Indiana Court Restores Daycare's Federal Meal Program

Indiana families using child care that takes federal meal funds should know how these nutrition standards are enforced.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Child Care

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a round plate with whole-grain bread, apple pieces, and a glass of milk on a cream background. — The Indiana Supreme Court reinstated Mt. Zion's Loving Day Care Ministry in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program, reversing the state's termination over meal labeling and paperwork lapses. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should government agencies give organizations more chances to fix violations before cutting them off?

The Indiana Supreme Court ruled that the Indiana Department of Education improperly terminated Mt. Zion's Loving Day Care Ministry, an Indianapolis church-based nonprofit, from the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program, reinstating its eligibility. The split decision, issued October 26, 2026, restores the daycare's participation in a program that funds meals for children in care.

Why it matters

For Indiana families using licensed child care, the case shows how federal nutrition programs govern the meals children receive and how strictly compliance records are reviewed. The dispute turned on repeated paperwork and labeling deficiencies rather than alleged food shortages, and the court's reinstatement means the program's funding and meal standards remain in place for the children served.

The case rests on Indiana Department of Education administrative reviews conducted in 2015, 2018 and October 2022, which identified meal portion, nutrition and labeling violations. The Indiana Supreme Court's split decision reversed the earlier trial-court finding, and the record also shows the IDOE accepted a revised corrective-action plan in early 2023 before proposing termination in August 2023.

The players

Indiana Department of Education

The state agency that administers the Child and Adult Care Food Program in Indiana and conducts the compliance reviews that determine provider eligibility.

Indiana Supreme Court

The state's highest court, which issued the split decision reinstating the daycare's program eligibility.

Mt. Zion's Loving Day Care Ministry

A church-based nonprofit daycare in Indianapolis that has participated in the federal child nutrition program since 1999.

The details

The Child and Adult Care Food Program reimburses eligible child care providers for meals that meet federal nutrition standards, which require specific portion sizes, whole-grain content and proper nutrition labeling from food suppliers. Mt. Zion attributed the labeling gaps to its food distributor, Sysco, and responded by hiring a food-program specialist, buying meal-planning software and pursuing legal steps to obtain missing labels. The state treated the recurring documentation failures as grounds for termination, while the court's reinstatement recognized the daycare's corrective efforts.

The IDOE conducted administrative reviews of the daycare in 2015 and 2018, and Mt. Zion corrected the deficiencies found.
A review in October 2022 identified missing labels, inadequate food quantities and insufficient milk purchases.
The IDOE accepted a revised corrective-action plan in early 2023 and proposed termination in August 2023.
The Indiana Supreme Court issued its split decision on October 26, 2026.

Health Landscape

The Child and Adult Care Food Program is the federal mechanism that funds nutritious meals for children in licensed daycare settings, making it a central part of early childhood nutrition policy. This case illustrates how state agencies enforce its meal and labeling requirements, and how program eligibility can hinge on documentation as much as on the food children actually receive.

If your child attends a licensed daycare that participates in federal meal programs, the meals they eat are governed by the same nutrition standards at issue here. It is reasonable to ask a provider how its meals meet those standards and what its labeling and portion practices look like.

The takeaway

Nutrition programs in child care depend on consistent documentation as well as the meals themselves, so parents can ask providers how they track labels and portion sizes. Questions about a child's diet or development are worth raising with the child's pediatrician.