(800) 824-7741  |  Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm CT
 
The food program in ChildWatch

CACFP and SFSP, from the first meal to the payment.

Menus, meal counts, infant records, eligibility, monitoring, edit checks, state forms and disbursements - one system, one set of records, checked as the month goes instead of at claim time.

An optional part of ChildWatch:  use it with the business tools and family eServices, or by itself.

Join the pilot Watch a video
Monthly claims, each from the first meal to the payment
How a month runs

Eight steps, one set of records

Each step feeds the next, so the claim at the end is built from what actually happened - not retyped from paper.

WebEnrollFamilies, income forms, categorical eligibility and Head Start statements; rosters can be imported from a spreadsheet or from ChildPlus.
WebPlan menusWeekly and cycle menus checked against the meal pattern before they are served, infants included.
Staff app · kioskCount mealsCounts at the table or the line, by child, with check-in from the kiosk.
Web · staff appKeep the recordsInfant daily meal records, production records, catered deliveries and the milk audit.
Web · monitor's tabletMonitorReviews scheduled, recorded on the visit, with findings and corrective actions followed to closure.
WebCheck the claimEdit checks run on every claim; anything that would be disallowed goes to a person to review first.
WebFile and get paidThe state's claim form, keying sheet or upload file prepared from the month's records, and each payment matched to its claim.
WebDisbursePayout batches to each center and home, with the administrative fee and a remittance advice for each.
The menu calendar with meal pattern readiness
Menus and records

Caught on Monday, not at the review

Every planned meal is checked against the CACFP meal pattern before it is served.  Infants get their own daily meal record at every meal, pre-filled from the parent's feeding form and the day's infant menu, so staff mark only the exceptions.

  • Cycle menus planned once and rolled out to every site
  • Per-infant daily meal records and feeding preference forms
  • Production records, catered deliveries and an age-group order check
  • A caterer login of its own, with the rights the sponsor sets
  • A milk audit that compares what was needed with what was bought
  • Shopping lists built from the planned menus
A monitoring review in ChildWatch
Monitoring

Reviews on schedule, findings followed to the end

The review schedule keeps every site and home on its required cadence, including unannounced visits.  Monitors record the visit on a tablet, and findings carry corrective actions with due dates until you accept the fix.

  • Your own review forms, started from your state's form, with each question Required, Optional or Off
  • Five-day reconciliation prefilled from the daily counts
  • Review completeness checked against what a state reviewer looks for
  • Household contacts and serious deficiency notices tracked
Disallowance review on a claim
Claims and payments

File only what you can defend

Edit checks run on every claim - meal limits, eligibility, enrollment, menus, deliveries and site approvals.  Each finding names its rule and reason, and a person on your staff confirms it before it comes off the claim.  Then claim to cash follows every month from the meals served to the money received.

  • A missing record is reported as missing - never filled in for you
  • State claim forms filled in from the month's records, and amended claims from the same records
  • Keying sheets and upload files for your state's claim system
  • Underpayments flagged when a payment does not match
  • Disbursements with each provider's remittance advice
  • Administrative costs tracked against the cap
Your state, your forms

Built around each state's own rules and forms

Filing deadlines, revision windows, pay calendars and the state's own claim and review forms are set up for your state, so what you file looks like what your state agency expects.  ChildWatch works in every state.  Ask us about yours.

For sponsors

Centers, homes, Head Start, at-risk afterschool and summer sites under one sponsor.

For sponsors

For independent centers

The food program for one center or several, with center management alongside.

For centers

For Head Start

Head Start and Early Head Start centers on the food program.  Keep ChildPlus, and bring its children and attendance in.

For Head Start

ChildPlus is a trademark of its respective owner.  ChildWatch is not affiliated with or endorsed by its maker.

See your own month in ChildWatch

Join the early partner pilot and we'll set ChildWatch up with you, bring your records over, and support your team while you run it for real.  Want to look around first?  Try it yourself with a private demo account for your state, or watch the videos.

Join the pilot Early partner pilot