Research & Practice
Farm to Care Centers: Building Local Procurement Resources for the Child and Adult Care Food Program in Washington
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally funded nutrition program that reimburses child and adult sponsors, or care centers, for serving nutritious meals. The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Child Nutrition Services (CNS) provides administrative support and regulates use of federal funds for CACFP. Sponsors have diverse sizes, geography, populations served, and levels of administrative support. Because of this, they may require resources that differ from other CNS programs. This project took place as a part of the Harvest of the Season initiative to support local purchasing.
The student was charged with conducting a needs assessment and gaps analysis of general procurement and local purchasing resources to better support sponsors, as well as outlining toolkit recommendations based on identified gaps. Prioritizing recommendations according to lift and need, recommendations included (1) drafting an overview document to guide sponsors through the main steps of procurement and local purchasing according to CACFP regulations; (2) creating new documents, including resources on budgeting and forecasting, templates for cost comparisons, and a cycle menu reference sheet, incorporating local purchasing wherever possible; and (3) reorganizing and updating current materials to center user experience and include language surrounding local procurement, as well as translating these resources to Spanish.
Materials Available
Project Type(s): MPH Practicum, PH Concentration Poster
Author(s): Adrienne Atkins
Program(s): Master of Public Health, RDN Training
Year: 2026
Adviser(s):