CANNED CHICKEN/TURKEY/BEEF NOODLE do not contain enough vegetables, noodles or meat to count as a serving! Please refer to your “Food Chart” for serving portions for the different age groups to give you an idea. C VEGETABLE OR FRUIT that contain more than one fruit or vegetable such as fruit cocktail, mixed fruit or vegetables in soups and beef stew may be credited toward only 1 serving of the 2 required components for lunch and dinner. C BEANS, canned or dry may be claimed as a serving of vegetable or meat but not both in the same meal. C HOME CANNED PRODUCTS are not creditable because of health and safety reasons. C GAME MEATS, for health and safety reasons, are not creditable in the CACFP unless they have been inspected and approved by the appropriate federal, sate, or local agency.

Specific State Regulations on Creditability of Foods: The limitations on the following food items are policies set by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). C PICKLES and OLIVES are considered condiments and are not allowed to fulfill the fruit/vegetable requirement. C HOT DOGS may be served no more than two times a month; they are disallowed to children under the age of 1 because of the danger of choking at that age. C DESSERT SNACK ITEMS such as doughnuts, cookies, granola bars, cakes, brownies, toaster pastries, coffee cake, sweet rolls, dessert pies, grain fruit bars, fruit turnovers, etc. may not be served more than 2 C times per week and not on the same day.

INFANT MENU (0 through 11 months) C Infants enrolled in your child care, are required to be enrolled in the USDA. C At the time of enrollment, parents must complete an Infant Feeding Benefit Notification and Acknowledgement Form and a regular Enrollment form. C Document menus for children under 12 months old on an Infant Menu Form following the meal pattern for infants even if the infant eats table food. C Meals for infants 0-7 months are reimbursable even if the parent provides the Formula or Expressed Breast Milk. As the child becomes developmentally ready for other foods between the ages of 4-7 months, the childcare provider is required provide the optional components to be eligible for reimbursement. For infants 8-11 months old, meals are reimbursable when all required components are offered, and the provider has provided at least one of them. C No infant may be served whole milk in lieu of breast milk or formula. However, you may encounter a situation in which a parent has chosen to, and instructed you to serve her infant whole milk. In this situation the infant’s meals will not be reimbursed unless a Medical Statement for Food Substitution form has been completed by a medical authority prior to claiming the child in the Food Program. A copy must be on file with the USDA /CACFP office. It is strongly recommended that whole milk not be served until a child is a year old. C All breast milk given to the provider/facility should have a label stating the child’s name. Providers/facilities must make sure that each child receives ONLY the breast milk supplied by its mother. C Regulations permit serving less than the required minimum serving portion of breast milk to infants who regularly do not consume that amount of breast milk. This rule does not apply to infant formula. C An iron-fortified infant cereal must be served to 8-11 months old infant if you want to be reimbursed for the child’s breakfast.

Foods that cannot be credited toward the infant meal pattern include: T foods with water listed as the first ingredient T combination foods or dinners T fruit juice and juice drinks other than 100% T baby desserts fruit juice T vegetable juice T yogurt T “adult” cereal

C When a formula is supplied by the provider in a “Certified home” it must be the commercially prepared, iron-enriched, ready-to-feed type or shall be prepared from powder or concentrate and diluted according to manufacturer’s instructions. When formula is prepared on site, the provider must have a written plan for mixing formula and sanitizing bottles and nipples. The plan must be approved in writing by the sanitarian. See: Rules for Certified Family Child Care Homes 414-350-0210 (8)(b)

DAILY ATTENDANCE AND MEAL COUNT SHEET C Write each child’s first and last names on top of the column of the Daily Attendance and Meal Count form. Use the name listed in the Enrollment Form when claiming. Do not use nicknames, please! Infants and providers own children will also be listed on this form C It is very important to keep in mind to use the same column for each child. For example, if you have a Jane Doe in the first column in front, her name must appear on the first column at the back page. When you have a new child to add, please add that child onto a new Daily Attendance and Meal Count sheet (if the first sheet is already full), not a space that may be blank due to a child not being there for that week or a child you recently dropped from the program. Two children should not share a column.

C On the days that a child attends Head Start, providers may not claim the child’s meal and snack that the he/she receives at Head Start center, even if you feed the child before he/she goes to school or after school when the child arrives in your day care. C It is very helpful in processing your monthly claim if you write the following information (under the age or name) on your Daily Attendance and Meal Count Sheet. a. PO if the child is your own, b. K AM or PM if the child is a kindergartner. Kindergartners are included in your preschool age count. c. HS AM or PM if the child is attending Head Start, d. Others: sick, bad weather, holiday, in-service, late start, early release, half day, no school on Fridays, make-up day, etc... OR any situation that might affect your claiming.

TERMINATION FORMS. Termination forms are to be completed by the provider for any child leaving her or his program, excluding those who may return at a later date. The completed termination form must be sent to the USDA office in Hermiston as soon as possible.

WEEKEND/HOLIDAY FORMS. These forms are required when children are in care on Weekends or Holidays, and must be completed by the parents of the children.

All records required to process your claim must be mailed by the 3rd of each month to ensure your claim will be processed as a current month claim. These records include MENUS, DAILY ATTENDANCE and MEAL COUNT SHEET, new ENROLLMENT FORMS and WEEKEND/HOLIDAY FORMS.

MEAL SERVICE HOURS USDA established specific times during which food served may be claimed as a meal. BREAKFAST...... served between 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM LUNCH...... served between 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM DINNER...... served between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM

Meals served before or after the hours listed above cannot be claimed as a meal. For example, if a child arrives at 9:00 a.m. and you serve all the breakfast components, you may only claim it as a morning snack. Any food served during other times cannot be claimed as a meal, regardless of the number of components served. It can only be considered a snack

REIMBURSEMENT RATES The reimbursement rate for qualifying meals served is based on school area or provider’s family income level. Providers will be reimbursed based on a two tired system. All day care home providers living in low-income areas and providers who themselves qualify as low-income will be automatically eligible for the Tier I rate for all the children in their care. Providers who do not live in a low-income area and do not qualify as low-income will be eligible for the Tier II rate. Tier II providers may, however, receive the higher reimbursement for children of any low-income families they care for and lower reimbursement for children whose families belong in a higher income bracket. The current rates are effective July 1, 2004, through June 30, 2005.

Tier I Tier II Breakfast...... $1.04 Breakfast...... $0.39 Lunch/Dinner... ..$1.92 Lunch/Dinner.. ...$1.16 Snack...... $0.57 Snack...... $0.15

L Providers receive cash reimbursement on a “per meal” basis. Providers can claim up to two meals and one snack OR two snacks and one meal per day per child . L The Menus and the Daily Attendance/Meal Count are used to calculate your reimbursement. Reimbursement is determined after record keeping materials have been reviewed by the USDA Program Coordinator. If there are disallowed meals or issues in regard to your monthly claim, you will receive a phone call from the USDA Program Coordinator to discuss the issues and explain the solutions; or a feedback letter to notify you of the disallowed meals, why the meals were disallowed and some recommendations for future reference. If necessary, a visit by the USDA Program Coordinator may be arranged to provide additional assistance to correct any problems. L WHEN WILL YOU RECEIVE THE MONEY? Generally 4-6 weeks from the time you submit your records to your sponsor. The checks will be mailed out to providers within 5 working days from the time UMCHS receives the check from the Oregon Department of Education.

MONITORING Staff from the UMCHS, USDA/CACFP monitors child care home providers to ensure and verify compliance with CACFP as well as CCD/DHS regulations. Monitoring visits will be conducted at a minimum of three times per year. For providers newly enrolled in the program a follow-up visit will be made during the first 30 days on the Food Program. During these visits, the UMCHS USDA staff will review records, observe and/or offer assistance and training in all areas as needed or requested. Visits will be at least 30 minutes. Monitoring visits may be announced or unannounced with two of the three required visits occurring at meal or snack time with children present. At all visits children must be present and information documented on the Administrative Review form. Providers will be given a copy at the time of the monitor. USDA staff reserve the right to conduct additional monitors throughout the program year.

L TIME SHEETS. During home visits, UMCHS staff is required to verify the child’s attendance utilizing your actual time sheets (in/out times). These must agree with the meal counts and the number of children present. Staff will also verify previous months claims using this same process. L ENROLLMENT FORMS. UMCHS staff will review all enrollment forms in your file with you at a minimum of two times per program year to ensure accuracy. All children enrolled in your program must be enrolled in the USDA/CACFP program. Providers may not avoid the obligation of offering infants approved formula based on logistical or cost barriers. Enrollment forms will be renewed annually. L NON-COMPLIANCE ISSUE/S. Your sponsor’s representative is required to report to Child Care Division and DHS Criminal Records Unit when the provider is over in numbers for any reason during home visits even for a short time and/or other non-compliance issues. L MENU ON THE PREMISES. Please keep your daily menus and daily attendance records in your home. Your USDA/CACFP record keeping materials should not leave your child care premises! When UMCHS USDA staff comes for a scheduled or unscheduled visit, she/he is required by the USDA to disallow the whole month up to the day of the visit if you cannot show all of the required record keeping components. We want to be able to pay you for all the meals claimed properly, but, we will not be able to pay for meals which we cannot verify. Paperwork can seem like a hassle, but it is one of the most important functions of being a self-employed business owner. Please help us help you by having all your USDA paperwork up-to- date, ready, and on the premises.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS! 1. A SMALL PORTION OF EACH COMPONENT MUST BE ON A CHILD’S PLATE, making “seconds” available for any children who want them. However, the required minimum amount of milk for the children’s age group must be served. (refer to your Food Chart). 2. MEAL/SNACK PREPARATION and SERVICE must be at the address/location listed on your “registration” or “license” to be eligible for reimbursement. Please see #9 also. 3. DOCUMENTATION. The USDA regulations require providers to document their menu, attendance and meal counts on the USDA forms: C Attendance records (actual in and out times) must be current to the time of the sponsor’s monitoring visit. Children present at the visit must be signed in on that day. C Meal count records (record of meals served) must be recorded up to the last meal claimed on the previous day. C Menus must be recorded up to the last meal claimed on the previous day. It will probably be best to attach your USDA paperwork/forms in a magnetic clipboard by your fridge. 4. REVIEW YOUR PAPERWORK one last time before putting it in an envelope to ensure that you have completely filled out all the lines in your Menu form. 5. PROVIDER’S SIGNATURE. Your USDA monthly record keeping materials for reimbursement (Menu form and the Daily Attendance/Meal Count sheet) must have your signature. Your signature attests the validity of the information submitted. 6. PARENT VERIFICATION SURVEY. USDA requires UMCHS staff to do parent verification surveys on families whose children are participating in the Food Program. These surveys have two main purposes: to find out how the parents feel their child is benefitting from the Food Program and to maintain the integrity of the Food Program by verifying information. 7. MEALS SERVED TO CHILDREN IN CARE FOR MORE THAN 24-HOURS are not generally reimbursable unless there is an emergency situation in which parents have no control over like road closure due to bad weather. In emergency situations, you may claim the child for up to 3 days, claiming the meals/snacks you would normally claim and this needs to be documented on the Attendance form or send me a note. 8. PARENTS PROVIDING FOOD. When parents provide foods for birthday and other occasions, the provider may not claim the meals even if the foods provided are the necessary components. If the parent provides an additional food such as cake for lunch or snack, and the provider provides the required components, then the meals may be claimed. It is the policy of the CACFP that such foods should be served only after the required components to help insure that the children’s nutritional needs are met. 9. MEALS EATEN/PURCHASED AT ANOTHER LOCATION. Meals “packed” at home and sent with a child to eat at another location, without the direct supervision of the child care provider, are not eligible for CACFP reimbursement; nor are meals eaten at or ordered from a restaurant. 10. NUMBER OF CHILDREN. If your own children’s friends, or your niece or grandchildren are over to play, or are visiting without their parent or guardian, you are responsible for their care you must include them in the total number of children you are caring for. Their meals are not eligible for reimbursement unless they are part of your child care and have been enrolled in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. 11. SUMMER VISITORS. Visiting nephews, nieces, grandchildren, or your friend’s children cannot be claimed in the Food Program during summer according to the USDA regulations. They don’t fall in the category of “day care children” or “your own”. 12. FIRST GRADE READY. Children who will attend first grade in the fall OR children who just finished kindergarten (at the end of the school year) can be included in your school age count that summer. 13. KINDERGARTNERS who attend class full day, full week can be considered school age children. You will need to contact CCD for a PreSchool Exemption. 14. FOOD ALLERGY. A child with allergic reaction to some food items (milk, eggs, etc...) must have proper documentation from a recognized medical authority like a physician, physician’s assistant, nurse

or a registered dietitian and not just a verbal statement from a parent, The form must be completed prior to claiming the child in the CACFP. The documentation must have the following information: child’s name, parent’s name, name of child care provider/facility, medical condition that requires child to have food substitution, the food to be omitted, recommended food substitution, and the signature of recognized medical authority. A copy of the completed form must be forwarded to the USDA office in Hermiston as soon as possible. If you need a “Medical Statement for Food Substitution” form let me know and I will send you a copy or two. When Do You Need a “Medical Statement for Food Substitutions” Form Filled out? USDA requires this documentation on your file if: a. You have a child with any food allergies and a documentation to support the claim, not just a verbal statement from the parent. b. You have a child under 1 year old and consuming whole milk. c. You have a child who is over 1-year- old and consuming a formula instead of whole milk. d. You are claiming an infant given a low-iron infant formula. e. You have an infant who is served a specialty infant formula due to an inborn error of metabolism or low birth weight or who has an unusual medical or dietary problem. Some examples of these formulas include Nutramigen, Pregestimil, Alimentum, and Lofenelac. f. “Follow-up” formula are served to infants less than the specified age. 15. SUMMER FOOD PROGRAM. Providers may access the Summer Food Program for their day care but, not claim meals received at the summer site for reimbursement. 16. CHILD WITH DISABILITY. A documentation is required for CACFP participant with a disability. A person with disability is eligible to participate in the CACFP through the age of seventeen. A written documentation of the disabling condition and the major life activities affected are required. This could be documented in a signed statement from a licensed physician or individualized education plan (IEP). A copy must be forwarded to the USDA office in Hermiston ASAP. 17. TERMINATION Providers that are terminated from the USDA/CACF Program for cause have the right to request an administrative review of the proposed termination. In the event the provider is terminated their name will be placed on the National Disqualification List.

MOST COMMON ERRORS OR REASONS FOR DISALLOWING MEALS AND SNACKS INCLUDE BUT, ARE NOT LIMITED TO: 1. Claiming a child who is not enrolled in the Food Program. 2. Claiming a meal for a child that the parent has not authorized. 3. Claimed meals and snacks do not coincide with the hours and/or days children are in care. 4. No written menu for claimed meal or snack. 5. Milk component or bread component is missing. 6. Potato being claimed as a bread. It is a vegetable. 7. Bacon under meat/meat alternate. It is not creditable because it contains very little lean meat and is mostly fat. 8. Served and claimed hot dogs more than twice a month. 9. Served and claimed “dessert snack” items more than twice a week. 10. Claiming the same component for snacks, i.e., orange slices and apple juice, raisins and carrot sticks. 11. Popcorn/popcorn cakes being claimed for snack. They are not creditable food items. 12. Jello by itself is not a creditable food. Jello may only be claimed if it is served with fruit, fruit juice, or vegetable which must be specified in your menus. It must contain at least a 1/4 cup (1-2 years old) of fruit juice, fruit or vegetable per serving per child. 13. A provider claiming her own children’s meals when documentation shows no other day care child present and served that meal. 14. Served and claimed a meal that is not within the USDA time frame for meal service.

MAILING ADDRESS All correspondence relating to the USDA/CACFP should be addressed as follows: Umatilla Morrow County Head Start, Inc. (UMCHS) USDA/CACFP 110 NE 4th Hermiston, OR 97838

The USDA/CACFP office will supply all the official forms for reimbursement. If you need more forms, please call the USDA/CACFP office at 541-564-6878 or 1-800-559-5878. OR you may leave a message with the receptionist specifying which USDA forms you need. Forms are always available in Milton-Freewater WIC Office, Pendleton WIC Office or in the Hermiston Office. Forms are also available electronically on our web site www.umchs.org.

If you need to fax something to the USDA office, please, put Attention: Kim Montague to ensure that your fax will be dropped in my box. Our fax number is (541) 564-6879.

In Grant county, please contact Mark Lesniak at 541-575-1349

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the State of Oregon prohibits discrimination in all USDA programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA and the State of Oregon are equal opportunity providers and employers.

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Cereal List

Breakfast cereals are an important part of daily eating habits. But not all breakfast cereals are equally nutritious. The following tables evaluate more than 250 different cereals according to their sugar content. Based on this analysis and following the guidelines of the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the cereals are categorized as:

1. Highly Recommended - Very Little Sugar. 2. Acceptable - Sugar Added. 3. Not Recommended - More Sugar Added.

This is not intended to be a totally inclusive list of products. There are additional products on the market which may not have been available at the time this list was compiled (February, 1997). Also, product manufacturers change formulas and recipes from time to time. A product which may fall into a certain category today, may be evaluated differently if and when the manufacturer changes its recipe. It is important for you to read label information. It is the policy of CCNI not to endorse individual commercial products. Use of company or product names does not imply approval or recommendation of the products to the exclusion of others which may also be suitable.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Very Little Sugar) •100% Whole Grain Wheat Chex •Healthy Choice Multi-Grain Squares •Red River Hot Cereal •All Bran (Kelloggs Original) •Healthy Valley Crisp Brown Rice •Rice Chex •Alpen Natural Cereal •Healthy Valley Fiber 7 Flakes •Rice Krispies •Alpha Bits •Healthy Valley Granola O's (all) •Ripple Crisp •Blue Cornflakes •Healthy Valley Honey Clusters & Flakes •Roman Meal Hot Cereal •Bran Chex •Healthy Valley Oat Bran O's •Shredded Wheat •Bran Flakes (Post, Kelloggs) •Healthy Valley Puffed Corn •Shredded Wheat & Bran •Cheerios •Honey Bran •Skinners Oat Rings •Coco Wheats •I Love Double Chex •Special K •Complete Bran Flakes •Just Right Crunchy Nuggets •Spelt Flakes •Corn Chex •Kenmei Rice Bran •Spoon Size Shredded Wheat •Corn Flakes •Kix •Strawberry Squares •Corn Total •Malt-O-Meal •Sunflakes (all types) •Country Corn Flakes •Maypo Oatmeal •Team •Cream of Rice •Nutri-grain (wheat, corn) •Toasted Oats •Cream of Wheat •Oatmeal Swirls (all flavors) •Toasted Wheat & Raisins •Crispix •Popeye Jeepers •Toasties •Crispy Rice •Popeye Oatmm's •Toasty O's •Farina Hot Cereal •Product 19 •Total •Fiber One •Puffed Rice •Total Cornflakes •Fiberwise •Puffed Wheat •Uncle Sam Cereal •Flavorite Crispy Hexagons •Quaker Multi Grain Hot Cereal •Weetabix •Flavorite Silly Spheres •Quaker Oatmeal (instant-unflavored) •Wheat Chex •Grape Nuts •Quaker Quick Grits •Wheatena •Great Grains Pecan •Quaker Quick Oats •Wheaties •Healthy Choice Brown Sugar •Raisin Squares Squares •Ralston Whole Wheat Hot Cereal

ACCEPTABLE (Sugar Added)

•100% Bran •2 Scoops Raisin Bran •40% Bran (Post, Kellogs) •All Bran (Fruit and Almonds) •All Grain •Almond Delight •Apple Cinnamon Oh's •Apple Cinnamon Squares •Apple Raisin Crisp •Banana Nut Crunch •Basic 4 •Berry Berry Kix •Best Yet Nutty Nuggets •Best Yet Tasteeos •Blueberry Morning •Blueberry Squares •Bran Buds •Bran Flakes (Shur-Fine) •Bran'nola (all) •C.W. Post Family Style •Clusters •Common Sense Oat Bran •Common Sense Oat Bran Raisin •Corn Bran •Cracklin' Oat Bran •Crunchy Corn Bran •Double Chex •Frosted Corn Flakes •Frosted Golden Bran •Frosted Mini Wheats •Frosted Wheat Bites •Frosted Wheat Squares •Fruit & Fiber •Fruit Wheats •Golden Grahams •Golden Raisin Crisp •Grapenut Flakes •Great Grains (raisin/date) •Grist Mill Granola •Healthy Choice Almond Crunch •Healthy Choice Multi Grain Flakes •Honey Almond Oaties •Honey Bunches of Oats •Just Right (raisins, dates, nuts) •Kaboom •Kashi Medley •King Vitamin •Life (plain, cinnamon) •Lightly Frosted Bran •Low-Fat Granola (regular & without raisins) •Muesli Almond Date •Muesli Walnut Banana •Mueslix Golden Crunch •Mueslix (Crispy Blend) •Multi-Bran Chex •Multi-Grain Cheerios •Nature Valley Granola •Nature Valley Low Fat & Fruit Granola •Nut & Honey Crunch (flakes) •Nutri Grain (almond and raisins) •Oat Flakes •Oatbake Honey Bran (all) •Oatmeal Crisp (apples & almonds) •Oatmeal Crisp (Apples Cinnamon & Almonds) •Preferred Selection Low Fat Granola •Quaker 100% Natural •Quaker Oat Bran Options •Quaker Oat Squares •Quaker Toasted Oatmeal (Honey Nut) •Quaker Toasted Oatmeal (Original) •Raisin Grape Nuts •Raisin Nut Bran •Raisin Square •Ralston Honey Nut Oat Chex •Ralston Multi Bran Chex •Rice Krispie Treats Cereal •Ripple Crisp Honey Bran •Sun Crunchers •Temptations (French Vanilla) •Temptations (Honey Roasted Pecan) •Triples •Wheat and Raisin Chex

NOT RECOMMENDED (More Sugar Added)

•Alphabits with Marshmallows •Apple Cinnamon Cheerios •Apple Cinnamon Rice Krispies •Apple Cinnamon Toasted Oats •Apple Dapples •Apple Jacks •Batman Returns •Best Yet Fruit Rings •Best Yet Honey Nut Tasteeos •Boo Berry •Boo Berry •Cap'n Crunch •Cap'n Crunch Crunch Berries •Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch •Cinnamon Mini Buns •Cinnamon Toast Crunch •Cocoa Comets •Cocoa Crunchies •Cocoa Krispies •Cocoa Pebbles •Cocoa Puffs •Cookie Crisp •Cool Dots •Corn Pops •Count Chocula •Cranberry Muesli •Crispy Wheats & Raisins •Crunchy Nut Oh's •Double Dip Crunch (frosted) •Extra Raisin Raisin Bran •Flavorite Honey-Nut Toasted Oats •Frosted Cheerios •Frosted Flakes •Frosted Fruit Flavor •Frosted Krispies •Frosted Wheat Puffs •Fruit and Frosted O's •Fruit Loops •Fruitful Bran •Fruity Confetti Fruit Loops •Fruity Marshmallow Krispies •Fruity Pebbles •Golden Crisp •Graham Chex •Hidden Treasures •Honey Comb (any kind) •Honey Frosted Wheaties •Honey Graham O's •Honey Nut Cheerios •Honey & Nut Toasted O's •Kelloggs Frosted Krispies •Krusteaz Fruit Whirls •Lucky Charms •Magic Stars •Malt-O-Meal Apple Cinnamon Toasty O's •Malt-O-Meal Coco Roos •Malt-O-Meal Cornblast •Malt-O-Meal Frosted Flakes •Malt-O-Meal Golden Sugar Puffs •Malt-O-Meal Marshmallow-Mateys •Malt-O-Meal Toasty-O's •Marshmallow Alpha Bits •Muesli Blueberry •Muesli Peach •Muesli Raspberry •Muesli Strawberry •Nut & Honey Crunch Oh's •Oatmeal Raisin Crisp •Poptart Crunch (brown sugar) •Poptart Crunch (strawberry) •Quaker Apple Zaps •Quaker Cocoa Blasts •Quaker Corn Quakes •Quaker Frosted Flakes •Quaker Fruitangy O's •Quaker Fruity O's •Quaker Oatmeal Instant (flavors) •Quaker Sweet Crunch •Quaker Sweet Puffs •Quisp •Raisin Bran (Kellogg's, Flavorite) •Raisin Bran (Best Yet) •Ralston Mueslix Crispy Blend •Reeses Peanut Butter Puffs •S'Mores Grahams •Shur-Fine Fruit Rings •Smacks •Spiderman •Sugar Puffs •Tootie Fruities •Total Raisin Bran •Trix •Undercover Bears Oatmeal (instant) •Waffle Crisp

United States Department of Agriculture

Office of the Secretary Washington, D.C. 20250

Dear Child Care Provider:

I am pleased you are participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). I applaud your commitment to children and their families.

Everyone Wins with CACFP

You contribute to high quality child care when you serve nutritious meals to children through the CACFP. Children who are well-nourished are sick less often, learn more effectively, and behave better. Parents are happy to know their children are getting the right foods they need to develop and learn.

We Are Counting on You to:

• serve high-quality meals that meet USDA nutritional requirements for CACFP; • count and request payment for only those meals served to enrolled, eligible children; • claim only 2 meals and 1 snack or 2 snacks and 1 meal per child, per day; • keep accurate records of meals served and children present; and • send in these records on time to the organization with which you signed an agreement (your "sponsoring organization").

If you follow these requirements and others explained to you by your sponsoring organization, you will meet the requirements for the CACFP. Keeping accurate records will ensure that you receive the correct payment from your sponsoring organization. If you do not follow these rules, your payment can be reduced or denied, and you may no longer qualify for CACFP.

Training and Support

Your sponsoring organization will provide training and help you better understand these rules. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your sponsoring organization. Your State agency is also available to help you if you have additional questions. You can find your State agency on the USDA Child Nutrition website at: www.fns.usda.gov/cnd, or you can ask your sponsoring organization whom to call in your State.

Congratulations on participating in the CACFP. We truly are building for the future!

Sincerely,

Shirley R. Watkins Under Secretary Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services

An Equal Opportunity Employee