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Cincinnati Babies
segerama
member
Daycare Lunches
segerama
member
I apologize ahead for the wordiness of this post, but I am still stewing. I have packed my daughter's lunch, snacks, and milk everyday for daycare. Yesterday, she started in the two year old room, and they have asked (basically saying that everyone else does, so what's my problem) me to have her eat the school lunch provided by the daycare. Apparently, my daughter is only one of three in the entire daycare (infant - schoolage) that packs her lunch. This is a dealbreaker to me. I work really hard to make sure that Audrey eats healthy, organic when possible, non-processed foods. I nursed her for 15 months, made nearly all of her baby food, and have avoided letting her have packaged food as much as possible. Looking at the daycare menu, I can't even find one meal that I would let her have.
e.g. Bologna Sandwiches (on white bread with processed american cheese), fruit cocktail loaded with corn syrup, canned corn
Corn dogs, pancake wrapped sausage, dinosaur shaped nuggets, pizza rolls, etc.
Am I really over-reacting?
Again, sorry for the rambling.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Daycare Lunches
Um, no. Your child, your decision. Period. Do not feel guilty about providing what you want for her. I would remove her from that daycare if they are not willing to comply with your simple request to feed her her brought things.
They need to get over themselves and they are probably only saying that because they need X number of kids eating their meals to qualify for a food subsidy (I know because this is what the daycare I worked at had to do). Also the menu is typical for them needing to provide certain food groups but as cheap as they can.
Don't feel bad, do what you feel is best for your child!
Those lunches sound DISGUSTING! I can understand them not wanting you to pack her lunch for a few reasons...*you* might pack a fantastic lunch but other parents might not and the daycare has to check each lunch that comes in and supplement as necessary to be sure each lunch is meeting state requirements. There may also be allergies in the classroom that they are worried about kids being exposed to? Those are the reasons why we don't allow kids to bring in food at the center I work for. HOWEVER, I can't for the life of me justify them serving bologna sandwiches on white bread. Yuck. I don't think I even want to know what's on the snack menu.
This topic is near and dear to my heart. At the center I work for we have literally spent more than 2 years looking for a decent lunch caterer (within a reasonable budget). Our center was just featured on the news for serving organic lunches and I just submitted this little article to a local blog (taking out my center name):
A hamburger served on a white bun with tater tots, canned peaches, and milk meet the state meal requirements for schools outlined by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Do they meet YOUR requirements? Parents have a responsibility to demand more than the minimum when it comes to their children. Child care professionals play a significant role in promoting good nutrition and guiding children to develop healthy eating habits.
[center name removed], an eco-friendly child care center located in Mason, Ohio, recently partnered with personal chef [name removed] to go above and beyond minimum requirements. They now serve organic, local, and natural lunches to the children at their center. Macaroni and cheese (made with whole wheat pasta and cauliflower puree) with chicken, island fruit salad (fresh pineapple, mango, strawberries, raspberries, grapes), and organic milk is a typical lunch from Chef [name removed]?s menu.
In today?s fast-paced world, our food is getting faster and our children are getting fatter. Obesity, heart disease, and diabetes are just a few of the reasons that this generation of children is the first that's not expected to live as long as their parents. Jamie Oliver?s Food Revolution has inspired families to take action against the obesity epidemic by changing the way they eat at home and at school. ?More should be done to spread the message that eating a healthy school meal is a great foundation for a kid's education and future health,? says Oliver.
[center name removed] has joined the revolution. Will you?
Quick Nutrition Questions for Potential Child Care Providers:
1. Do they offer a vegetarian option?
2. Do they serve flavored milk?
3. Do they allow children to bring in sweets for celebrations?
4. Do they ?reward? children with sugary processed treats?
And remember, don?t hesitate to encourage your child care provider to make the switch from processed foods with artificial coloring and flavoring to fresh and organic foods. You can help establish a new standard in child care nutrition.
To answer your question...no I don't think you're over-reacting
If they're really giving you a hard time about packing lunches, perhaps you could get a note from her pediatrician for them to have on file? Good luck!!!
Um, you are NOT over-reacting. All that food sounds disgusting! I do in-home childcare and this October I made the switch to a mostly organic menu. (I say mostly because I provide a lot of natural foods that are not certified organic, but you know what I mean when I say I provide the "important" organic stuff.) But even before I made the switch, our lunches still consisted of fresh fruit and vegetables and whole-wheat carbohydrates.
I think you should print out some articles on processed food and give them to the director. And also buy him/her Food Inc. - it is Teacher Appreciation week!
I wish you lived closer! I would be signing up DD.
That is amazing! Luckily, I am a teacher, so I may spend my summer looking for a new daycare if they don't allow my packed lunches. Part of their arguement is my daughter asks for what the other kids are having - tomorrow it is a grilled cheese with potato chips, applesauce, and milk. Of course, she is going to ask for chips who wouldn't? I can't believe potato chips are part of a menu that is served to such young children. I am afraid that she will stop eating the healthy foods at home after filling up on junk at school.
LOL - thanks!
I could never live with myself after reading what I have read about food and continuing to serve it to my kiddos. I really hope that some of the schools wise up to food choices by the time C goes to school so she never even has to be in the same room as high fructose corn syrup! Ha!
Where in Dayton are you located? I may be looking for a new daycare provider:)
I'm in Beavercreek, near the Greene. Unfortunately, I am probably full for next year and I do have a waiting list too. But still contact me if you want and we can chat. I also watch all teacher's children so I get summers and breaks too.
I understand where the teachers are coming from with her asking... can you send healthy chips for her? Ugh, what a pain! That's the part I hate to think about when C starts school. I don't want her to feel like she is missing out on the "fun but disgusting" school lunches!