Pre-school lunches and negotiating with staff

[Guest guest]

My daughter is in daycare, 2 1/2. Her teachers and the others in the building,

and the office staff as well are aware of her allowances. I have chosen to pack

her lunch and snacks. She really likes Kashi granola bars for snack. Sometimes

I'll send her with a bag of grapes or bowl of mixed fruit to share with the

students. Those things have to be store-bought only. They keep a large pitcher

of water in the classroom and they are aware she is to drink it only.

I don't really find it difficult to make the lunch the evening before. I think

a member of this group has a great list of lunch ideas, too.

As for feelings of difference, she will even remind her teachers of providing

her the snack from her cubbie. One of my worries is a parent sending in

cupcakes for a birthday. Lily helps me make and devour Vegan Cupcakes Take Over

The World. I am afraid they will give her a cupcake and she eat it.

 

 

Cassie

" life's a garden, dig it! "

 

Sent from my iPhone

 

On Mar 8, 2009, at 3:28 PM, Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah wrote:

 

Hi all,

 

I have another questions related to my family's recent move. I will be

enrolling my son in a new preschool and like most things about it, except for

their food menu. I discussed this with the school's director and she was very

accommodating about me bringing in alternate food for my veggie son and was even

open to my suggestions for their menu in general. I explained that I really

only like to give him fresh produce--and organic if I can afford it. She said

that would be great, but they are a non-profit org (little money for this) and

also have to follow the state food program guidelines for nutritional content.

My issue is that (in looking at the sample menu) they have things like pop-tarts

(!!!) for snack and juice almost every day (my son doesn't even like juice--he's

really never had it). I would love to hear from any parents who have had

success with 1.) sending substitute foods with their child (and learning how to

help their child be

OK with having something different) or 2.) helping a childcare facility change

their menu to accommodate some of the things that come up on this listserve (I

loved the discussion of juice-substitutes).

 

Thank you for any ideas people might have!

 

Sarah Fraley

 

 

[Guest guest]

I don't know about preschool, but we have had no issues with sending snacks

for our son. It sounds like they are receptive to it, which is a great

start. Are there any kids there with food allergies? It is more common now,

so it was easy for us to transition our son because he knew that he couldn't

eat anyone else's food not only because of his allergy, but because it could

be made from animals. At school the kids were

Already aware of another/a few other kids with food allergies. I think how

they explain it was that he has special food because the other stuff the

other kids eat would make him sick. Which, could be true if your child has

never had meat/milk/eggs etc. Maybe that could work or be a way to approach

it for now if you can figure out a better way to phrase it.

 

Good luck. I have no idea if we have any issues coming up for our son

starting first grade this fall. So much to think about.

Missie

 

Sent from my G1 phone!

 

On Mar 8, 2009 8:57 PM, " Sarah Fraley " <fraley_sarah wrote:

 

Hi all,

 

I have another questions related to my family's recent move. I will be

enrolling my son in a new preschool and like most things about it, except

for their food menu. I discussed this with the school's director and she

was very accommodating about me bringing in alternate food for my veggie son

and was even open to my suggestions for their menu in general. I explained

that I really only like to give him fresh produce--and organic if I can

afford it. She said that would be great, but they are a non-profit org

(little money for this) and also have to follow the state food program

guidelines for nutritional content. My issue is that (in looking at the

sample menu) they have things like pop-tarts (!!!) for snack and juice

almost every day (my son doesn't even like juice--he's really never had

it). I would love to hear from any parents who have had success with 1.)

sending substitute foods with their child (and learning how to help their

child be

OK with having something different) or 2.) helping a childcare facility

change their menu to accommodate some of the things that come up on this

listserve (I loved the discussion of juice-substitutes).

 

Thank you for any ideas people might have!

 

Sarah Fraley

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Sarah -

 

I know where you are coming from on this. A few years ago, when our kids were in

daycare, another mother and I met with the directors to discuss the food. It was

only snacks (parents had to send lunches), but it was always cookies and things

like that. Lorna Doones, for example, constituted a grain. Pudding was dairy,

etc. The directors were sympathetic, but explained that they could not change it

because they got the government subsidy and had to order from the official list

of foods. We suggested that a group of parents set up their own snack group and

take turns bringing in health snacks, but were told that was not possible. If

government inspectors came and found the kids eating the alternate snacks, the

daycare could lose its funding. Individual parents could send their own snacks,

but it could not be a group thing.

 

As for getting your child to go along, it depends. We were ok for a few years,

but around age 3 our kids realized that the other kids had different snacks. We

did not want this to become an issue for the caregivers, who had no real say in

the policy. We probably could have pushed harder, but didn't fight the issue and

just limited the " junk " during the rest of the day. Another set of parents, who

were much more strict about what their child ate, encountered a lot of hostility

from one caregiver, who got tired of worrying what the child had and giving him

the alternate snack the parents provided. If all the other kids had ice cream,

she did not want to have to police this particular child and make sure he didn't

get any or have to face the parents if he did. I think she saw it as silly.

 

Good luck.

 

Karen

Baltimore

 

 

-

Sarah Fraley

Sunday, March 08, 2009 3:28 PM

Pre-school lunches and negotiating with staff

 

 

Hi all,

 

I have another questions related to my family's recent move. I will be

enrolling my son in a new preschool and like most things about it, except for

their food menu. I discussed this with the school's director and she was very

accommodating about me bringing in alternate food for my veggie son and was even

open to my suggestions for their menu in general. I explained that I really

only like to give him fresh produce--and organic if I can afford it. She said

that would be great, but they are a non-profit org (little money for this) and

also have to follow the state food program guidelines for nutritional content.

My issue is that (in looking at the sample menu) they have things like pop-tarts

(!!!) for snack and juice almost every day (my son doesn't even like juice--he's

really never had it). I would love to hear from any parents who have had

success with 1.) sending substitute foods with their child (and learning how to

help their child be

OK with having something different) or 2.) helping a childcare facility change

their menu to accommodate some of the things that come up on this listserve (I

loved the discussion of juice-substitutes).

 

Thank you for any ideas people might have!

 

Sarah Fraley

 

[Guest guest]

This has also been discussed a couple of times in the past; you can search the

archives for past threads.

 

--- On Sun, 3/8/09, Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah wrote:

 

Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah

Pre-school lunches and negotiating with staff

 

Sunday, March 8, 2009, 2:28 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi all,

 

I have another questions related to my family's recent move.  I will be

enrolling my son in a new preschool and like most things about it, except for

their food menu.  I discussed this with the school's director and she was very

accommodating about me bringing in alternate food for my veggie son and was even

open to my suggestions for their menu in general.  I explained that I really

only like to give him fresh produce--and organic if I can afford it.  She said

that would be great, but they are a non-profit org (little money for this) and

also have to follow the state food program guidelines for nutritional content. 

My issue is that (in looking at the sample menu) they have things like pop-tarts

(!!!) for snack and juice almost every day (my son doesn't even like juice--he's

really never had it).  I would love to hear from any parents who have had

success with 1.) sending substitute foods with their child (and learning how to

help their child be

OK with having something different) or 2.) helping a childcare facility change

their menu to accommodate some of the things that come up on this listserve (I

loved the discussion of juice-substitutes) .

 

Thank you for any ideas people might have!

 

Sarah Fraley

 

 

[Guest guest]

When my daughter went to daycare, they told me I couldnt bring her lunches.

They mentioned funding issues. I explained my issues, and they said that they

could only serve food that was brought in unopened packages. So for the first

couple of days, I would bring in unopened packages, evidently this was too much

of a hassle for them. They quickly changed their story. I signed a release

saying that my daughter could eat the food I prepared for her (silly but

whatever). After that I was allowed to bring in food for my daughter. I sent a

tiffin everyday with different sections for am snack, lunch and pm snack. I

made sure to speak individually to each teacher to let them know she was not

allowed any of their food, providing them with a written list of foods she was

not allowed to have. This list included basics (vegan so no meat, milk, ect.)

and specifics, jello, marshmallows, processed flours and sugars. It worked

pretty well. But I did have to keep going over her

food stuff whenever there was a staff change.

 

Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah wrote: Hi all,

 

I have another questions related to my family's recent move. I will be

enrolling my son in a new preschool and like most things about it, except for

their food menu. I discussed this with the school's director and she was very

accommodating about me bringing in alternate food for my veggie son and was even

open to my suggestions for their menu in general. I explained that I really

only like to give him fresh produce--and organic if I can afford it. She said

that would be great, but they are a non-profit org (little money for this) and

also have to follow the state food program guidelines for nutritional content.

My issue is that (in looking at the sample menu) they have things like pop-tarts

(!!!) for snack and juice almost every day (my son doesn't even like juice--he's

really never had it). I would love to hear from any parents who have had

success with 1.) sending substitute foods with their child (and learning how to

help their child be

OK with having something different) or 2.) helping a childcare facility change

their menu to accommodate some of the things that come up on this listserve (I

loved the discussion of juice-substitutes).

 

Thank you for any ideas people might have!

 

Sarah Fraley

 

 

[Guest guest]

Good for you for not backing down, Laura. Many others would have given up, even

though I'm sure they were feeding you a line of bull (obviously). They should

have made the other parents sing a release so the children could eat the

daycare's food! (Not to mention, a 'food allergy' kid would have never been

treated this way, but I digress).

As for Sarah, I think you may find that your son is much more resilient in the

'different food' speartment than you anticipate. At least, this is what I've

found with my daughter in Kindergarten this year. She's not a kid who is

extremely flexible, either, so it has been a bit of a surprise (although right

now, she is begging me to buy those little red stick/velveeta cheese snack packs

to bring for snack on Friday. No way, sister!). Despite such snacks as hot dogs

in a 'blanket' and salami brought by other kids for snack this year (she didn't

even know what the salami was, but luckily she recognized it as meat), she's

been fine with stuff I bring for her- and it helps that her teacher keeps a tub

of prewrapped snacks available for 'dietary issues kids', just in case. As for

things like cupackes, etc.- I don't press on those, and I think that would be

tougher. I think I would approach this by asking the teacher to let me know

whenever s/he knows there

will be a treat, and you provide whatever's accceptable to you. I think pasrt

of this iss wis just constant discussion with our kids regarding their diet and

why we don't eat the things we don't eat- and that it's okay to be different.

jenni

 

 

 

 

________________________________

Laura Ballinger Morales <lballinger

 

Monday, March 9, 2009 12:43:22 PM

Re: Pre-school lunches and negotiating with staff

 

 

When my daughter went to daycare, they told me I couldnt bring her lunches. They

mentioned funding issues. I explained my issues, and they said that they could

only serve food that was brought in unopened packages. So for the first couple

of days, I would bring in unopened packages, evidently this was too much of a

hassle for them. They quickly changed their story. I signed a release saying

that my daughter could eat the food I prepared for her (silly but whatever).

After that I was allowed to bring in food for my daughter. I sent a tiffin

everyday with different sections for am snack, lunch and pm snack. I made sure

to speak individually to each teacher to let them know she was not allowed any

of their food, providing them with a written list of foods she was not allowed

to have. This list included basics (vegan so no meat, milk, ect.) and specifics,

jello, marshmallows, processed flours and sugars. It worked pretty well. But I

did have to keep going

over her

food stuff whenever there was a staff change.

 

Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah@ > wrote: Hi all,

 

I have another questions related to my family's recent move. I will be enrolling

my son in a new preschool and like most things about it, except for their food

menu. I discussed this with the school's director and she was very accommodating

about me bringing in alternate food for my veggie son and was even open to my

suggestions for their menu in general. I explained that I really only like to

give him fresh produce--and organic if I can afford it. She said that would be

great, but they are a non-profit org (little money for this) and also have to

follow the state food program guidelines for nutritional content. My issue is

that (in looking at the sample menu) they have things like pop-tarts (!!!) for

snack and juice almost every day (my son doesn't even like juice--he's really

never had it). I would love to hear from any parents who have had success with

1.) sending substitute foods with their child (and learning how to help their

child be

OK with having something different) or 2.) helping a childcare facility change

their menu to accommodate some of the things that come up on this listserve (I

loved the discussion of juice-substitutes) .

 

Thank you for any ideas people might have!

 

Sarah Fraley