Child Nutrition in Colorado (Spring 2024)

 The Child and Adult Care Food Program  (CACFP) provides reimbursement for healthy meals and snacks served to Colorado’s children and adults in  child care centers  and  homes , afterschool programs, emergency and homeless shelters, Head Start, Early Head Start and outside-school-hours programs and adult day care centers. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds the CACFP and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment administers the program.

There are a variety of ways to participate in the CACFP.  Programs can sponsor their own food program or participate under an existing organization. While there is strong participation across the state, there are child care centers, day care home and afterschool programs that are eligible for the CACFP and may not be aware of CACFP benefits or may need the support from a sponsoring organization.

 The Summer Food Service Program  (SFSP) provides no-cost breakfast, lunch, snack and/or supper to youth in Colorado all summer long. Anyone 18 years of age and younger is welcome to eat a meal with their friends at participating sites throughout the summer. The SFSP is also funded through the USDA and the Colorado Department of Education School Nutrition Unit administers the program. Program sponsors, such as school districts and community organizations, operate the SFSP at approved summer meal sites such as, schools, apartment complexes, parks, libraries, churches, pools, and recreation centers.

Program sponsors and other organizations can also use the data dashboards created by CDPHE and CDE to visualize program participation.

 View the CACFP data dashboard here .

 View the CDE school meals data dashboards here .

Colorado has 1.20 million youth aged 0- 18 years. Of those, 11.1% are living in a household with income at or below the federal poverty line. In federal fiscal year 2023, the Colorado CACFP had 1,530 participating programs who served nearly 15.8 millio meals to children and adults in care.

In summer 2023, 83  program sponsors operated 647 sites across Colorado. Outside of an upswing of summer program participation in 2020-2021 due to nationwide waivers, the number of summer program sponsors, sites, and meals served has remained stable over the last 5 years. In the summer of 2019, over 1.4M meals were served at summer sites across the state, with a small increase in the summer of 2023 to 1.5M meals. In addition, in the summer of 2023, the Colorado Department of Education began approving a new permanent, non-congregate meal service option for rural areas that was authorized by Congress in December 2022. 

Although summer meal participation continues to remain stable, there is still a gap between the number of kids and teens served during the summer vs. the school year. For example, in school year 2022-23, over 54M school lunches were served across the state while only 1.2M lunches were served during summer months. This gap continues to be an area of focus for additional sites and sponsors for the summer meal program, especially in rural areas with low access to summer meal sites.

As of summer 2023, 47.8% of the counties in Colorado had zero SFSP sites. This increased from 39% of counties without SFSP sites from 2022. The decreased access is likely due to the expiration of pandemic era child nutrition program waivers, most notably the area eligibility waiver. Most of the counties without SFSP sites are on the eastern plains, where access to nutritious meals might already be limited due to the distance families must travel to reach a full service grocery store. Finding a location that’s easy for youth to access can be difficult given the rural nature of these communities. Using tools like the asset map and the  USDA Capacity Builder  map can help sponsors and partners identify potential sites, like community centers, churches, or stops for a mobile route in areas where a higher percentage of youth live. Sponsors and partners can also work together to identify meal vendors to prepare and deliver meals if sites don’t have access to kitchens. These groups can use  CDE’s List of Registered Meal Vendors  to identify a meal vendor that can meet the site’s needs. Being strategic about site placement in this way can contribute to site sustainability (3).

(3) Food Research and Action Center (2019, July). Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report. FRAC.org.  https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/frac-summer-nutrition-report-2019.pd f

Lack of access to healthy food options leads to a greater risk of chronic disease and poor health outcomes including diabetes and obesity. For the purposes of this map, a food desert is defined as any Census Block Group (CBG) further than 1 mile from a full service grocery store in urbanized areas or 10 miles in rural areas. This definition is used because it can paint a more accurate picture of low food access in rural communities that have smaller populations.

48% of census block groups (1,959) are designated as food deserts in Colorado using this definition.

  Area eligibility  is used in the CACFP and SFSP to establish meal site locations. A meal site is considered area eligible if it is in a CBG or Census Tract in which at least 50% of the children living there qualify for free or reduced price school meals. SFSP sites that are open to all youth must be area eligible, or within the attendance area of a school where at least 50% of the children are  eligible for free or reduced price school meals . SFSP sites that are closed-enrolled can use area eligibility, but can also establish eligibility through other avenues. For more information on site eligibility, view the  CDE SFSP webpage .

Afterschool programs looking to participate in CACFP are eligible for meal reimbursement if the site is located within the attendance area of a school where at least 50% of the children are eligible for free or reduced price school meals. CACFP also requires afterschool programs to meet licensing requirements and offer enrichment or extracurricular activities.

This view shows areas of Colorado where youth have less access to healthy food options, overlaid with area eligibility data. Areas with more food deserts that are also area eligible highlight the fact that youth in those communities are more at risk for food insecurity. CACFP and SFSP sponsors and advocates can use this information to identify areas where there is the greatest need to host a meal site. 

Nestled in the San Luis Valley,  High Valley Community Center  (HVCC) is a non-profit, community based organization serving youth and their families.  In 2016, the center was at a crossroads and began community engagement for what the future would look like. With youth being the center of why they exist, HVCC reached out to them and asked “ what would be different about life without the community center.” Besides a place for community, the kids voiced they wouldn’t have meals or snacks after school. It was at that point that HVCC leadership began to re-vision their future. 

HVCC has grown and holds a strong presence in the community.  HVCC provides a safe place for youth to attend after school and gives kids access to afterschool meals and connection with peers and mentors.  The school district operates a 4-day school week, leaving kids without access to school breakfast and lunch on the 5th day. HVCC stepped in and participants in the CACFP to provide enrichment activities and meals on that 5th day.  During the summer, HVCC participates in SFSP allowing the kids to have access to meals during the summer months.  Executive Director, Adrienne Atencio, says “the center’s cook prepares the majority of the meals from scratch. This allows the kids to see food in different ways and creates an opportunity for them to have dinner as a family.”

This view shows all CACFP and SFSP sites overlaid with food desert and area eligibility. Sponsors operating in these areas contribute to youth food security through the meals they provide, and ensure youth have access to nutritious meals to support healthy development out of school. When selecting new meal sites, sponsors and partners could consider adding a meal site in an area that is both a food desert and area eligible to support at-risk youth in that area.

The At-Risk index uses area-based indicators of socioeconomic status from the American Community Survey of the Census as a measure of vulnerabilities in a community. These indicators add together to determine a risk score for communities living in a Census Block Group. These indicators include:

• Median Household Income
• Households in Poverty
• Median Home Value
• Home Ownership
• High School Attainment
• College Attainment
• Job Type
• Unemployment

A community that has more of these risk factors is considered higher risk for poor health outcomes and food insecurity.

This is a more robust and detailed way to talk about food insecurity. For those who are interested in using the at-risk index, use this layer to see how the at-risk index impacts food insecurity in your community. Yellow to red colors indicate higher risk for food insecurity in a community.

This map can be used by a variety of stakeholders to identify community assets, and areas of opportunity for expanded access to CACFP and SFSP meals. Sponsors and partners can work together to identify area eligible locations with no or limited meal sites and begin a CACFP or SFSP program in that area. Sponsors and partners can add other mapping tools, such as the  USDA Capacity Builder  map, or include a layer showing all of the schools in an area to identify community assets that already exist.

Advocates and sponsors can also use this map to promote continued program flexibility. Flexibilities such as the area eligibility waiver have allowed sponsors to operate meal sites in non-area eligible locations, making it easier for families to access a meal site near them.

The City and County of Denver Office of Children’s Affairs (OCA) sponsors CACFP and SFSP sites throughout Denver. They began their SFSP operations earlier than normal in 2020 to respond to the increased food insecurity brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their site at the Harvey Park Recreation Center provided a sense of community for local families during an isolated and uncertain time. Families accessing the site were exposed to other programming provided by the City, such as outdoor STEM activities and the recreation center pool. This was an incredible resource for the Harvey Park community, however this site would not have been eligible without the area eligibility waivers in effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to their SFSP sites, OCA meets hunger needs for Denver’s youth by providing CACFP afterschool snacks and suppers. OCA also enrolled two emergency shelters to provide meals to youth and adults with documented disabilities living in emergency shelters. OCA’s utilization of both SFSP and various aspects of CACFP demonstrate how organizations can maximize feeding youth by using multiple child nutrition programs to meet the nutritional needs in their community.

Summer of 2023, Colorado Food Cluster (CFC) provided free meals and delivery to low-income students residing in rural areas of Colorado. Through a home delivery model under the Summer Food Service Program, CFC set up free meals and free delivery services to students in rural areas of Colorado that did not have access to in-person summer feeding options in their area. Through partnerships with the local schools and districts, CFC was able to support students residing in a 60-mile delivery area of Springfield, Rocky Ford, Antonito, Salida and Edwards. Nearly 570 students received a box of 7 days’ worth of breakfasts and lunches over the summer that did not have access to a summer feeding site.

Using the Map to Advocate for Increased Programming

• Organizations and programs can use the map to tell stories, identify gaps, and show the story of the need within their community.
• Boost awareness of CACFP and SFSP among non-participating providers. Partner with CACFP sponsor organizations, Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, the state CACFP and SFSP offices, and other groups that work directly with Colorado’s youth.
• Share this map widely and with food security advocates and key stakeholders to bring awareness of CACFP and SFSP as critical programs to ensure access to nutritious food for children and adults in care settings.
• Identify potential new site locations and sponsors based on current gaps. Collaborate with State CACFP and SFSP offices to recruit new, high-quality sites and sponsors.
• Program sponsors can pair up in similar areas to increase the length of operation or increase the number of operating days in a week. This can also provide relief to sponsors with staffing shortages as a second sponsor could provide meal service on a day another sponsor has limited capacity.
• Use current gaps in access to make the case for year-round feeding. Current sponsors can add new programs or recruit new sponsors in areas with gaps.
• Advocates and program sponsors can use the  USDA Capacity Builder  map to identify new sites, find potential community partners, like multi-family housing units, libraries, schools, and more. 
• Use the  Kids Food Finder  to see detailed site information for SFSP meal sites near you.