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Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All (2011)

Chapter: Appendix L: Options for Breastfeeding Incentives

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Options for Breastfeeding Incentives." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12959.
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L
Options for Breastfeeding Incentives

The committee considered options to encourage breastfeeding by CACFP participants. Barriers to breastfeeding while participating in CACFP include the convenience and timing involved in using a breast pump; concerns about handling and storage of breast milk by providers; and accessibility concerns on the part of mothers who wish to breastfeed at the provider site. The committee concluded that there is a need for an easy and high impact incentive that interfaces with the CACFP mission and complements provider settings; and that could be a reimbursable infant meal option for providers.

Options considered include the following:

  • Providing food to breastfeeding mothers only; this may take the form of a WIC-like food voucher to mothers of fully (or almostfully) breastfed infants from birth to 6 months. Food packages could include foods consistent with the revised Meal Requirements: fruits, vegetables, and whole grain-rich food products. The committee acknowledges that this would constitute an added cost to the program. Such a program addition, however, would add a high-visibility benefit to mothers who are considering breastfeeding or may enhance consideration of breastfeeding of future infants.

  • Develop a system that provides breast pumps on loan to CACFP participant mothers who plan to breastfeed. The program also could include providing a paid referral to a certified lactation coach. In addition, educational materials, DVDs, or web-based

Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Options for Breastfeeding Incentives." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12959.
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information and support messages could be provided onsite and/or sent to a breastfeeding mother’s PDA device.

  • Provide the required vitamins needed by breastfed infants such as vitamin D, iron, and fluoride that are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other authoritative bodies based upon the age, feeding pattern, and community drinking water characteristics of the infant participant. The committee anticipates this option would add little cost to the program. This benefit also would help the breastfed infant directly and would be another high-visibility benefit.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Options for Breastfeeding Incentives." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12959.
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Page 281
Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Options for Breastfeeding Incentives." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12959.
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Page 282
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The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally-funded program designed to provide healthy meals and snacks to children and adults while receiving day care at participating family day care homes, traditional child care centers, afterschool facilities, adult care facilities, and emergency shelters. CACFP has the broadest scope of any of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food program, serving more than 3 million children and 114,000 adults across the nation. To receive reimbursement for the foods served, participating programs must abide by requirements set by the USDA.

Child and Adult Care Food Program assesses the nutritional needs of the CACFP population based on Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) and makes recommendations for revisions to the CACFP meal requirements. The book outlines meal requirements that include food specifications that could be used for specific meals and across a full day, covering all age groups from infants to older adults and meal patterns designed for use in a variety of settings, including in-home care and in large centers. By implementing these meal requirements, consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain rich foods will increase while consumption of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium will decrease. Not only will this address the high prevalence of childhood obesity, it will also help to achieve consistency with the standards and regulations of other USDA nutrition assistance programs, particularly the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.

Child and Adult Care Food Program makes practical recommendations that would bring CACFP meals and snacks into alignment with current dietary guidance. The book will serve as a vital resource for federal and state public health officials, care providers working in child and adult day care facilities, WIC agencies, officials working with the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, and other organizations serving at-risk populations.

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