Menu Planning Basics: A Guide for CACFP Operators in Child Care

This resource provides general information for planning nutritious menus that align with the CACFP.

It features key information for:

learning more about the meal pattern requirements,
discovering good practices for planning meals and snacks

It also features the following menu planning tools:

Sample menu
Shopping list
Recipes
Menu planning template
Tip sheets

Title	Date added	Download
Menu Planning Basics: A Guide for CACFP Operators in Child Care	January 13, 2025	Download
Menu Planning Basics: A Guide for CACFP Operators in Child Care - Spanish Version	December 13, 2022	Download

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*HealthierUS School Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms
*Nutrition 101: A Taste of Food and Fitness - 4th Edition
*Utilizing the Cafeteria as a Classroom
*Orientation to School Nutrition Management
*Basic Culinary Math for School Nutrition Professionals
*Financial Management: A Course for School Nutrition Directors 2nd Edition
*Financial Management: A Course for School Nutrition Managers
*Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs
*Inventory Management and Tracking
*Mock Health Inspection
*Designing and Delivering Training Programs (formerly Foundations for Training Excellence)
*Healthy Cuisine for Kids - Fifth Edition
*Food Purchasing for Child Care
*Healthy Me! The Preschoolers Guide
*Norovirus Resources
*USDA Recipes for Healthy Kids
*Child and Adult Care Resources
**Family Child Care FUNdamentals
**Introduction to Happy Mealtimes in Child Care Settings
**Food Safety in Child Care
**Child Care Mini-Posters
**Menus for Child Care
**Ready Set Go!
**USDA Recipes for Child Care
**CACFP Training Resource Checklist
**CACFP Meal Pattern Resources
***Optional Best Practices Training
***Infant Meal Pattern Requirements Training
***Child and Adult Meal Pattern Requirements Training
***CACFP Meal Pattern Posters and Infographics
***CACFP Meal Pattern Tip Cards
***CACFP Fact Sheets/Tip Sheets
**Grab in 5
**Menu Planning Basics: A Guide for CACFP Operators in Child Care
**Cycle Menus for Child Care- Preschoolers
*Financial Management Information System
*Food Safety Resources
**Norovirus in Schools
**Employee Health and Personal Hygiene for Child Care
**Writing, Updating, and Revising a HACCP-Based Food Safety Plan for Schools Workshop
**Handwashing Posters
**Family Child Care Food Safety Kit
**Recursos en Español
**CARE Connections: Food Safety
**Food Safety SOP Resources
**Food Safety SOP Logs
**Food Safety Fact Sheets
**Food Safety Mini-Posters
**Food Safety in Schools
**Water Emergency Preparedness
**Food Safety for Summer Meals
**Food Safety Standard Operating Procedures
**Manager’s Corner
**Food Safety Videos
***A Flash of Food Safety - Spanish
***A Flash of Food Safety - English
***Proper Glove Use
**Food Safety Basics
**Responding to a Food Recall
**Employee Health and Personal Hygiene
**Cool It! Methods for Cooling Foods Safely
**Seguridad de alimentos en las escuelas
*Produce Safety
**Produce Safety University Graduate Training Resources
**The Produce Lab Videos - Culinary Techniques
**The Produce Lab Videos - Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS)
**The Produce Lab Videos - Quality and Condition
**Produce Safety Videos - What Went Right and What Went Wrong
**Commodity Specific Fact Sheets
**Produce Safety Best Practices Fact Sheets
**Produce Safety Printable Posters
*Research Documents
**Research Related to Child Nutrition Programs
**Serving the Nutritional Needs of Pre-Kindergarten Children in the Public School Setting Best Practices
**Secondary Analysis of the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Data Base A Two Part Study
**School Wellness Policy Readiness of Principals to Implement Changes
**School Nutrition Program Utilization of the NFSMI FUNDamentals Financial Management Software
**School Nutrition Professionals’ Involvement in the Equipment Purchasing and Facility Design Process
**School Nutrition Professionals' Perceptions Regarding Their Role in Supporting and Contributing to School Wellness
**School Nutrition Experiences for Dietetics Students
**Sustaining and Strengthening Local Wellness Initiatives
**Steps to Nutrition Success Checklist A Program Self-Assessment Checklist for Family Day Care Home and Child Care Center Providers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
**Ready, Set, Go! Creating and Maintaining a Wellness Environment in Child Care Centers Participating in the CACFP
**Practices and Perceptions of School Nutrition Professionals Toward Obtaining the HealthierUS School Challenge Award
**Overcoming Barriers to Participation in the Summer Food Service Program - An Identification of Best Practice Solutions
**Nutrition Information at Point of Selection in High Schools Does it Affect Entree Choices?
**Nutrition and Wellness in Child Care Centers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
**NFSMI Research Agenda Conference 2013 Linking Research to Practice
**National Survey of School Nutrition Directors' Web-Based Training Needs
**Middle/Junior High School Participation and Non-Participation Survey Guide Internal Benchmarking for School Nutrition Programs
**Identification of Available Training Resources Appropriate for Family Day Care Home Providers
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for Chefs Working in School Nutrition Programs
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of Effective School Nutrition Assistants/Technicians
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers
**Determining the Job Functions of Child Care Providers in CACFP Operations
**Procurement Practices Influencing Programs Operating Within the Guidelines of the Child and Adult Care Food Program: A Review of Literature
**Training and Educational Resource Needs of Child Care Professionals Participating in the CACFP
**Management Issues Impacting Family Day Care Homes Operating Within the Child and Adult Care Food Program Guidelines- A Review of Literature
**Job Functions/Duties, Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of Sponsor Monitors Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
**Marketing the School Nutrition Program Resource Guide for School Nutrition Professionals
**Determining the Job Functions of Child Care Providers in CACFP Operations
**Afterschool Care Program NSLP Snack Service
**Unpublished Dissertations and Theses in Child Nutrition Programs and School Aged Children
**Training and Educational Resource Needs of Child Care Professionals Participating in the CACFP
**Team Nutrition Local Wellness Demonstration Project
**Sustainability of School Wellness Policy Initiatives
**Succession Planning for Management Level Staff in the School Nutrition Programs
**Development of Middle/Jr. High School Student Surveys to Measure Factors that Impact Participation in and Satisfaction with the National School Lunch Program
**Farm to School Identifying Applied Research and Operational Resource Needs and Issues of Farm to School Programs
**Exploring the Uniqueness of Child Nutrition Programs in Large School Districts
**Exploring the Impact of Productions and Equipment Decisions on the Operation of School Nutrition Programs
**Exploring Standard Child Nutrition Key Performance Indicators
**Exploring School Nutrition Professionals Preferences of USDA Recipes and R4HK Competition Recipes for Meeting New USDA Meal Pattern Requirements
**Exploring Nutrition Literacy and Knowledge Among School Nutrition Managers
**Examining Diversity in the School Nutrition Workforce
**Emergency Preparedness
**Financial Management Benchmarks for School Nutrition
**Determining the Perceptions, Practices, and the Perceived Barriers Associated with School Professionals Serving the Nutritional Needs of the Pre-K Child in the Public School Setting
**Determining Factors Impacting the Decision of Middle/Junior High School Students to Participate in the National School Lunch Program
**Wellness for Child and Adult Care Food Programs
**Cost Variables Associated with Producing and Serving a Reimbursable National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Snack for Children in Afterschool Care Programs, 2006
**Competency-Based Performance Appraisals for School Nutrition Managers and Assistants/Technicians
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers - Phase II
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers - Phase I
**CKS for District-Level School Nutrition Professionals
**Identification of Issues Associated with Operating School Nutrition Programs in Districts with Less Than 30,000 Student Enrollment
**Knowledge and Skills Needed for State Agency Child Nutrition professionals in the 21st Century
**Job Functions and Training Needs of State Agency Child Nutrition Professionals
**Job Description Template for CNP Director/Supervisor/Administrator
**Investigation of the Job Functions and Training Needs of State Agency Child Nutrition Professionals
**Investigation of School Professionals' Perceptions and Practices Regarding Issues Influencing Recess Placement in Elementary Schools
**Investigation of Factors Impacting Participation of High School Students in the National School Lunch Program
**In Classroom Breakfast Programs Best Practices
**Implementation of HACCP-based Food Safety Programs in School Nutrition Programs
**CKS for Child Care Providers in CACFP
**ICN Best Practices for Serving Students with Special Food and/or Nutrition Needs In School Nutrition Programs
**Increasing Middle/Junior High School Student Participation and Satisfaction
**ICN Applied Research Division SNA ANC 2016 Poster Session
**Developing and Sustaining Green/Environmental Conservation Practices
**Got Milk! Exploring How Student Preferences Impact Their Milk Selection in Schools
**Focus Group Discussions with Elementary School Foodservice Directors, Teachers, and Parents Regarding the School Breakfast Program
**Financial Management Issues and Practices in School Nutrition Programs
*Standardized Child Nutrition Programs Key Terms
*Basics at a Glance
*Buy American: U.S. Agriculture Supporting Healthy School Meals
*USDA Recipes for Schools
*Videos
*Applied Research Division Publications
**Manuscripts
**Poster Sessions
**Research Briefs
**Other Resources
**Technical Reports
*ICN's Impact
*No Time To Train:Short Lessons for School Nutrition Assistants
*Non-Resource PDFs
*Mealtime Memos
**2018 Mealtime Memos
**2025 Mealtime Memo
**2024 Mealtime Memo
**2026 Mealtime Memo
**New category 4
**2020 Mealtime Memos
**2019 Mealtime Memos
**2017 Mealtime Memos
*Connect: The Cafeteria to The Classroom
*School Meal Recipe Workshop: From Concept to Standardization
*Forecasting the Procurement of Foods
*Ground Rules for Training Mini-Posters
*Tools and Tips for Trainers
**Communication
**Environmentally Friendly Meetings
**Food Service Management Skills
**Ground Rules for Training Mini Posters
**Meals and Breaks During Training
**Meeting Accessibility for People with Disabilities
**Nutrition Fact Sheets and Activities
**Physical Activity During Training
**Presentation Development
**Training Techniques
*Social Media Marketing for School Nutrition Programs
*Marketing Your School Nutrition Program
*Key Performance Indicators
*S.T.A.R.
**June 2018
**July 2018
**August 2018
**September 2018
**October 2018
**January 2019
**February 2019
**March 2019
**April 2019
**STAR August 2019
**STAR September 2019
**Para Directores en Espanol
*School Nutrition Mini Posters
*eLearning How-To Documents
*ARD Tools and Templates
**Middle/Junior High School Student Survey Guide and Tools
**High School Student Survey Guide and Tools
*Team Up For School Nutrtion
**May 2017
**August 2016
**March 2018
**January 2018
**November 2017
**February 2018
**October 2017
**September 2017
**August 2017
**July 2017
**June 2017
**January 2016
**April 2017
**March 2017
**February 2017
**September 2016
**March 2016
**July 2016
**February 2016
**June 2016
**April 2016
**May 2016
*Food Waste Resources and Tools
*Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers
*Overview of USDA Child Nutrition Programs Online Course & Presentations
*Portions
*Spanish
**Cuidado de niños (Child Care)
***Mini-Cartels generals (General Posters)
**Nutrición escolar (School Nutrition)
***Mini-Cartels sobre seguridad de alimentos (Food Safety Posters)
***Capacitación (Trainings)
***Ficha técnica sobre seguridad de los alimentos (Food safety fact sheets)
***Mini-cartels generals (General Posters)
**Mealtime Memos en Español (Mealtime Memos)
***2008 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2009 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2010 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2011 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2012 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2016 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2015 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
**Comidas escolares reembolsables
**Centros de Cuidado Infantil - Guía de Seguridad Alimentaria
*Weights and Measures
*Emergency Readiness Plan: Guide and Forms for the School Foodservice Operation
*Inventory Management and Tracking
*ARD A-Z
**Marketing for School Nutrition Programs
**CQI for the School Nutrition Environment
**Data Driven Decision Making
**Developing and Sustaining Green Practices
**Increasing Middle/Jr High Student participation
**Checklist for Implementing or Assessing Recess
**Sustaining and Strengthening Local Wellness Initiaives
**School Nutrition Experiences for Dietetic
**Environmental Scan and Formative Research of Student Engagement Practices in Support of School Meal Programs - Phase I
**Exploratory Investigation of the Roles, Responsibilities, and Impact of Chefs Working in School Nutrition Programs
**Evaluation of ICN Training Program: Nutrition 101 (Online Mode)
**The Impact of ICN's Nutrition 101: Voices of Participants
**Rapid Response Survey #3: Determining the Training Needs of Child Nutrition Professionals
**Research at a Glance
*Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for Child Care Provers in CACFP
* Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for District-Level School Nutrition Professionals
*Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for State Agency Child Nutrition Professionals
*Food Allergies Resources
**Food Allergy Fact Sheets
**Food Allergies for School Nutrition Managers and Staff
**Food Allergies for School Nutrition Directors
**Food Allergies Child Care Resources
**Food Allergies for School Nutrition Directors - Managing Food Allergies
**Adult Day Care Food Allergy Fact Sheets
**Food Allergies in the CACFP
**Food Allergies for School Nutrition
**School Food Allergy Fact Sheets
*Food Allergies Post
*Job Description Template
*S.T.A.R. Resources
*Cooperative Purchasing for State Agency
*STAR Digital Binder
**STAR Initiative Overview
**Meal Preparation Module
**Procurement and Inventory Module
**Nutrition and Menu Management
**Manager's Corner Curriculum
**Strategies
**Templates
**Action Plans
**Facilitation
**Resources
**VILT
*Procurement of Foods: Cooperative Purchasing Groups
*Got Milk! How Student Preferences Impact Their Milk Selection in Schools
*Foundations For Training Excellence 4 hour
*E-STAR
*Food Preparation Tools
*State Agency
*A Manager's Guide - Strategies for Leading Effective Teams
*Essential Key Performance Indicators for School Nutrition Success
**STAR Webinar Resources
***STAR April 2020
***STAR May 2020
***STAR June 2020
***STAR July 2020
***STAR August 2020
***STAR September 2020
*ICN internal documents
*CNAAT agenda
*Manager's Corner
**Nutrition
**Operations
**Communications/Marketing
**Spanish
***Comunicación_Mercadotecnia
***Nutrición
*COVID-19 Resources
*Manager's Corner Spanish
*School Nutrition Staff: You Are A Team
*NAAC
*Steps for Emergency Preparedness
*CACFP Grab and Go Lessons
**Administration
**Procurement
**Compliance
**Health and Safety
**Nutrition and Meal Management
**Education and Training
*Introduction to School Nutrition Leadership
**USDA Lessons
**Assessments
**PowerPoint Slide Decks
*RFPs
*Focus on the Customer for Directors and Managers
*Capacitacion del cajero: comidas escolares reembolsables
*USDA OFS's COVID-19 Webinar Series Resources
*Training and Professional Development Needs Assessment for State Agency Child Nutrition Programs Who Work Primarily with School Nutrition Programs
*Key Performance Indicators Mini Series
*Food Varieties Galore
*CICN Spice Blend Posters
*ESTAR Resources
**Manager's Corner
*Child Nutrition Wellness Initiative
*Adult Day Stay Fact Sheets and Supplemental Resources
*Child Care Center Food Allergy Fact Sheets
*Shaking it up landing page
**Procuring Lower-Sodium Products and Ingredients
***worksheets
**Sodium Reduction in School Meals
***worksheets
**Other Resources
***other resources
****videos
***CICN Herbs and Spices Posters
**Worksheet Series Hyperlink Addresses
**Planning Lower-Sodium Meals
***worksheets
**Student Acceptance of New Lower-Sodium Menu Items
***Worksheets
**Using Speed-Scratch Food Preparation to Reduce Sodium
***Worksheets
**Culinary Approaches to Reduce Sodium
***Worksheets
*Documenting Last-Minute Substitutions to School Meal Menus
*CACFP iTrain Simple Lesson Plans
**iTrain Slides
**iTrain PDFs
*Family Child Care Food Allergy Fact Sheets
*Emergency Response Pocket Guide
*Designing an Emergency Preparedness Templates
*STAR Back to School Tools and Strategies To Address Supply Chain Challenges
*Spanish Family Child Care Food Safety Kit
*ICN's Leadership Academy
*Food Safety Spotlight
*Reimbursable School Meals from Introduction to School Nutrition Leadership
*Native American Advisory Committee Newsletter
*Leaderhsip Academy
*Child Nutrition Programs, Fall 2021: Challenges Faced and Solutions Found
*Job Aid Series
*Strategies for Addressing Labor Shortages Infographics
*State Agency 2022
*2022 Strategic Planning Documents
*Menus of Flavor
*Child Care Center Food Safety Guide
*CNRB Screenshot
*2023 RFP #725
*Assembling and Managing a Student Nutrition Advisory Council
*Cafeteria Gardens
*2025 April CICN Webinar Files
*The Child Nutrition Community
*Inspire, Influence, Innovate: Leadership Essentials
*Onboarding for School Nutrition Chefs
*Shaking it up landing page - Proof
**Sodium Reduction in School Meals
***worksheets
**Student Acceptance of New Lower-Sodium Menu Items
***Worksheets
**Culinary Approaches to Reduce Sodium
***Worksheets
*Planning Reimbursable School Meals for Menu Planners
*iLearn How To
*2023 - State Agency Presentations/Files
**12/04/2023 - Monday
***1.Opening General Session and USDA and ICN Updates
***8.Community Eligibility Provisions Work Session MidYear Implementation & Preparing for SY 2024-25
***2.Supporting FNS Programs Through Clear and Effective Messaging
***6.Physical Safety in Summer Meal Programs,
***7.FNS’s Approach to Grant Funding
***9.Summer EBT Panel with State Agencies
***4.Innovative Menu Planning for Summer Meals
***3.USDA Food 101
***5.Child Nutrition Schools are the Nutrition and Local Food Hub of the Community
**12/05/2023 - Tuesday
***5.Procurement
***10.Integrity Rule Overview
***1.State Agency Funding
***9.Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative Spread the News
***6.Healthy School Meals for All Best Practices & Strategies
***2.Who’s Responsible Managing Sponsors with Unaffiliated Childcare
***4.Capital Expenditures
***7.Conducting Reviews in the CACFP 101
***8.Best Practices for Non-Congregate Summer Meals
***3.Data Visualization
**12/06/2023 - Wednesday
***3.Making the Grade Best Practices for Co-Mingled Meal Service in School
***1.Serious Deficiency Guidance Best Practices
***2.How to Determine if an Entity is in Good Standing
***5.Streamlining Between Different Programs and Closing General Session
***4.SFSP Streamlining
*ICN CACFP National Advisory Council
*CACFP Sample Food Safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
*CACFP Food Safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Sample Logs
*School Meal Pattern Mini-Posters
*School Lunch Hero Day
*Step-by-Step Recipe Standardization Guide for the CACFP
*Designing an Emergency Preparedness Plan Templates for Child Care
*Applied Research Brief
*Sugar Reduction for Schools Fact Sheets
*Sodium Reduction VILT Series
**Identifying Low-Sodium Food Products and Menu Planning Strategies to Meet Meal Pattern Requirements
**Maintaining Student Acceptability of Lower-Sodium Meals
**Procurement of Lower-Sodium Foods
**Staff Training and Engagement for Sodium Reduction Success
*ICN's Leadership Academy - Proof
*Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of School Nutrition Assistants/Technicians
*Strategies, Training, Action Plans, Resources (STAR) Webinar Fact Sheets
*The Family Child Care Mentorship Program
*Save ICN

Menu Planning Basics: A Guide for CACFP Operators in Child Care

Menu Planning Basics: A Guide for CACFP Operators in Child Care

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