Child-care meal sponsors ask lawmakers for $182,000 to expand federal meal reimbursements

Representatives of sponsor organizations for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) told the Senate Education Committee on April 3, 2025, that a $182,000 state appropriation to the Agency of Education’s child nutrition budget would allow the three remaining sponsors to expand their administrative capacity and onboard additional family child‑care providers statewide.

Autumn Owen, legislative policy lead representing Hungerford Vermont, asked senators to appropriate $182,000 in FY26 to be distributed among the sponsor organizations. Owen said the money would help sponsors cover administrative costs, monitoring and reviews, and other expenses that federal reimbursements do not adequately cover. "This small appropriation would mean that these providers are able to draw down more federal funding to provide meals and snacks to children in their care," Owen said.

CACFP is a federal child-nutrition program that reimburses eligible meals and snacks…