KidKare

08/17/2026

Sponsoring organizations: CACFP software is an allowable administrative cost. If it's on the table for FY2027, this is the budget window to plan for it. 🗓️

✅ KidKare is a 100% Food Program–allowable expense — used exclusively for CACFP.

For a sponsorship managing multiple sites, that means:

🗂️ Core CACFP operations in one place — food lists, menus, enrollment records, receipt and expense verification, labor tracking, and claims processing. Not spreadsheets, paper, and inboxes.

🛡️ 250+ edit checks on claims, flagging issues at the site level before they reach your office or the state.

📊 300+ reports across every site — meal counts, attendance, claims history, participation trends. The foundation of accurate revenue projections at budget time.

🚗 Monitors complete site reviews up to 60% faster, with documentation already organized.

🔎 Beacon brings claim issues and reimbursement at risk into one place, so your organization can act before claim time rather than after.

30+ years in CACFP. 85,000+ users across all 50 states. 🇺🇸

📅 15-minute discovery call to see whether KidKare fits how your sponsorship runs:
https://www.kidkare.com/sponsors/

🔗 Full budget article: https://www.kidkare.com/preparing-your-cacfp-budget-for-fy2027/

Your organization's FY2027 CACFP budget is due before October 1. Here's what's changed — updated reimbursement rates, participation growth, state-level funding, and a checklist to get your submission ready.

08/10/2026

💛 Running a childcare program takes heart. It also takes funding.

Maybe you've never written a grant. Maybe you applied and didn't get the news you hoped for. Either way, we've got you tomorrow night.

✅ Finding opportunities you actually qualify for
✅ Writing a proposal that gets read
✅ Making your program stand out

📅 August 11 | 🕖 7:00 PM CST | 🎓 Free certificate for attendees

Register 👉 kidkare.com/resource-hub/grant-writing-for-childcare-providers/

08/03/2026

🍼 Can you claim a meal if the parent sends the breastmilk?

Yes — and there are a few more infant feeding rules worth knowing.

August is National Breastfeeding Month. Here's the full breakdown 👇
https://www.kidkare.com/cacfp-and-infant-feeding/

August is National Breastfeeding Month. Learn how CACFP supports breastfeeding in childcare — including infant meal pattern requirements, breastmilk handling, and how providers can create a breastfeeding-friendly environment.

07/27/2026

It’s official — the 2026–2027 CACFP reimbursement rates are out, and rates went up across all meal types! 🙌

KidKare customers: the new rates are already updated in your account, retroactive to July 1.

Check out the full breakdown here:
https://www.kidkare.com/20262027-cacfp-reimbursement-rates/

07/08/2026

Big news for CACFP sponsors! 🎉

Beacon Verify is here ✨ — a new claims command center inside KidKare that brings your claim and site insights together in one place. Spot what needs attention, act faster, and manage reimbursement with confidence.

More control. More clarity. Faster action. 🚀

👉 See it in action today! https://www.kidkare.com/sponsors/

07/07/2026

☀️🌡️ IT'S TONIGHT! Teach Me Tuesday is back.

Join us at 7:00 PM CT for "Too Hot to Play? Safe Summer Activities & Heat Safety for Childcare".

Learn how to keep kids safe, hydrated, and having a blast — even when temperatures soar! 🥵
✅ Heat safety tips
✅ Fun indoor alternatives
✅ Hydration strategies
✅ Earn a certificate for attending live!

Register now 👇
https://www.kidkare.com/resource-hub/summer-activities/

Keep kids safe and active this summer. Free webinar on heat safety, hydration tips, outdoor play guidelines, and creative indoor activities for childcare.

06/16/2026

🌟 Every child brings something special to the group — and celebrating that is one of the best parts of childcare.

Our latest blog has simple ways to celebrate what makes us different — and what brings us together:

🍲 Multicultural foods
📚 Books that spark conversation
🎉 Holidays from many traditions
🧸 Diverse toys and décor

Start small, start early 👉 https://www.kidkare.com/teaching-diversity-and-inclusion/

06/08/2026

🥛 New milk options are official in CACFP!

Effective June 8, 2026, whole milk and reduced-fat (2%) milk can now be offered to participants ages 2 and up — in addition to the low-fat (1%) and fat-free options you already use.

A few things to know:
✅ Sites are not required to offer the new options
✅ It's up to sponsors to decide whether and when sites can start, based on federal, state, and sponsor guidance
✅ KidKare is already updated — so your sites can record the new milk categories the moment you're ready

We built the flexibility in ahead of time so you don't have to wait. 💙

06/08/2026

🙋‍♀️ When was the last time you did something just for YOU?

Tomorrow's free Teach Me Tuesday webinar is all about your well-being:

Provider Wellness: Preventing Burnout in Real Life 📅 Tomorrow, June 9 | 7:00 PM CT

✅ Real strategies that fit your real life
✅ Honest conversation about burnout in childcare
✅ Earn a certificate for attending live
✅ All registrants get the recording

Taking care of yourself isn't selfish — it's what makes everything else possible 💛

Register now 👇
https://www.kidkare.com/resource-hub/provider-wellness/

06/03/2026

🥛 Big milk news for CACFP!

Starting June 8, 2026, USDA's new final rule gives CACFP operators more flexibility in the milk they can serve. 🎉

Here's the headline: ✅ Children ages 2 and older can now be served whole and reduced-fat (2%) milk — not just low-fat or fat-free.

A few things to know:
🍼 Children age 1 still get unflavored whole milk
🔄 You're NOT required to change your menus — this is flexibility, not a mandate
📦 More options can simplify purchasing and storage
✅ Fewer chances of a meal being at risk over the wrong milkfat type

📖 Read the full breakdown 👇

The USDA is expanding fluid milk options in CACFP. Beginning June 8, 2026, providers can serve whole and reduced-fat milk to children ages 2 and up.