You are receiving this newsletter because you are enrolled in the WECA Food Program. |
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Your monthly news & updates |
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Child Enrollment Forms Are Going Electronic!
Soon parents will be able to submit Child Enrollment forms online! No more paper forms for you to fill out and mail to the WECA office. More information to come soon, so stay tuned!
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These worksheets can be used to empower Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) providers and operators with the knowledge, skills and expertise to implement CACFP infant meal pattern requirements.
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Picadillo is a delicious stew made with ground beef, tomatoes, and other ingredients. It is a popular dish in South American countries and the Caribbean. Serve it over rice or as a filling in tacos.
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Let's Celebrate! Week of the Young Child 2021 |
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The Week of the Young Child® is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world’s largest early childhood education association, with nearly 60,000 members and a network of 51 Affiliates.
NAEYC writes, “While the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in many ways, it hasn’t changed the need to celebrate and support young children and the adults who love, care for, and educate them.”
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How can the young children in your care participate in the kitchen? This worksheet from USDA MyPlate details what tasks can be done by children ages two, three, four, and five. MyPlate helps you build healthy eating habits one step at a time.
(National CACFP Sponsor’s Association, www.cacfp.org, March 16, 2021, Kitchen Helpers)
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Paper Claimers: Submit Certification Statement
with Your Claim
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- If you are one of the few providers who still claim on paper forms, you MUST enclose the signed/dated Certification Statement with every claim.
- The Certification Statement is required by the WI Department of Public Instruction (WI DPI), and your claim cannot be reimbursed without it. Print more forms or call 608-729-1045 to request forms.
- Reminder: Be sure to identify each WG/WGR item you serve according to the instructions on the form, or you will lose reimbursement.
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When to Request an Adjustment to Your Claim |
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The completed form, plus all required documentation, is due in the food program office by the 15th of the month in which you received the reimbursement in question. Requests are reviewed and processed on the 15th of every month.
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Adjustments cannot be made on late claims.
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Adjustments cannot be made for provider errors, such as late, missing, or incorrect paperwork.
- Adjustments can be made for WECA Food Program processing errors.
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Keep Your Food Program Records |
Be sure to retain your food program records as required by federal regulations. Your records must be kept at your child care site for the current month, plus the previous 12 months. Records for the three years prior to that can be stored onsite or offsite.
- Records can be stored electronically or on paper.
- Whatever way you store them, all records must be available for review by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), WI DPI, or by the WECA Food Program at any time during your regular child care hours.
- Reminder: Best business practices advise that you back up your food program records periodically.
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Special Dietary Needs Webinar |
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The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) held a CACFP Tuesday Talks webinar about Special Dietary Needs on February 23, 2021. This webinar discussed requirements for accommodating disability and non-disability special dietary needs requests, including requirements to claim these meals for CACFP reimbursement. |
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The recorded webinar, its presentation handout, and a Q&A on the questions that were asked during the webinar are now posted. The following links will take you directly to these postings:
NOTE: The following information in the webinar is different for providers and FDCH sponsor staff:
- DPI Guidance Memorandum 12 (GM)
- Providers should disregard.
- Sponsor staff may go to FDCH sponsor GM L – Special Dietary Needs instead of GM 12 hyperlinked in the webinar
- E-Learning Course – Family Day Care Homes (New)
- DPI just released. It only contains the Special Dietary Needs Requests lesson right now. More lessons will be added soon.
- They are intended for both providers and sponsor staff.
- Last slide -- Assigned DPI Consultants
- Providers should contact their sponsor with questions instead of DPI consultants.
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What Are Commercial Combination Foods? |
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Commercial combination foods are commercially prepared foods that combine two or more menu components (meat and grain, for example) into one item. A few commonly served items are pizza, processed meatballs, and breaded meat/poultry products such as corn dogs, fish sticks, and chicken nuggets. More information on these types of foods is available from WI DPI.
Commercial combination foods are only creditable when the actual content is known and documented by the product’s manufacturer. If you serve any commercial combination food, you must keep one of these on file:
- Its Child Nutrition (CN) label, or;
- Its product information statement.
The CN label shows the item’s contribution to the USDA meal pattern requirements. Read labels carefully since some products might meet only one requirement. A CN label does not indicate that a product is healthy. These items are often high in sodium, fat, and calories and can be expensive.
When your area coordinator observes, in person, or during a video call, commercial combination foods being served, she may verify that adequate portions were served, using your required documentation. Your area coordinator must view this documentation when these foods are indicated on a provider’s menus. Otherwise, she must deduct that meal service per USDA regulation.
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The Provider Connection is published by the WECA Food Program Claims Director: Pam Polenz
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider |
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Explore more of what WECA has to offer:
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