The Food Program feature allows Enterprise administrators to oversee menus, meal tracking, and reporting across multiple locations. From configuring food program settings to generating CACFP reports, you can manage food operations at scale while maintaining visibility into each site. This guide walks through how the Food Program works at the Enterprise level and what differs from the center view.
View the Food Program
From your Enterprise Dashboard, click the Food Program tab.
The Food Program page will open to the current week. Use the left and right arrows next to Week of to navigate between weeks.
At the top right of the page, click the location drop-down (shown by a specific center name).
a. Select a location to view that center’s food program.
b. Use this drop-down at any time to switch between locations.
Click the Settings icon to review or adjust food program settings for the selected location.
Click Duplicate meals to copy an existing day or week’s menu to future dates.
On the right side of the screen, toggle between Regular and Infant to view or manage menus for each program type.
Click Manage to access additional options such as managing food items.
Food Program Settings
Food Program settings are configured per location. The settings you adjust will apply only to the location currently selected in the drop-down at the top of the page.
If you need to update settings for another location, use the location drop-down to switch centers and repeat the steps below.
From your Enterprise Dashboard, click the Food Program tab.
Use the location drop-down in the top right to select the center you would like to manage.
Click the Settings icon in the top right corner of the screen. The Food Program Settings window will open.
Configure meal times by selecting the hour and minute at which they occur.
a. If there is a meal type that you do not have, deselect the Enabled checkbox and it will not appear in your account.
Review and adjust additional settings as needed:
Show weekends on the calendar: Includes Saturday and Sunday on the menu calendar.
Show CACFP rules: Highlight errors and help with CACFP compliance by clearly identifying which meals are reimbursable or not, along with detailed explanations. Errors will be highlighted in red. Hover over the question mark to view suggested solutions.
Organize by category: Menu items will be organized by the following categories: Meat, Grain, Vegetable, Fruit, Dairy, and other.
Show default food items: Include the default food items for CACFP. If this setting is not enabled, you will need to create all food items on your menu from scratch.
Record consumption by meal item: Record consumption of individual items instead of the entire meal.
Click the Save center settings button to confirm your selections.
Manage Food Items
Food items are managed per location. The items you add, edit, or delete will only affect the location currently selected in the drop-down at the top of the Food Program page.
If you need to update food items for another center, return to the Food Program tab and use the location drop-down to switch to that specific location before making changes.
Add Food Items
From your Enterprise Dashboard, click the Food Program tab.
Use the location drop-down in the top right to select the center you would like to manage.
Click Manage, then select Food Items. The Food Items page will open.
Click the blue Add food item button. The Add Food Item window will open.
Enter the name and select the type of food.
Click the Add Item button to save. The food item will now appear in the Food Item table.
Edit & Delete Food Items
Food items can be edited or deleted by clicking the three dots next to the item name.
To edit a food item:
🚨 You can only edit food items that you have manually added. Default food items cannot be edited or deleted.
Click the three dots next to the item.
Select Edit.
Make your changes and click Save.
To delete a single food item:
Click the three dots next to the item.
Select Delete.
Confirm the deletion.
Delete Food Items in Bulk:
Select the checkboxes next to the food items you would like to delete.
Once selected, click the Delete option at the top of the table.
Confirm the deletion.
Create the Menu
Menus are created per location. The menu you build will apply only to the location currently selected in the drop-down at the top of the Food Program page.
If you need to create or edit a menu for another center, return to the Food Program tab and use the location drop-down to switch locations before making changes. Any changes made from the Enterprise view will appear at the center level, and any menus created or updated at the center level will also appear in the Enterprise level when that location is selected.
From your Enterprise Dashboard, click the Food Program tab.
Use the location drop-down in the top right to select the center you would like to manage.
In the top left corner of your screen, next to Week of, select the week for which you want to create a menu.
On the right side of the screen, toggle between Regular and Infant, depending on who you are creating the menu for.
Click Edit Meals to begin adding your meals. The menu for that specific day will open.
Click a Meal Type to start adding food items. A list of food groups will appear. Click on a food group to add an item.
Type where it says Select Meat Item (or other category) to search for the food item you want to add. Optionally, add the portion (amount and unit) that you will serve.
Add food items for each meal you will serve. Once completed, click the Save button in the top right corner of the screen.
Your menu for that day will now appear in the calendar. Repeat this process for each day of the week.
Duplicate Menus
Menus can be duplicated to future days, weeks, or even across locations. This helps reduce the time required to build out multiple weeks of food plans.
🚨 Duplicating menus will overwrite any existing menus for the selected destination dates. If a menu already exists, it will be replaced entirely by the duplicated menu.
Duplicate a Single Day to Additional Dates
From your Enterprise Dashboard, click the Food Program tab.
Use the location drop-down to select the center you want to copy from.
Navigate to a week that already has meal plans created.
Click the gear icon next to Edit Meals for the day you want to duplicate.
Click Duplicate. The Duplicate Meals window will open.
Select the Days tab.
Under Center, confirm the location you are copying from.
Choose the menu: Regular or Infant.
Select the date you are copying from.
Use the Meals dropdown to choose which meal types from that day will be copied.
If you would like to duplicate this menu to additional locations, use the Centers drop-down in the Duplicate to section.
a. Select one or multiple centers where the menu should be copied.
b. You can select as many locations as needed.
Select the days you want to copy these meals to. You can:
a. Select individual days one by one
b. Click Select all to copy the meals to every day shown within a week
c. Click View more weeks to expand additional week ranges
Click Duplicate meals to finish.
Duplicate an Entire Week to Another Week or Week Range
From your Enterprise Dashboard, click the Food Program tab.
Use the location drop-down to select the center you want to copy from.
Navigate to a week that already has meal plans created.
Click the gear icon next to Edit Meals for the day you want to duplicate.
Click Duplicate. The Duplicate Meals window will open.
Select the Weeks tab.
Under Center, confirm the location you are copying from.
Choose the menu: Regular or Infant.
Under Center, confirm the location you are copying from.
Under Week of, select the source week you want to copy:
If you want to duplicate multiple consecutive weeks, click Add a week range and enter the Start day and End day.
The Start day must be on a Sunday, and the End day must also be a Sunday. Only full weeks can be duplicated.
The number of weeks selected here will determine how many weeks must be selected in the destination.
If you need to remove a selected range, click the trash can icon next to the date fields to delete it and re-enter the correct range.
When duplicating by week, the entire weekly menu will be copied. There is no option to select individual meal types. All meals listed for that week will be duplicated.
In the Duplicate to section, use the Centers drop-down to select at least one center where the menu will be copied.
a. You must select a center before duplicating.
b. You may select the same center you are copying from, or choose one or multiple additional centers.
In the Duplicate to section, enter the Start day and End day for the destination range.
The destination must also be made up of full weeks.
The number of weeks in the destination must match the number of weeks selected in the source range.
Click Duplicate meals to finish.
Delete a menu
From your Enterprise Dashboard, click the Food Program tab.
Use the location drop-down to select the center you want to copy from.
Navigate to a week that already has meal plans created.
Click the gear icon next to Edit Meals for the day to delete.
Click Delete.
Confirm the deletion.
Food Program Reports
Enterprise administrators can generate Food Program reports across locations for compliance, internal tracking, and CACFP reporting. The reports available at the Enterprise level may differ from those available within a single center.
To generate a Food Program report:
From your Enterprise Dashboard, click the Reports tab.
Select the Food Program section.
Choose the Report Type.
Select the date range for the report.
If applicable, select one or more centers.
Click Generate Report. The report will download as a CSV file.
Report Type | Summary | When to Use |
CACFP | Generates a CSV usable for CACFP from meals recorded and student meal subsidy information | When you want to quickly see how your meals break down by Free, Reduced, and Paid before filing. |
CACFP Invalid Entries
| Lists all invalid data in CACFP claims | When you need a list of meals that will be flagged in a CACFP claim and the specific error reason, so you can correct them before submitting. |
Compact CACFP Detailed | More compact version of the CACFP detailed report | When you want a simple breakdown of which students received which meals, plus totals, in a format that’s easier to review or submit. |
Compact CACFP Detailed (attendance) | More compact version of the CACFP detailed report, with attendance | When you need to see both attendance and meal counts together for each student in one report. |
Daily Attendance and Meal Count | Report for daily attendance and meal count. Only includes students who were checked in and served a meal that day | When you’re double-checking attendance and meal service for a single day. |
Record Meals for Students
Meals cannot be recorded from the Enterprise Dashboard. While you can create and manage menus from the Enterprise Food Program, the Record option is not available at the Enterprise level. Meal recording must be completed within each individual center.
To record meals:
Click Centers in the left-hand menu.
Select the specific location.
Open the Food Program tab within that center.
Click the Record option next to the appropriate meal to log student meals.
Record meals for students
If you are using the Playground mobile app, staff can also record meals by creating an Eating post. Click here for step-by-step instructions on Logging Meals on Mobile.
This information will filter directly into the CACFP report. Learn more about reporting for CACFP by clicking here.
If your organization uses My Food Program for CACFP reporting, you can integrate it with Playground. While the integration setting can be enabled from Enterprise Settings for all sites, the connection must be completed at the individual center level. Each center must finalize its My Food Program connection within its own settings. Learn how to connect My Food Program to Playground here.
Print Menu
You can print the weekly menu for the selected location directly from the Enterprise Food Program view.
From your Enterprise Dashboard, click the Food Program tab.
Use the location drop-down to select the center you would like to print the menu for.
Navigate to the correct week using the arrows next to Week of.
Click the print button in the top right corner of the screen.
A print preview window will open. From here, you can:
• Choose your destination (for example, Save as PDF or a connected printer).
• Select the page range.
• Adjust layout settings if needed.
Click Print or Save to complete the process.