NIGP 95218: Child Care Services (incl. the Food Program)

NIGP 95218 Child Care Services (Including the Food Program), an Item code, encompasses the operation of licensed child care facilities, preschool programs, and nutrition services for early childhood populations—including meal preparation, delivery, and CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) compliance. State and local governments procure comprehensive child care operations, food service management for child nutrition programs, and specialized respite care through this code. Recent solicitations show a mix of fixed-price per-meal contracts, parent-fee-based facility operations, and staffing arrangements, with evaluation criteria emphasizing food quality, wellness programming, cultural competency, and compliance with federal meal pattern standards.

Issuing bodies across the code include state departments (Illinois Department of Revenue), county health and human services agencies (Santa Clara County Health System, Boulder County Public Health, Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth, Rockland County), school districts (Sauvie Island School in Oregon, Effingham County School District in Georgia), municipal programs (Pre-K 4 SA partnership with the City of San Antonio, City of Albuquerque Department of Family & Community Services), and transit authorities (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority on behalf of Clayton County). Recent activity concentrates in Colorado (Boulder County, Santa Clara County in California), Texas (San Antonio, Albuquerque), the Mid-Atlantic (Pennsylvania, New York), and the Southeast (Georgia, Illinois). Representative current solicitations include Sauvie Island School's RFP for a food service management company to operate National School Lunch, Breakfast, Summer Food Service, and CACFP programs for approximately 210 students with proposals due July 17, 2026; Boulder County's RFP for Head Start nutritional food services serving 110 children ages three to five with culturally responsive meal options and proposals due June 26, 2026; the City of San Antonio's RFP for comprehensive nutritional services spanning dietician, food preparation, and CACFP-compliant meals for Pre-K 4 SA programs with proposals due June 11, 2026; and the Illinois Department of Revenue's RFP to operate a 44-child licensed day care at the Willard Ice Building with a July 1, 2026 start date and five-year initial term compensated through parent fees rather than direct state payment. Contracts typically range from one to five years with renewal options; evaluation heavily weights food quality, staff training, cultural responsiveness, compliance with federal nutrition standards, and demonstrated experience with comparable populations.