The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides cash reimbursements to child care centers to help cover the cost of serving nutritious meals and snacks to children in their care.
In South Dakota, CACFP is administered by the Department of Education’s Child and Adult Nutrition Services (CANS) office, which also oversees other USDA Food and Nutrition Services programs in the state.
If you’re looking to apply for CACFP, our guide covers everything your child care center needs to know, from eligibility requirements and application steps to required trainings and more.
Eligibility requirements
Before you begin the application process, make sure your child care center meets the CACFP eligibility criteria. In South Dakota, the program is open to:
- Licensed nonprofit child care centers that operate on a nonresidential basis.
- For-profit child care or adult care centers where at least 25% of enrolled individuals qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
How to apply for CACFP in South Dakota
1. Complete the CACFP pre-screening form
Before fully applying, fill out the Pre-Screening Form to help determine your center’s eligibility. This short form will guide you through a series of questions about your facility type and operations. Once submitted, a CANS representative will contact you to guide you through the next steps of the process.
2. Begin the application process
To apply for CACFP in South Dakota, you’ll use the iCAN system—a web-based application portal for child nutrition programs. Visit iCAN: https://ican.sd.gov/ICAN/Splash.aspx
If your center already has a sponsor in iCAN but you need access, complete the iCAN User ID Request Form and email it to DOE.SchoolLunch@state.sd.us. Every user should have a unique login; credentials should not be shared.
3. Complete the required CACFP trainings
Before submitting your application, your staff must complete annual CACFP training. These trainings are available on the DOE Professional Learning Platform, which offers a library of videos, quizzes, and certificates.
The topics covered are:
- CACFP Recordkeeping
- CACFP Claims
- CACFP Meal Counting
- CACFP Production Records
- Free & Reduced-Price Meal Applications
- Children’s Meal Patterns
- Infant Meal Pattern Requirements
- Civil Rights
After each training, staff must pass a quiz and keep a copy of their certificate for documentation. To stay on track, it’s a good idea to spread out trainings over the year to avoid missing the annual deadline.
Recordkeeping and documentation
To take part in CACFP in South Dakota, your child care center needs to keep organized records for the current year, plus the three previous years.
Here’s what you need to keep:
- Meal service records: Meal count, menu, and production records
- Participant records: Daily attendance, enrollment forms, and free and reduced-price applications
- Fiscal management records: Procurement plan, costs, and administrative
- Training requirements: Key staff definition, required training, dates and locations of training, and a list of participants
- Monitoring documentation: 3 Visits per year (2 unannounced and 1 meal service visit
Reimbursement process
Once your child care center is up and running under CACFP, the next step is to submit your meal claims and receive reimbursements. In South Dakota, all CACFP claims are processed through the iCAN web portal.
Each year, CANS updates the reimbursement rates based on meal type and eligibility (free, reduced, or paid). Additionally, when filing claims, make sure you know each child’s category, as this affects how much you’ll be reimbursed.
Monthly claim deadlines:
- Due: 10th of the following month (e.g., September meals are due by October 10)
- Late window: Up to 60 days after the month ends (e.g., by November 29 for September)
Ready to apply?
Joining CACFP can make a big difference for your child care program, offering support, funding, and healthier meals for the kids you serve. If you’re ready to get started or have questions about the process, the South Dakota Department of Education can help.
Reach out to Child and Adult Nutrition Services at (605) 773‑3413 to learn more about how to begin.
Make CACFP meal compliance easy with Ordo
Partnering with Ordo means you don’t have to worry about meal planning or preparation. We prepare fresh, healthy meals that meet CACFP guidelines—so you can stay focused on caring for the children you serve. And best of all, it won’t cost your center anything extra.
Ordo has become America's fastest-growing school food program, providing fresh meals made from scratch every day in our kitchens. Our chefs focus on cooking homestyle food that’s both nutritious and what students love. Healthy meals result in better student outcomes, and administrators who invest in their nutrition programs invest in their schools.
Our online platform automates compliance paperwork for reimbursable meals, tracks essential metrics like daily participation rate, and handles all payment and order processing. Ordo offers both vended meal service, where we deliver the food every day, and onsite food service management, where our chefs prepare food on campus.
We have served all types of schools, from preschools and daycare centers to private and public schools. We’ve worked with some of the top brands in early education and child care, including Bright Horizons, Primrose, and more.
If you’re interested in providing fresh, healthy food for your school, you can reach out to the school partnerships team here.
