There are 2 ways you can participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
- You can apply as your own sponsoring organization/new institution. You would administer your own program, complete all required paperwork and recordkeeping, and oversee the administrative duties.
OR
-
To reduce administrative paperwork, you can participate as a sponsored center, operating under an Unaffiliated Sponsoring Organization.
For more information on these options, please see the
Basic Program Information sheet
.
To apply as a sponsoring organization, please follow the steps below:
- Complete the
New Sponsor Inquiry form
- After you submit the New Sponsor Inquiry form, an ISBE consultant will reach out to you via email with an application checklist. The checklist contains all required application documents and instructions to access required training.
- When you have completed all required items on your New Sponsor checklist, you will email them to your ISBE consultant.
- Your ISBE consultant will review your application documents and may request corrections or further documentation if needed.
- After your New Sponsor application documents are complete and compliant, your organization will be added to our online claiming system, WINS (Web-based Illinois Nutrition System).
- A field monitor will be assigned to your organization to conduct an on-site pre-operational review visit.
- You can
review the Procedures for New Institutions here
ISBE will verify that an institution meets certain standards after the application is submitted and reviewed. An application can be returned or denied if any of the following items are missing or deficient, or a principal or institution is found to be disqualified.
- The organization or any of its principals can not be listed on the National Disqualified List or the Illinois Disqualified List.
- The organization must be in active status on the Secretary of State’s website.
- The not-for-profit agency applying is active and in good standing on the Internal Revenue Service website.
