Welcome to
Operation Kids

Joining CACFP is free for all qualifying providers who serve nutritious meals to eligible children. Monthly reimbursement payments are sent directly to your business to help offset food costs. Additional benefits include:

• Free access to MyFoodProgram online claiming (provided by Operation Kids at no charge)
• Free nutrition training for you and your staff
• Menu planning tools and USDA-compliant resources
• Activities and materials to support children's healthy lifestyles
• Consistent monthly income to help stabilize your food budget

A Serious Deficiency (SD) is a formal determination that a provider, site, or sponsoring organization has committed a significant violation of CACFP rules — one that goes beyond a simple mistake. Common triggers include:

• Submitting false or inflated meal claims
• Chronic failure to maintain required records
• Serving meals that repeatedly do not meet USDA meal patterns
• Health or safety violations that endanger children
• Failure to allow or cooperate with monitoring visits
• Serious financial mismanagement of program funds

The process, once triggered, follows these steps:

1. Notice of Serious Deficiency — you receive an official written notice detailing the violation, required corrections, and deadlines. This determination itself cannot be appealed.
2. Corrective Action Plan (CAP) — you must submit a written plan explaining how the problem has been permanently resolved, with supporting documentation.
3. Temporary Deferral or Proposed Termination — if your CAP is accepted, you receive a Notice of Temporary Deferral and may continue participating. If your CAP is missing, inadequate, or rejected, a Notice of Proposed Termination is issued, which you may appeal.
4. Final Termination — if the appeal is unsuccessful or not filed, your program agreement is terminated for cause.

The National Disqualified List (NDL) — If terminated for cause, both the organization and the responsible individuals (owners, directors) are placed on the USDA National Disqualified List. Individuals on this list are barred from participating in any USDA Child Nutrition Program anywhere in the United States, typically for seven years or until all financial debts are repaid.

The best protection against a Serious Deficiency is consistent, accurate daily recordkeeping and full cooperation with all monitoring visits. Operation Kids is here to help you stay in compliance — contact us if you have any concerns before a problem escalates.

The best way to be ready for any monitoring visit — whether from Operation Kids, the state, or the USDA — is to keep your records current every day. Specifically:

• Record meal counts and attendance the same day meals are served
• Keep menus current and on file — document what was actually served, not just what was planned
• Ensure all enrolled children have current paperwork on file
• Keep food temperatures logs up to date if applicable
• Review the Operation Kids monitoring checklist before each program year
• Contact our office promptly if you identify a compliance issue — early correction is always better than a deficiency finding

Reimbursement rates are set nationally by the USDA, not by your sponsor. This means:

• Every sponsor in your state uses the exact same rates
• Rates do not change based on which sponsor you choose
• Sponsors cannot raise or lower your reimbursement

Reimbursement rates are based on national averages, not your personal grocery bill. Your actual costs may be higher due to:

• Local food prices
• Brand or product preferences
• Buying organic or specialty items
• Serving larger portions than required
• Purchasing extra snacks or household groceries not used for CACFP meals

Only the food and milk used in reimbursable meals is considered when evaluating your receipts.

Reimbursement usually helps cover the required meal components, such as:

• Milk
• Vegetables and fruits
• Grains
• Meat / meat alternates

However, most providers still spend additional money beyond what the reimbursement covers.

No. The program does not require your reimbursement to match your spending. You may spend more than you receive as long as:

• Your receipts are itemized
• Your menus match what you purchased
• You served all required components in the correct portion sizes