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Worked example
Real numbers from this tool, line by line.
A home daycare provider with 4 Tier I and 2 Tier II children who serves breakfast, lunch, supper and one snack for 21 days serves $172.20 of food each month that CACFP will not reimburse. The month's claimable amount is $816.90.
| Result for this menu | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tier I paid per child per day | $7.60 |
| Tier II paid per child per day | $4.25 |
| Claimable per month | $816.90 |
| Served but not reimbursed per month | $172.20 |
| 12 months at this menu and headcount | $9,802.80 |
| Extra per month if Tier II kids reach Tier I | $140.70 |
Why one meal goes unpaid
The rule is 7 CFR 226.18(c): "Reimbursement may not be claimed for more than two meals and one snack, or one meal and two snacks, provided daily to each child." A long-day menu with breakfast, lunch, a snack and supper has three meals and one snack. Only two of the meals can be claimed. The calculator keeps the two that pay most, lunch and supper at $3.31 each for Tier I, plus the snack at $0.98. That is $7.60 per Tier I child per day. The breakfast, worth $1.74 at Tier I and $0.62 at Tier II, is the service USDA does not pay for.
Over 21 days that is 4 × $1.74 × 21 = $146.16 for the Tier I children and 2 × $0.62 × 21 = $26.04 for the Tier II children: $172.20 in all.
The 2026-27 rates in this meal planner
The rates come from the USDA notice published in the Federal Register on July 27, 2026. They apply from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 in the 48 contiguous states and DC:
- Tier I: breakfast $1.74, lunch or supper $3.31, snack $0.98
- Tier II: breakfast $0.62, lunch or supper $1.99, snack $0.27
The 2025-26 Tier I rates were $1.70, $3.22 and $0.96. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have higher rates, and this calculator does not cover them.
Three menus, three answers
Change the menu and the answer changes:
- Breakfast, lunch, supper and one snack: claimable $816.90, unpaid $172.20.
- Breakfast, lunch and two snacks: the best allowed set is two meals and one snack, so one snack goes unpaid. Claimable $627.48, unpaid $93.66.
- Lunch and two snacks: one meal and two snacks fits the cap exactly. Claimable $548.94, unpaid $0.00.
The third menu earns less in total, because it serves less food, but none of it goes unpaid. Whether to keep the fourth service is your call. The calculator shows the price of that call.
Tier II homes
In a Tier II home, children whose households are income-eligible are paid at Tier I rates. With the example menu, each Tier II child is worth $7.60 a day at Tier I against $4.25 at Tier II. For two children over 21 days, that difference is $140.70 a month. Your sponsor holds the household income form.
What is free and what is not
The browser calculator is free and complete for one month and one menu pattern. It needs no account and nothing is uploaded. The full version is the same 10 live formulas as an .xlsx you keep. Copy it each month, change the menu or the headcount, and print the result for your sponsor. It is one payment, not a subscription.
Daycare menu planners on Etsy, checked October 18, 2026, cost $19.99 (macnpeas Daycare Menu Bundle) to $75 (AllThingsDaycare CACFP 24-Hour Weekly Menu Planner). They plan the food but do not calculate what the menu earns.
When this changes
USDA adjusts these rates every July. The next rates apply from July 1, 2027. Rerun your menu then.
15 seconds — what it actually does
Questions people ask
What does this meal planner calculate?
Enter how many children you claim at Tier I and Tier II, the meal services you serve each day and your operating days. It applies USDA's July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 day care home rates and the 7 CFR 226.18(c) cap of two meals and one snack, or one meal and two snacks, per child per day, then shows the monthly claim and the food left unreimbursed.
Who is it for?
Licensed family child care providers in the 48 contiguous states and DC who claim meals through a CACFP sponsor. It fits homes that run long days with breakfast, lunch, a snack and supper, and Tier II homes that care for some income-eligible children. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have higher rates, so do not use it there.
Why not use a free meal planner template?
A free weekly meal planner or daycare menu template plans the food, but it does not know the 2026-27 Tier I rate of $3.31 per lunch or the daily cap. That cap decides which service goes unpaid. This calculator picks the best allowed combination for each child, so you see the money before you shop for a fourth service.
What is free and what costs money?
The browser calculator is free and complete: one menu pattern for one month, with all 10 results, no account and no limit on how often you use it. The paid file is the same 10 live formulas as an .xlsx you keep, copy each month and print for your sponsor. It is a one-time payment, not a subscription.
How does the price compare?
Daycare menu planners on Etsy cost from $19.99 for macnpeas' Daycare Menu Bundle to $75 for AllThingsDaycare's CACFP 24-Hour Weekly Menu Planner, checked October 18, 2026. Both are menus and do not calculate reimbursement. With the example menu, one unreimbursed breakfast for four Tier I children costs $146.16 over 21 days.
When do the rates change next?
These rates run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, as set in the USDA notice published in the Federal Register on July 27, 2026. USDA adjusts day care home rates every July for the Consumer Price Index, so the next rates apply from July 1, 2027. Check the new notice then before you plan menus for the 2027-28 year.
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