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Food Allergy
advocating for your child in preschool/elem school
For those of you with kids in daycare/elementary school, how do you ensure your child's school is prioritizing their allergy concerns?
DH and I went to DD's preschool today (she just moved into a new classroom) and I asked the director and her new teacher where DD's epipen was and which teachers were able to administer it. Neither the director nor the teacher was sure where her epipen was and it took them about 3-4 minutes to find it (it was in her old classroom). Her school is not nut-free and I feel like I'm constantly worried about her safety there. However, her previous school was nut-free and I know some children still brought lunches with peanuts/other nuts so I think it created a false sense of security.
Just wondering how other parents deal with their children's schools.
Thanks!
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Re: advocating for your child in preschool/elem school
Uggg....that's terrible. I would not be comfortable with that at all. The preschool we chose is nut free and they strictly enforce their allergy policies.
For you, the good news is the epi-pens can be kept in the classroom with the allergic child. I guess the next step is to discuss this with both the director and the new teacher to make sure you are all on the same page. Are there other parents with allergic kids at the school that you can talk to regarding best practices and how to keep everyone safe? The best approach is usually a gentle one but numbers might help with this one.
My big concern is about kindergarten going forward. We were sure our kids would go to Catholic school. But some of the women in my local allergy group told me other parents had issues with their allergic children at private schools. They all preferred public school where you could have a 504 plan and once agreed upon, the plan HAS to be enforced by law. Change in teachers, administation, etc won't matter because the 504 follows the child.
I am torn on this one at the moment. I need to schedule meetings with both the public and Catholic schools we are considering to talk about these issues in detail before I have to enroll the twins in kinder next spring.
My twins are 5! My baby is 3!
DS#2 - Allergic to Cashew, Pistachio, Kiwi
DS#3 - Allergic to Milk, Egg, Peanut, Tree Nuts and Sesame
Uggg....that's terrible. I would not be comfortable with that at all. The preschool we chose is nut free and they strictly enforce their allergy policies.
For you, the good news is the epi-pens can be kept in the classroom with the allergic child. I guess the next step is to discuss this with both the director and the new teacher to make sure you are all on the same page. I would also bring up the enforcement of the policy regarding lunches. Are there other parents with allergic kids at the school that you can talk to regarding best practices and how to keep everyone safe? The best approach is usually a gentle one but numbers might help with this one.
My big concern is about kindergarten going forward. We were sure our kids would go to Catholic school. But some of the women in my local allergy group told me other parents had issues with their allergic children at private schools. They all preferred public school where you could have a 504 plan and once agreed upon, the plan HAS to be enforced by law. Change in teachers, administation, etc won't matter because the 504 follows the child.
I am torn on this one at the moment. I need to schedule meetings with both the public and Catholic schools we are considering to talk about these issues in detail before I have to enroll the twins in kinder next spring.
My twins are 5! My baby is 3!
DS#2 - Allergic to Cashew, Pistachio, Kiwi
DS#3 - Allergic to Milk, Egg, Peanut, Tree Nuts and Sesame
I do not have a child of that age, but I do/did teach special ed at the elementary level. I have had a student with food allergies each year. Only once, however, has a parent discussed with me the level of precautions that need to be taken (and this was actually not a confirmed allergy, but rather a parent choosing a gluten free diet for her autistic son).
Honestly before I had an allergic/sensitive child myself and reading everyone's stories here, I never realized the importance of keeping the food away from the child, I just knew they couldn't eat it. So, my advice to you is to discuss your concerns openly and directly with the staff, not just the director or nurse, but with all teachers and helpers.
That is why I'm terrified of looking for pre-schools. When we were looking for daycares after J's diagnosis- I actually had 2 centers say that they weren't comfortable taking him based on his allergies. One was willing (an "inclusive" daycare with lots of kiddos with special medical needs) and said they could accomodate with no problem- and then we toured the center and I saw how the food/meals worked and wasn't really comfortable with it- although in their defense we hadn't started yet so no allergy plan was in place.
We found our in-home center and I love her. She switched the cereal they leave out during drop off/pick up from Cherios to Kix (safe for him) so that unsafe foods aren't in reach. Kiddos don't carry cups of milk outside of the kitchen. He eats on his own end of the table or in a high chair away from the other kids during meal times. She's posted pictures of the kids on the website and in every meal time picture- he's on the end and away from the unsafe food. I have a copy of the menu and I send safe entrees for him daily. She fills in with safe fruits/veggies that the other kids are having. I know ahead of time for party days and send a safe cupcake. I used our practice epi to train her on how to use it. There is a copy of his allergy plan hanging up in her kitchen. So far- we haven't had any issues. And I'm dreading the day he's too old to keep going to her house.
DD is at a nut-free school with a nurse on staff. That is THE only reason I was confident in sending her there. Any classroom for the 2 years and up, children are not permitted to bring their own food so I know there will not be a risk of allergens in her class at that age, and for now, in the toddler room, the teachers are all aware of her allergy and strictly abide by the no-nuts policy when parents bring in food for their kids.
All the medications are kept in the Sick Bay with the nurse, and the nurse as well as both directors are trained in how to administer epi-pens. So if the nurse is ever out of the building for any reason, there are always 2 other people on-hand that know what to do. She has an Allergy Action Plan on file there, and the kitchen as well as each classroom posts photos of allergic children with a list of allergies for each photo.
I wish I could send DD there til she graduates, but unfortunately they don't (at this time) offer private kinder let alone upper-level grades.
I don't know what the heck we're going to do when she starts elementary school. I will have been far too spoiled by her preschool by then to ever be comfortable sending her anywhere else.
In your case, if I ever asked where DD's epipen was and her preschool wasn't sure - I'd freak my freak. I would definitely ask to have a meeting with the directors and DD's teachers to go over an Allergy Action Plan and make sure they all knew how important it was and what needed to be done.
Good luck.
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