National CACFP Association marks 40 years with FY26 advocacy and training gains

The National CACFP Association says fiscal 2026 brought expanded advocacy, education and community-building across the child and adult care food program network. The group also used its 40th anniversary to spotlight its role supporting providers serving children, older adults and adults with disabilities.

Why it matters: - The National CACFP Association helps connect and support the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program community, which serves children, older adults and adults with disabilities. - The association’s work affects child care centers, family child care homes, Head Start programs, adult day care centers and afterschool sites that rely on CACFP support to provide healthy meals and snacks. - FY26 showed how advocacy, training and peer networks can shape access to nutritious meals for millions of people nationwide.

What happened: - The National CACFP Association, founded in 1986, said it spent fiscal 2026 focused on advocacy, education and connection. - The association marked 40 years of service to the CACFP community in 2026. - NCA said it continued to push for policies and initiatives that invest in, strengthen and expand access to CACFP. - NCA also worked to keep CACFP providers, sponsoring organizations and other professionals engaged with policymakers on issues affecting their programs. - President Alexia Thex said the association is honored to stand beside CACFP professionals and support their training, advocacy and community needs.

The details: - NCA said it supported about 3,000 members in FY26. - The association said its programs, resources and communications reached 84,252 organizations. - NCA’s email newsletter reached 150,000 subscribers. - The association connected with 20,000 social media followers. - NCA awarded 45,930 Continuing Education Units during FY26. - The National Child Nutrition Conference drew 1,708 attendees. - NCA redesigned and relaunched the NCA Learning Center as an on-demand training hub. - The Learning Center now offers more than 200 courses on CACFP topics, including USDA-led trainings. - NCA supported 764 professionals in earning CACFP Professional credentials.

Between the lines: - The FY26 numbers suggest NCA is increasingly operating as both an advocacy group and a professional development engine for the CACFP field. - The Learning Center relaunch points to growing demand for flexible training that professionals can access on their own schedules. - The anniversary framing gives NCA a way to tie its history to the current policy and workforce needs of the program.

What's next: - NCA said it will continue supporting CACFP professionals as they serve millions of children and adults across the country. - The association signaled that advocacy, education and community-building will remain its core focus going forward. - NCA plans to keep advancing access to nutritious meals for the people CACFP serves.

The bottom line: - After 40 years, NCA is using advocacy and training to deepen its role in a program that helps deliver daily meals and snacks to vulnerable populations.