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The Okeene Record
Federal food program urges nutritious meals
Rainbow Fleet accepting applications
Licensed child care pro-
viders who serve nutritious
meals and snacks may be el-
igible for federal reimburse-
ment through the Child and
Adult Care Food Program
(CACFP).
The U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s (USDA)
Child and Adult Care Food
Program is accepting Okla-
homa enrollments, accord-
ing to Carrie Williams, ex-
ecutive director of Rainbow
Fleet Child Care Resource
and Referral. Rainbow Fleet
is a sponsor organization
through the Oklahoma De-
partment of Education, the
federal program’s Oklaho-
ma administrator. The fed-
erally funded child nutri-
Page 7, The Okeene Record, Thursday, December 5, 2019
tion program helps children
receive the nutrition they
need by reimbursing child
care providers for serving
meals and snacks that meet
federal requirements.
Reimbursement rates
range from $2.49 for lunch/
dinner to $.74 for a snack.
Caregivers are required to
record menus, enrollment
and attendance. A provider
can claim up to three meals
per child per day.
“All family child care fa-
cilities that are licensed by
the Department of Human
Services can apply take ad-
vantage of the free nutrition
program,” said Williams.
“Our staff at Rainbow Fleet
can assist child care provid-
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
HUVLQ¿OOLQJRXWWKHLUDSSOL-
cations. Once an applica-
tion is accepted we’ll assist
the provider with compli-
ance issues that range from
creating a balanced menu to
food sanitation and prepara-
tion.”
Child care providers in-
terested in this free resource
should contact Rainbow
Fleet at (405) 521-1426.
For more than 40 years,
Rainbow Fleet has provid-
ed innovative child devel-
opment programs to fami-
lies and child care service
providers. Rainbow Fleet
helps families locate qual-
ity child care options and
assists child care providers
with a multitude of servic-
es including licensing and
technical assistance as well
as age-appropriate activities
and curriculum. Rainbow
Fleet is an equal opportu-
nity provider and employer.
,I\RXZLVKWR¿OHD&LY-
il Rights program com-
plaint of discrimination,
complete the USDA Pro-
gram Discrimination Com-
plaint Form, found online at
http://www.ascr.usda.gov/
FRPSODLQWB¿OLQJBFXVWKWPO
RU DW DQ\ 86'$ RI¿FH RU
call 866-632- 9992 to re-
quest the form. You may
also write a letter contain-
ing all of the information
requested in the form.
Send your completed
complaint form or letter to
USDA by mail at U.S. De-
partment of Agriculture,
'LUHFWRU 2I¿FH RI $GMX-
dication, 1400 Independ-
ence Avenue, SW, Wash-
ington, DC 20250-9410,
by fax 202-690- 7442, or
email at program.intake@
usda.gov. Individuals who
are deaf, hard of hearing,
or have speech disabilities
may contact USDA through
the Federal Relay Service at
800-877- 8339 or 800-845-
6136 (Spanish). USDA is an
equal opportunity provider
and employer.
All participants in at-
tendance are served meals
at no extra charge to the
parents. The United States
Department of Agriculture
(USDA) prohibits discrim-
ination against its custom-
ers, employees, and appli-
cants for employment on
the bases of race, color, na-
tional origin, age, disabili-
ty, sex, gender identity, re-
ligion, reprisal, and where
applicable, political beliefs,
marital status, familial or
parental status, sexual ori-
entation, or all or part of an
individual’s income is de-
rived from any public assis-
tance program, or protected
genetic information in em-
ployment or in any program
or activity conducted or
funded by USDA. (Not all
prohibited bases will apply
to all programs and/or em-
ployment activities.)