{"cacfp":{"version":"2026-09","effective":"2026-07-01","source":"USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, CACFP meal patterns for children and infants. https://www.fna.usda.gov/cacfp/nutrition-standards","note":"Component requirements only. Tally deliberately does not model portion sizes, because a photograph cannot establish them and because reimbursement turns on which components were served.","components":{"milk":"Fluid milk","fruit":"Fruit","vegetable":"Vegetable","grain":"Grains, at least one whole grain-rich per day","meat_alt":"Meat or meat alternate"},"age_groups":["1-2","3-5","6-12","13-18"],"meals":{"breakfast":{"required":["milk","grain","fruit_or_vegetable"],"substitutions":[{"replace":"grain","with":"meat_alt","limit_per_week":3,"note":"A meat or meat alternate may replace the grain at breakfast up to three times a week."}]},"lunch":{"required":["milk","fruit","vegetable","grain","meat_alt"],"substitutions":[{"replace":"vegetable","with":"fruit","note":"A second fruit may be served in place of the vegetable.","age_groups":["1-2","3-5","6-12","13-18"]}]},"supper":{"required":["milk","fruit","vegetable","grain","meat_alt"],"substitutions":[{"replace":"vegetable","with":"fruit","note":"A second fruit may be served in place of the vegetable."}]},"snack":{"choose_any":2,"from":["milk","fruit","vegetable","grain","meat_alt"],"forbidden_pairs":[{"pair":["juice","milk"],"note":"Juice and milk cannot be the only two components at snack."}]}},"daily_rules":[{"id":"whole_grain_rich","description":"At least one grain served in a day must be whole grain-rich.","severity":"flag"},{"id":"juice_limit","description":"Juice counts as a fruit or vegetable component only once a day.","severity":"block"}],"label_checks":[{"id":"cereal_sugar","applies_to":["breakfast_cereal"],"description":"Breakfast cereal must contain no more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce.","note":"A photograph cannot establish sugar content, so this is raised as a label check for the provider rather than decided by the agent."},{"id":"yogurt_sugar","applies_to":["yogurt"],"description":"Yogurt must contain no more than 23 grams of sugar per 6 ounces.","note":"Raised as a label check, never decided from a photograph."}],"milk_by_age":{"1-2":"Whole milk, unflavoured.","3-5":"Low fat or fat free, unflavoured.","6-12":"Low fat or fat free. Flavoured milk allowed for 6 and older.","13-18":"Low fat or fat free. Flavoured milk allowed."},"infants":{"note":"Infants under one year follow a separate meal pattern based on age in months. Tally records infant meals and never applies the child meal pattern to them.","age_bands":["0-5 months","6-11 months"],"handled":false},"daily_reimbursable_maximum":{"note":"A child care home may claim at most two meals and one snack, or one meal and two snacks, per child per day.","combinations":[{"meals":2,"snacks":1},{"meals":1,"snacks":2}]}},"rates":{"version":"2026-2027","effective_from":"2026-07-01","effective_to":"2027-06-30","source":"USDA Federal Register, Day Care Home Food Service Payment Rates for 1 July 2026 through 30 June 2027, as published by the National CACFP Association and KidKare.","currency":"USD","note":"Continental United States. Alaska and Hawaii have separate rates and are not modelled here.","day_care_home":{"tier_1":{"breakfast":1.74,"lunch":3.31,"supper":3.31,"snack":0.98},"tier_2":{"breakfast":0.62,"lunch":1.99,"supper":1.99,"snack":0.27}}},"state_rules":{"version":"2026-09","note":"Ratio and group size limits for home based child care. Only the states Tally has been checked against are listed. Adding a state means adding its table here, not changing agent code.","states":{"TX":{"name":"Texas","source":"Texas Health and Human Services, Minimum Standards for Child Care Homes.","license_types":{"registered":{"label":"Registered child care home","max_group_size":6,"max_with_school_age":12,"note":"Up to six children under 14, plus up to six more school age children, with limits on how many are under two.","max_under_two":6,"caregivers_required":1},"licensed":{"label":"Licensed child care home","max_group_size":12,"max_with_school_age":12,"max_under_two":4,"note":"Up to 12 children, with a second caregiver required above certain counts.","second_caregiver_above":7}}}}}}