Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act

This bill updates the child and adult care food program to make it easier for centers and families, and to support kids who spend long days in care. It allows programs to get paid for up to three meals and one snack per child on longer care days, and keeps the regular two-meals-and-a-snack limit for shorter days. It also orders a study on the “third meal” to see how it helps working families and local communities, and then asks for guidance to keep costs down for parents and providers . Payments would be adjusted using the Consumer Price Index for food away from home, so rates can better match real-world food costs.

The bill requires an annual eligibility check for certain private child care centers. It also directs the Secretary to redo the “serious deficiency” process within a year to make it fairer and simpler: distinguish honest mistakes from intentional problems, set clear timelines to fix issues, ensure independent appeals and mediation, prevent states’ extra rules from being used to label providers non‑compliant, and allow a deficiency to be cleared once corrected. The goal is to modernize the program and cut paperwork for parents while protecting program integrity . A new advisory committee must be set up within 180 days to recommend ways to reduce duplicative paperwork, expand use of digital forms and signatures, allow direct certification in all states, and adopt common technology like virtual visits. Within two years, the Secretary must issue streamlining guidance and regulations based on these recommendations .

• Who is affected: Children in child care and afterschool programs; parents; child care providers and sponsors; state agencies .
• What changes: More flexible meal reimbursements on long days; yearly eligibility checks for certain centers; a fairer, clearer process to fix problems; less paperwork and more use of electronic records; payment rates tied to a food-cost index .
• When: Review of the deficiency process within 1 year; advisory committee created within 180 days; guidance and regulations on paperwork within 2 years; a study on the third meal within 2 years .