Yes I agree, check with them first about how it works. I used to do food program but it was awful. I just quit not too long ago. They were so nit-picky about schedules and menu's that it was too much trouble for just being reimbursed for part of my costs. I prefer to buy the food myself for daycare and pay my families food on a seperate receipt and then claim all of the DC food at the end of the year like I used to do. It was nice being reimbursed monthly and all instead of yearly but I hated having to stay at home for the meals to count. We like to take walks to the park and have picnic lunches which I prepare at home and take with us but in my area only meals eaten at home count. That means I couldn't count at least 2 lunches a week. That's a lot of lunches in a year and considering that right now I don't have any kids arriving before 9am so I also don't need to serve breakfast. Not to mention how they freak out if your menu says bananas and you serve apples instead
. "Oh no, food program is giving birth to a water buffalo in my kitchen right now" was my thought when this happened once. I still follow their nutritional guidelines but I'm not signed up anymore.