Providers Choice

In fiscal year 2023, Providers Choice sponsorship of the child and adult care food program supported child care Providers to serve over 14 million meals and snacks across the state of Minnesota. Providers Choice sponsored 2,950 family day care home programs (a decline of 5.7% from the previous year) that served 48,692 children. Of these family day care homes, 60% of these programs qualified for tier 1 rates while the remaining 40% qualified for tier 2 rates. From october 1, 2022 through june 30, 2023 all Providers continued to be paid at the tier 1 reimbursement rate due to a united states department of agriculture (usda) food and nutrition services (fns) waiver. In july 2023, tiering reimbursement rates resumed which was a partial cause, along with child care Providers leaving the business of child care, to the decline in fdch Providers. Providers Choice sponsored 84 child care center programs (a 34% increase from the previous year) that served 10,173 children. Of the children enrolled in child care center programs, 61% of these children qualified for free meal price reimbursement, 3% qualified for reduced meal price reimbursement and 36% qualified for paid meal price reimbursement based on income eligibility.

Providers Choice completed year two of our cargill foundation grant, "shaping healthful eating habits and nutrition awareness through participation in the child and adult care food program (cacfp)." Through this grant, Providers Choice supported over seven thousand children in the span of the two-year grant to increase access to healthy meals and snacks. In july of 2023, Providers Choice was awarded a two year grant from the cargill foundation for $200,000, "growing healthy communities: building nutrition knowledge for success in the child and adult care food program "cacfp". This grant builds on our previous grant while also focusing on nutrition education. Providers Choice successfully held our virtual gather and grow conference, a continuing education conference for child care Providers, 232 Providers attended in january 2023.