Submit your comments in support of Food with Care via email!

Budget hearing season has begun! Thank you to all of you who have reached out to support

Food with Care already. There will continue to be more opportunities to express your support to the state legislature.

Tomorrow, March 8, the Assembly Budget Committee on Education Finance will be discussing the Governor's budget which includes the $15 million for current CACFP state meal reimbursement as well as early education funding. It is a great time to thank the legislature for investments made with the state meal reimbursement AND encourage them to support Food with Care.

We understand that it can be challenging to call into hearings and wait to speak, especially when you can’t plan when public comment will actually occur!

Luckily, you can provide public comment via email at any time. Use this email, BudgetSub2@asm.ca.gov, to send a public comment to the state legislature budget staff. You can submit from now until the Close of Business on March 8th.

Thank you again for your advocacy for our child care providers, children and families!

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Sample Comment: Be sure to include your name, your organization and the city you are from in your emailed comment.

We appreciate the investments in the 2021-22 Budget to restore the state reimbursement in CACFP. Nourish California and the CACFP Roundtable together urge the Legislature to go further by enabling all child care providers to qualify for reimbursements equivalent to the highest federal rate for meals served in the federal child care meal program.

California recently became the first state in the nation to expand free meals to all K-12 students. It's time to make a similar investment in our youngest learners. With adequate funding and support, the CACFP has the power to fill the gap in equitable access to healthy meals in child care, while supporting the financial stability of the child care workforce.

We look forward to continuing to work with the Legislature and Administration to ensure our youngest learners receive the nutrition they need, and that child care providers are fairly compensated.