Ohio's Child and Adult Care Food Program entered its 2026–2027 program year on Oct. 1, according to a bulletin from the state Office of Nutrition. The period runs through Sept. 30, 2027. Sponsors were reminded that their CACFP application in the Claims Reimbursement and Reporting System is due Oct. 15, and that Education Program Specialists can help.
The state said several school sponsors filing a combined CACFP and School Nutrition Programs application have hit system problems in CRRS that affect the correctness and timeliness of required information. To keep programs compliant, those sponsors must now submit a separate CACFP application covering their At-Risk Afterschool sites. They were also told to answer Question 5 on the Sponsor Application as no and to delete Section E, At Risk After School, from every site application.
All sponsors must complete three online trainings — Annual Sponsor Training, Performance Standards and Civil Rights — and attach the certificates in the Miscellaneous section of their CRRS application. In-person recordkeeping training is now mandatory once a year, and missing it may lead to a serious deficiency determination. Sessions are set for Oct. 6 at the ESC of Hamilton County and Oct. 13 at the Ohio Department of Public Safety, both 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Meal pattern training follows Nov. 5 at the Gahanna Library, 9:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration closes the day before each session.
USDA Team Nutrition released an on-demand webinar, slides and a worksheet on using the Nutrition Facts label, along with parent newsletters, food guides and a quiz tied to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 and its emphasis on eating real food.