1. Recording and Maintaining Meal Counts
Welcome to the webcast, Recording and Maintaining Meal Counts for 3 or Less Meal Services. This webcast will guide you through the process of correctly recording and maintaining time of service meal counts. Agencies who are approved to claim for 3 or less meal services per day should watch this webcast. If you are approved to claim for more than 3 meal services per day, you should watch the webcast, Recording and Maintaining Meal Counts for Greater than 3 Meal Services.
Three (3) or Less Meal Services
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

2. Meal Counts
Your agency is reimbursed for the number of meals and snacks it serves to CACFP enrolled children each day
Meal counts must be recorded daily at the time of each meal or snack service, or immediately after
This is called the Time of Service Meal Count
Your agency is reimbursed for the number of meals and snacks you serve to CACFP-enrolled children each day. To properly claim these meals and snacks, meal counts must be recorded either at the time of each meal or snack service, or immediately after. This is called the Time of Service Meal Count.

3. Daily Participation Record and Monthly Meal Count Summary
Guidance Memorandum #9C: Recordkeeping Requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program
The Daily Participation Record and Monthly Meal Count Summary form is provided by the Department of Public Instruction or DPI and should be used to record meal counts. This form can be found on the DPI website, at the link on this slide, under Guidance Memorandum #9C. Throughout the remainder of this webcast, this form will be referred to as the Meal Count form.
Along the left hand side of the form are numbers for the dates of the month. Across the top row are the different meal services. You will record meal counts only for those meals and snacks you have been approved. The attendance column is there for you to record the total number of children in attendance that day, and can be used to assist you in calculating Average Daily Attendance.

4. Time of Service Meal Count Procedure: Completing Meal Counts1 2 3 4 5 6
Add up the number of children provided with a complete CACFP reimbursable meal or snack
Total = 6
When completing the time of service meal count you will add up the number of children who are sitting at the table and have been provided with a complete CACFP reimbursable meal or snack. In this example, there are 6 children sitting and eating the meal.

5. Time of Service Meal Count Procedure: Recording Meal Counts
Record the number on the Daily Participation Record and Monthly Meal Count Summary form.
Record under the correct meal/snack column and for the correct day.
Daily Participation Record and Monthly Meal Count Summary Child and Adult Care Food Program (Child Care Component)
Month ______October_________________________
Site/Classroom_3 Year Olds
Date
Breakfast
A.M. Snack
Lunch
P.M. Snack
Supper
Additional Snack 1  5 6 7 2 3 5 4 8 9 10 11 12
Then, record this number on the meal count form under the correct meal or snack column and for the correct day.
Do this for each meal and snack your center is reimbursed for.

6. Time of Service Meal Count: Center Environment
Common Eating Area (1 Meal Count form for center)
Multiple Locations
(1 Meal Count form for each group or class)
Depending on your center’s environment, you may need to maintain one or multiple meal count forms.
If children eat in one common area such as a cafeteria, you may only need to complete one meal count form for the entire center. However, if children eat in multiple locations such as separate classrooms, or at different times, you should maintain a separate meal count form in each classroom or for each group of children.

7. Time of Service Meal Counts: Who Will Complete?
Common Eating Area
Cook
Director
Lead Teacher
Multiple Locations
Teachers
You should also designate who will complete the meal counts each day. You may only want one person, such as the cook, director, or a lead teacher to be responsible for recording meal counts if all children eat in one common area. On the other hand, if children are eating in multiple locations or at different times, you may want to train all teachers to record meal counts.

8. Compiling Time of Service Meal Counts
At the end of the month, total the daily numbers within each column
to get a grand total. Record this at the bottom of the form
Include infant meal/snack totals at the bottom of the form if you claim
infants (from Infant Meal Records)
Date
Breakfast
A.M. Snack
Lunch
P.M. Snack
Supper
Additional Snack
Attendance
SUM of 1st-26th
SUM of
1st-26th 27  6 5  8 28  5 4 7  7 29 4  6 30 6  31  4 8
Infant Meal Records/Total # of Reimbursable Meals*
 45 52 43 66
TOTAL
165
187
188
208
At the end of the month you will add the daily meal counts, within each column on the meal count form, to get a total and record this number at the bottom of the form.
If you have multiple forms you must do this for each form.
If you are claiming infants, remember to include infant meals and snacks at the bottom of one of the meal count forms (shown here in purple). These numbers will come from adding up reimbursable infant meals and snacks on the Infant Meal Records – which is covered in another webcast.

9. Transfer Meal Counts to Claim Worksheet
Date
Breakfast
A.M. Snack
Lunch
P.M. Snack
Supper
Additional Snack
Attendance
TOTAL
165
187
188
208
Calculate average daily attendance (ADA) by dividing the total attendance by the number of service days
You will then use the meal count totals to include on the claim for reimbursement.
Monthly Claim for Reimbursement

10. Meal Counts Cannot Be…
Based on computerized or manual attendance records
This does not meet the definition of a Time of Service Meal Count
Meal counts must be completed at the time of service. They cannot be based on computerized or manual attendance records that assume children have been served a meal based on times of attendance. This does not meet the definition of a time of service meal count and must not be used as the source for determining the number of meals and snacks served to children.

11. Meal Counts Cannot Be…
Recorded based on the number of children expected to eat a meal or snack
Example: The cook is provided with the number of children in attendance in the morning and is going to prepare the meal based this number. This number cannot be transferred to the meal count form for each meal or snack that day. Children do unexpectedly leave and/or arrive throughout the day, get sick, or decide they do not want to sit and eat a meal.
Meal counts also cannot be recorded based on the number of children expected to eat a meal or snack. For example, if the cook is provided with the number of children he/she should prepare a meal or snack for, this number cannot be transferred to the meal count form. Children do unexpectedly leave or arrive throughout the day, get sick or decide they do not want to eat.

12. Adult Meals
Adults may eat meals and snacks with children; however, their meals and snacks cannot be claimed for reimbursement
Do not record adult meals or snacks on the Daily Participation and Monthly Meal Count Summary form
Lastly, adults may eat meals and snacks with children; however, their meals and snacks cannot be claimed for reimbursement.
Do not record adult meals or snacks on the meal count form.

13. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
The U.S Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department.  (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at or at any USDA office, or call (866) to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C , by fax (202) or at
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Thank you very much for watching this webcast on Recording and Maintaining Meal Counts for 3 or Less Meal Services.