---
title: "Run the CACFP meals report"
description: "Get meal counts by type and CACFP claimability across a date range — the report you submit for federal meal reimbursement."
type: guide
updated: 2026-09-14
canonical_url: https://help.nestlicare.com/owners/reports/run-the-cacfp-meals-report
roles: ["super_admin", "center_admin"]
platforms: [web]
---
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) reimburses qualifying daycares for meals served to children. NestliCare's meals report gives you the data you need to file monthly claims.

Even if you're not on CACFP, this report is useful for meal planning and food-cost forecasting.

## Run it

1. **Reports → Meals (CACFP)** in the sidebar.
2. Pick center (or "All centers"), optional room, and a date range.

<ScreenshotWithPointers
  src="/screenshots/owners/reports/meals-report.png"
  alt="The Meals (CACFP) report: stat cards for total and claimable meals, a Daily Meal Counts stacked bar chart, and a meal-type summary table"
  caption="Stat cards up top (total meals, claimable percentage, and counts by type), the Daily Meal Counts chart, and a meal-type summary table below."
/>

## What "Claimable" means

A meal is CACFP-claimable if:

- The child is CACFP-eligible (set on their child record)
- The meal was logged with non-empty food items (not just "lunch" — actual foods listed)
- The meal was served on a day the child was checked in

The stat card at the top shows what percentage of your logged meals meet those criteria. Higher is better — if it's under 80%, your teachers are probably skipping food-item details.

## Meal types

| Type | Typical time | Usually claimable? |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 7–9 AM | Yes |
| AM Snack | 10–11 AM | Yes |
| Lunch | 11 AM – 1 PM | Yes |
| PM Snack | 2–4 PM | Yes |
| Dinner | 5–7 PM | Depends on state |

NestliCare tracks all five. CACFP rules vary by state — your state's rep confirms what counts.

## Common use cases

### Monthly CACFP claim submission

Most states require monthly claims by the 10th:

1. Filter to the prior full calendar month.
2. Export CSV.
3. Use the Total column per meal type on the claim form.
4. Keep the CSV as supporting documentation.

### Finding incomplete meal logs

The data-quality banner at the top shows **Meals with food items rate** — what % of logged meals actually list the foods served. If you're below 80%, your teachers are checking "lunch done" without typing what was served, which means those meals aren't CACFP-claimable.

Fix: train teachers to tap the **Food Items** pill list when logging a meal. The report updates the moment they do.

### Forecasting food costs

Export a month's CSV, break counts down by meal type, multiply by your average cost per meal. Most centers' food budget ends up within 5% of their actual meal service counts — a better forecast than enrollment alone.

## What the report doesn't cover

- **Dietary restrictions / allergies** — set on the child record, not aggregated in this report
- **Specific foods** — aggregated counts only; for per-meal food detail, use the Meals page itself
- **CACFP compliance** (meal pattern meeting requirements) — we show served counts, not whether the pattern was nutritionally complete. You verify that separately.

## Export and print

- **Export CSV** — Date × Meal Type counts, plus totals. Filename: `meals-{start}-{end}.csv`.
- **Print** — full stacked bar + table.

Annotations at the bottom let you flag periods: "Week of Spring Break — lower meal counts expected."

## Troubleshooting

**Claimable % is 0%.** Either no child has CACFP-eligible flag set, or no meals have food items logged. Fix the child records first (Child → Edit → CACFP Eligible), then retrain teachers on logging food items.

**Report totals don't match my state's CACFP claim.** Reports aggregate meal records; your state form may have different rules (e.g., only certain age groups claim, meal-pattern requirements). Check with your state's CACFP rep — they know the quirks.

**Dinner counts look wrong.** Most US daycares close before dinner. If you have evening drop-ins and are logging dinner meals, make sure those kids' check-ins cover the dinner timestamp, or the meal won't attribute to them.

**Meal type chart is missing colors.** Your browser may be blocking chart fonts. Try Chrome or Firefox; Safari sometimes misses them on first load.

**I want per-child CACFP details.** The report rolls up across children. For per-child, use **Meals** (not the report) and filter by child.