9-Month CACFP Preschool & Daycare Meal Plans | 36 Weeks of Menus

Description

Make meal planning easier for your preschool or daycare program with this professional 9-month CACFP preschool and daycare meal plans pack! It includes 36 weeks of practical, child-friendly menus designed for children ages 3–5.

Each weekly plan includes breakfast, AM snack, lunch, and PM snack for Monday through Friday. The menus feature familiar foods, reasonable meal repeats, seasonal produce suggestions, and clearly listed CACFP meal components and minimum serving portions.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• 36 weekly preschool and daycare menus
  • Recommended for September to May, but can be used in any order
• 180 weekdays of meal planning
• Breakfast, AM snack, lunch, and PM snack each day
• CACFP minimum portions for children ages 3–5
• Color-coded meal components
• Seasonal produce suggestions
• Whole grain-rich foods marked with WGR
• Writable spaces for the program name, week, dates, and enrollment
• CACFP component and menu-use guide
• Landscape pages that are easy to print, post, and share

SUGGESTED SCHEDULE:

The 36 weekly menus are arranged for a suggested September-through-May preschool or daycare schedule. However, the pages are not tied to specific calendar dates or a particular school year. Providers can begin the menus at any time, adjust the order as needed, and write in their own weekly dates.

MEAL COMPONENTS INCLUDE:

• Milk
• Meat/Meat Alternate
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Grains

The menus include preschool and daycare favorites such as pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits, muffins, baked ziti, teriyaki chicken, soup and grilled cheese, walking tacos, smoothies, hummus, fresh fruit, and vegetables.

PERFECT FOR:

• Preschool classrooms
• Daycare centers
• Home daycare providers
• Childcare programs
• Early learning centers
• CACFP-participating programs
• Weekly menus shared with staff and families

WHY PROVIDERS WILL LOVE IT:

• Saves time planning meals and snacks
• Provides nine months of ready-to-use menu ideas
• Uses realistic meal repeats to simplify shopping
• Keeps each full week organized on one page
• Includes blank spaces for program-specific information
• Makes menus easy for staff and families to read

FILE FORMAT:

This is a digital PDF containing 38 landscape pages: one cover page, one CACFP component and menu-use guide, and 36 weekly meal-plan pages. No physical product will be mailed.

IMPORTANT CACFP NOTE:

This resource is intended as a meal-planning aid for preschool and daycare programs. Menus are designed around CACFP meal-pattern minimums for children ages 3–5, but requirements may vary by sponsor, state agency, product formulation, and recipe.

Providers should verify serving sizes, CN labels, product formulation statements, standardized recipes, substitutions, and documentation requirements with their sponsoring organization before serving or claiming meals.

Please Note

• This is a digital product. No physical item will be mailed to you.
• Due to the nature of digital downloads, all sales are final, and no refunds, returns, or exchanges can be offered.
• Colors may vary slightly depending on your monitor and printer settings.

This resource was created by a licensed childcare provider with more than 15 years of experience operating a daycare program and over 20 years of experience working with preschool-aged children. Each menu was designed with the practical needs of real preschool and daycare programs in mind.