Daycare centers across eastern Iowa receive federal funding to help feed children

DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – Providing children with a balanced meal every day of the week is a priority at the Dubuque Community Y Early Learning Center, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is helping the daycare achieve that goal.

The federal program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reimburses eligible daycare centers that provide nutritious meals and snacks to families at no additional cost.

“This program reimburses us per child, but also provides us with resources for children who may come to us due to a nutritional disorder or religious belief and therefore may not be able to eat our special daily meal,” Early said Childhood Learning director Courtney Morgan. “We can accommodate these children and save parents from having to pack and ship groceries. We can do it for you right here.”

The Y serves about 90 children breakfast, lunch and an afternoon in the Early Learning Center each weekday. During the school year, the organization receives approximately $2,000 in reimbursement from CACFP each month.

Heather Verhagen, whose youngest daughter attends the center, told TV9 that the service helps take weight off her shoulders.

“With the cost of living and so much food, it’s so nice that I don’t have to worry about packing my kids lunch or having something to eat for them,” Verhagen explained. “I can come here and know she’s going to be fed.”

CACFP also supports the Boys & Girls Club of the Corridor. In 2023, the organization was reimbursed $173,100 for the 42,133 meals served at its clubs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Marion.

According to John Tursi, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Corridor, 95% of the children who participate in their program come from families living at or below the national poverty level.

“A hungry child is not a happy child,” Tursi said. “It is very important to us to make sure that our children who may go home with nothing to eat at all, and to know that we will give them one before the next meal, which could be breakfast at school the next day Get a meal.”

By saving money used for food, both organizations are able to create a more welcoming and engaging environment for children.

“It’s because we can expand our program to more children,” Tursi explained. “We can offer our children STEM activities that we might not be able to afford because they are a little more expensive.”

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