Family Day Care Homes:
FAQ's


What is the Family Day Care Home (FDCH) program?

  • A nutrition program that reimburses home day care providers for serving healthy meals and snacks that meet simple meal pattern requirements to the children in their care.
  • It is a federally funded program. In West Virginia, it is administered by the West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Child Nutrition.
  • Upon joining the program, you will be connected with a sponsor in your area that will work with you directly to help make the program simple and beneficial for you and the children who are part of your home day care service.

Why Should I Join?

There are many reasons for joining the FDCH program that extend to the children in your care, their parents, and you, the day care provider.
  • The children benefit because they are being served nutritious meals and snacks which promote health and wellbeing.
  • They get the unique opportunity to learn about new and nutritious foods that perhaps they are not served at home.
  • The children in your care will learn and feel positive about eating healthy. They will also benefit from having consistent meal times.
  • All children can participate, even those with special nutritional needs such as lactose intolerance.
Parents also benefit when they place their child in a home participating in the FDCH program.
  • They know their children are being served healthy meals.
  • It eliminates the need to pack meals ahead of time or provide payment to the provider for meals.
There are benefits for Day Care Providers, too.
  • The FDCH payments subsidize the cost of serving nutritious meals. This makes it easier for you to afford to serve the nutritious meals that will keep the children in your care happy and healthy.
  • Being a member of the FDCH program is also appealing to parents looking for a day care center for their children. Many participating providers use the FDCH program as a way to advertise to potential families that their day care home is safe and educational.
  • Your sponsor will provide free training every year on food service and nutrition. You will learn about new menu ideas, cooking techniques, and food safety issues.
  • You will gain the knowledge that the nutritional needs of children in your care are being met.

You Can Join the FDCH Program If…

  • You provide child care in your home
  • You enter into an agreement with your local Family Day Care Home Sponsor
  • You are certified as a day care home provider through the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR)

Which children can be claimed for meals?

  • Infants
    • Including breastfed infants
  • Children
    • Ages 12 and Under
    • Disabled children 13 years and older
    • Foster children
All children being claimed for meals must be enrolled in the FDCH program. A sponsor will give you simple enrollment forms for each family to complete so their child can be eligible.

**You may be able to claim your own children if you meet basic income eligibility requirements, if your child is enrolled in the program (which means that you fill out the same enrollment form that the families must complete), and non-resident children must be eating the same meal. For example, if your child is the only child in the home for lunch, your child cannot be claimed for that meal.

Why Do I Need a Sponsor and What Does The Sponsor Do?

When you have decided that you want to become a participant in FDCH program you contact a local sponsor who you will communicate with directly. Your sponsor is responsible for approving you to join the program. They will then give you free training about healthy new menu ideas and ways to feed the children in your care. The sponsor will train you about the meal pattern requirements and keeping accurate attendance of the children in your home. They may also help with other childcare topics. The sponsor will visit your day care home and ensure that it is safe for children. They will assist you with any necessary paperwork and respond to any questions or concerns that you may have about the program.

The sponsor is also responsible for submitting the claims for meals to New York State. The sponsor will determine the amount of money that you will be reimbursed and they will send you a check for that amount of money every month.

How am I paid for meals?

  • Sponsor uses specific criteria to determine if your day care home is reimbursed at the higher Tier 1 or lower Tier 2 rate.
  • Tier 1 Day Care Home:
    • provider lives in low income area, OR
    • provider's household income meets guidelines
  • Tier 2 Day Care Home:
    • may still receive Tier 1 rates for some children in care

When Will I Be Paid?

Your first check from CACFP may take up to 6-8 weeks as there are extra steps that the sponsor must take for new providers. After the initial payment, you can expect a check on a regular monthly basis from your sponsoring organization.

What do I have to serve?

The food components are milk, meat (or a meat alternative such as beans), fruits and vegetables, and grains and bread. All meal pattern requirements revolve around these four basic groups.

What Is In A Meal?

These are the basic meal pattern requirements that must be met in order to qualify for reimbursement for a meal.
  • Breakfast
    • Milk
    • Fruit/Vegetable
    • Grain/Bread
  • Lunch/Supper
    • Milk
    • Grain/Bread
    • Meat/Meat Alternate
    • 2 Fruit/Vegetables
  • Snacks - Two of the four food components
    • Milk
    • Fruit/Vegetable
    • Meat/Meat Alternate
    • Grain/Bread
Sample Breakfast
The following is a sample breakfast. A cup of lowfat milk, a slice of wheat toast, and sliced fresh cantaloupe meet the pattern requirements for breakfast.

Sample Lunch / Supper
This is a sample lunch or supper. A cup of lowfat milk, quesadillas (which meet the bread and meat requirement because cheese is considered a meat alternative), black beans, and fresh mango is a meal that meet requirements.

Sample Snack #1
One example of a snack that a FDCH provider might serve is a banana, peanut butter, and a cup of water. This snack includes a fruit component and a meat alternative.

Sample Snack #2
Another example of a snack is a cup of vanilla yogurt mixed with granola. This snack includes a meat alternative (because yogurt is considered a meat in CACFP) and a grain component.

How Do I Find A Sponsor?

If you are interested in becoming a FDCH provider, please call the Office of Child Nutrition at 304-558-3396 or call a sponsor directly. Below is a list of West Virginia FDCH sponsors and the areas they serve:

Catholic Charities of West Virginia
Contact: Lynn Wallace 304-230-1280 ext. 2203
Barbour, Berkeley, Brooke, Hancock, Harrison, Jefferson, Lewis, Marion, Marshall, Monongalia, Morgan, Ohio, Preston, Randolph, Taylor, Tucker, Upshur, and Wetzel

Community Action of South East West Virginia (CASE)
Contact: Michelle Buchanan 304-324-0452
Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, and Summers

Central Child Care of West Virginia
Contact: Connie Aldridge 304-382-0786
Boone, Clay, and Kanawha

Council of Southern Mountains
Contact: Ida Monroe 304-862-3071 ext. 253
McDowell and Wyoming

Hardy County Board of Education
Contact: Nancy Sisk 304-530-2348 ext. 231
Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Pendleton

PRIDE of Logan
Contact: Christy Wilson 304-752-8077
Logan

RESA IV
Contact: Vickie Johnson 304-872-6440 ext. 24
Braxton, Fayette, Greenbrier, Nicholas, Pocahontas, and Webster

River Valley Child Development
Contact: Tammy Leonard 304-523-3031 ext. 300
Cabell, Lincoln, Mason, Mingo, Putnam, and Wayne

Volunteer Action Center of the Mid-Ohio Valley (VAC)
Contact: Lynn Greenly 304-424-3457
Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Pleasant, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt, and Wood