Advance Child Care operates a robust management style that allows our CACFP Sponsorship to file and pay CACFP Claims for Reimbursements within 21 days from the close of the claim month and with minimal effort on the part of each Participating Site.
As former owners of four large child care centers in Texas, we know “first hand” the challenges you face every day with your day care center. Our management style is based around:
- automating as much of your work in the area of food service, so your CACFP Participation is seamless, efficient, and accurate.
- providing one on one customer service to our CACFP Participants.
Dreamrise Software created CACFP Manager specifically around Advance Child Care’s “management style” needs.
First, we know that most cooks don’t hold a degree in “mathematics”; yet, USDA requirements make the calculation of prepared food quantities a “daunting task” when determining “yields” and “serving sizes”. Even the use of the USDA Food Buying Guide can be extremely complex and confusing.
Our management system takes control of all the guess work and calculations by:
- automating these meal calculations, from determining your pre-planned totals (per age group);
- knowing exactly how much to prepare for all kids;
- knowing exactly how much of each meal component to serve to every age group child (in simple to understand terminology).
CACFP Manager uses historical meal count data from prior days to automate what your pre-planned totals should be for today’s meals and snacks. We don’t just give you a total number of children but a total per age group! CACFP Manager has a comprehensive data base of all food components …not just the ones listed in the Food Buying Guide, but also an entire list of approved CN Label products. So, while other software programs might simply give you a generic estimate of what is required based on Meal Pattern Requirements, CACFP Manager takes it another step further, such as breaking down exactly how many chicken nuggets to put on a three year old’s plate, or how many gallons of 2% milk to buy for the entire week!
Second, Advance Child Care is required to ensure all CACFP Participants record meal counts “at the point of meal service“. This means marking a child’s meal count when the child is eating their meal. In many instances, a child care center must double their work by marking meal counts on paper forms first and then transferring those counts into their CACFP Sponsor’s computer system. Not only is this duplicating the process but also increasing the odds that the child care center employee will make errors in marking the same meal count correctly that second time!
CACFP Manager simplifies that process by allowing a child care center to mark meal counts directly into an android device (phone or tablet) or an iPhone or iPad. Not only does this eliminate that duplication process of transferring data from paper to computer, but it provides the child care center and CACFP Sponsor will “real time” Meal Count and Attendance report data.
Third, Advance Child Care not only has to process child enrollment and household income forms in a timely manner but also is required to ensure all CACFP Participants operate a “non-profit food service”. This means that a site is spending as much in food service expenses (food, kitchen supplies, food service labor) as they are receiving in CACFP Reimbursement Funds. Advance Child Care provides a simple and expedited way to collect this information from each of our sites by providing each site with a WiFi Scanner. These scanners only require a wireless internet network connection (no computer is required) to send forms to our office for processing. Paper Guides on these scanners allow for all sizes of forms to be scanned easily without having to change settings, including 3.5 x 15 inch grocery store receipts. All scanned forms are saved in the cloud to allow easy access for both the CACFP Sponsor and Participating Site.
Fourth, Advance Child Care maintains historical CACFP data for three years after the program year has expired and provides this data immediately upon demand by your CACFP Sponsor or U.S.D.A. Four years of storing Meal Count and Attendance Reports, Daily Meal Production Records, CACFP Enrollment Forms, Meal Benefit Income Eligibility Forms, Infant Declaration Forms, Medical Statements, Store Receipts & Invoices and Time Distribution Reports can fill up a small house!
CACFP Manager has an internally built in archiving system for both the CACFP Sponsor and all CACFP Participating Sites. Records are automatically generated in electronic format and saved on the cloud, accessible to both the sponsor and site for this four year archiving period. When an updated form replaces an expired form, it too remains in an accessible and archived state for the full four year period.
Child Care Centers also have the option to manage their forms through a paperless system . This allows for automatic certification and signing of required reports with a digital signature, that can be viewed and printed in a matter of seconds and distributed effortlessly to the CACFP Sponsor and/or U.S.D.A.
Finally, Advance Child Care operates under an Account Rep System of Management. Our 30 + years of being a CACFP Sponsor have shown us that there is no substitution for one on one customer service. Advance Child Care divides our service area into seven different territories in Texas. An Account Rep is assigned to a specific territory. Each Account Rep processes all CACFP paperwork submitted by CACFP Participants (Sites) located in their specific territory, as well as monitoring that site a minimum of three times annually. This one on one relationship allows each Account Rep to develop a report with the site and better understand their needs and challenges and can then offer valuable management advise and encouragement to the site.
Child and Adult Care Food Program in Texas | Call us at 903-872-5231 ext 303.
