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During the 2024-2025 program year, 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids and Farms (10 Cents a Meal) provided grant funds for schools, early care and education centers, and other eligible institutions to purchase Michigan-grown food, as well as pay for associated transportation and labor expenses. A majority of 10 Cents a Meal grantees were K-12 schools, however many non-school sponsors were eligible to participate, including childcare and community eating sites.
To understand the program impact of 10 Cents a Meal on participating family day care and child care centers, this resource from CRFS, Non-School Sponsor Participation: Findings from the 2024-2025 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan's Kids and Farms Program, examines survey responses from those participating in 2024-2025. Many non-school sponsors reported that participating in 10 Cents a Meal allowed them to try new products in their food service program. This publication illuminates the shared motivations to participate, barriers to success, and logistical challenges faced by these grantees.
This resource can be used to inform outreach and program design efforts for how local food purchasing programs can adapt to meet the needs of childcare centers, community eating sites, and schools of different sizes.
10 Cents a Meal was not funded for fiscal year 2025-2026, but this program has been funded again for 2026-2027. Funding for non-school sponsors was not included.
This program has been administered by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), with support from core partners, Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS), Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. |
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