Meals for Children at Child Care Centers

Nutritional Development Services (NDS) provides healthy and delicious meals (breakfast, lunch, snack, and supper) to licensed non-profit child care centers under the Child and Adult Care Food Program. These meals are balanced and must meet specific guidelines from the federal government. Meals are "kid-friendly" and affordable.

Menus
New menus are written each month. Meal managers at the child care center order meals weekly.   Click here to view Child Care menus.

Price
NDS uses the unit pricing method where centers include the price of the meals in their center's fee. NDS charges centers for the meals based on the eligibiity status of particpating families. Lunch costs $0.95 cents per day, or $0.40 for reduced price. Breakfast costs $0.65, or $0.30 for reduced price. Snack costs $0.40, or $0.15 for reduced price. Children who qualify to receive meals at no cost, are able to eat at no cost to the center. (See below for income guidelines.)

Eligibility for Free or Reduced Price Meals
The amount charged for meals is based on family income. Families submit an application for free or reduced price meals each year. NDS reviews applications for the childcare center.

Children may be eligible for free or reduced price meals if the household income falls within the limits of this chart. The federal government revises this chart yearly.

Federal Income Chart School Year: July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009
Household Size Yearly Income Monthly Income Weekly Income
1 $19,240 $1,604 $370
2 $25,900 $2,159 $499
3 $32,560 $2,714 $627
4 $39,220 $3,269 $755
5 $45,880 $3,824 $883
6 $52,540 $4,379 $1,011
7 $59,200 $4,934 $1,139
8 $65,860 $5,489 $1,267
Each Additional Person $6,660 $555 $129

The information collected from the eligibility application is confidential and determines free or reduced price meal status. Completed applications are kept on file in a locked cabinet at the NDS office for the duration that they are needed. After that period, the applications are destroyed. The only information returned to schools/child care centers is the price category a family will use to order meals.



Center Requirements for Participation
To receive meals from NDS, centers need to be non-profit with a license through the Department of Public Welfare, have at least 30 children who would eat lunch everyday, and have access to refrigeration and kitchen equipment necessary to store and prepare meals.

Nutritional Development Services is the only agency in the state that will provide meals to centers that are not affiliated with a particular group or agency.


Contact us if you are interested offering this program.


January Menus
  • Breakfast Menu
  • Lunch Menu
  • Snack Menu


    • Other Information
    NDS is a sponsor of this federal program that is run by NDS under contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Sites have the option to be their own sponsor and can contract directly with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. For more information about direct sponsorship see the PDE website.

    For more information about this federal program, visit the USDA website.

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