Parents Bringing Lunch

[kendallina]

I run a 3-hour a day preschool in my home. After talking with several of the parents, they are interested in a longer preschool (5 hours) for next year when their kiddos are pre-kindergartners. This sounds great to me, but I need a little help in how to do lunches. I am going to have the parents provide their children's lunches and I need to know what kinds of guidelines I should have for these families.

Here's what I'm thinking:

I will provide milk, unless the parent wants something else, they can provide it.

I do not have space in my refrigerator for 5 lunchboxes. So, I think I need to require that if their lunch needs to stay cold they have to have ones of those lunchboxes with an ice pack---will this really keep it cold enough until noon? Or should I just get a mini-fridge?

Do parents send things that need to be heated? Can I require that they send things that don't have to be reheated?

I'm not even sure that I know of other pitfalls to avoid with this, so if anyone has any suggestions or advice I would appreciate it.

Thanks so much!!

[Blackcat31]

If it were up to me, I would NOT do any type of heating.....tooo difficult and there is the possibilities of the food being too hot, burns etc, etc..... (because I am assuming you would need to use microwave, otherwise why not just cook yourself...kwim?)

I know that in regular school, kids' lunches stay cold with an ice pack so I would think your situation is the same.

I would send a note home with parents about the food groups and healthy eating and that part of the preschool curriculum is eating healthy foods/snacks and then ask the parents to abide by these rules (something from all the food groups, healthy components etc)

I would even go so far as to include a list if ideas and suggestions if they aren't sure. Then continue adding to this list as you discover new ideas.

[Bella99]

I like warm lunches, but that's just me. I'd offer to heat up their lunches in either the oven or micro.
To be quite honest, unless there's things that NEED to be in the fridge (eggs, tuna, cheese) i'd keep them on the counter. Fridge space is precious for me, and I have it all organized to a T, so unless it needs to go in there, it's staying out. ::

TV dinners i'd obviously keep in the freezer, along with other freezer meals. But I also have an extra freezer so that's not AS precious to me. ::::

[BigMama]

I would be VERY VERY specific about this. I think it is so much easier to provide lunches than to have parents send them in. Here are some things you may want think about and address:
-parents sending things that must be refrigerated (some will do this even if you say not to)
-parents sending things that must be heated (some will do this too)
-parents forgetting to send a lunch (you must have an agreement about what you will provide in those situations and if and how much the parent will be charged)
-allergies (children bringing items others are allergic to)
-children bringing "junk foods" and candy
-children wanting what others have
-children not bringing enough food
-children needing utensils for items in their lunch (spoons for yogurt, etc.)

[Bella99]

Yeah after reading this, i'd think also that it may be easier to provide lunch and add that cost to your cost now.

I would be VERY VERY specific about this. I think it is so much easier to provide lunches than to have parents send them in. Here are some things you may want think about and address:
-parents sending things that must be refrigerated (some will do this even if you say not to)
-parents sending things that must be heated (some will do this too)
-parents forgetting to send a lunch (you must have an agreement about what you will provide in those situations and if and how much the parent will be charged)
-allergies (children bringing items others are allergic to)
-children bringing "junk foods" and candy
-children wanting what others have
-children not bringing enough food
-children needing utensils for items in their lunch (spoons for yogurt, etc.)

[nannyde]

You may have parents sending stuff that has to be made. Be prepared for a box of macaroni and cheese and a parent saying that's what Billy eats for lunch or wants for lunch.

[saved4always]

I have done both ways and it is much easier to just provide lunch and charge a little more if you need to to cover it. All the kids eat the same things so they don't beg for what their friend has. I also liked to have control of what was served and how much prep I needed to do.

[kendallina]

Thank you so much for responses so far. I will not provide lunch, so I need to find a way to make it work with the parents providing it.

Fortunately, I have really great parents that almost always follow the rules, so I'm not worried about them breaking rules, I'm more concerned with setting expectations, so I don't have to change rules mid-year.

Blackcat, you're absolutely right about school lunches staying cold with ice packs, etc, so I think I'll be okay there. I strongly prefer to not heat things up, so I'll probably just tell parents not to send something that needs to be heated.

Most of my parents eat healthier than my family does (and we eat pretty healthy), so I'm not too worried about having too much junk food or anything, but I didn't really think of the candy thing or dessert-thing. I'll make it clear that dessert has no place in preschool and will be sent home .

Food allergies I have covered. I have a girl with an egg allergy, and she knows it and is fine with it (wouldn't ever take anything off anyone's plate). My daughter has a milk allergy, but she's really good about it too.

Bella...you mentioned what happens if they forget the lunch. Great point. I'll have to make sure that I have a back up plan.

Thanks!!

[kendallina]

You may have parents sending stuff that has to be made. Be prepared for a box of macaroni and cheese and a parent saying that's what Billy eats for lunch or wants for lunch.

Those parents will need to go home and get an appropriate lunch. Like I said, I have rule-following parents, so I'm not worried about that.

Now...forgetting a lunch, I could see that happening, so I'll need to have a plan in place for that.

[SilverSabre25]

if a child forgets their lunch I would be prepared to offer, say, a PB&J, apple/orange/banana, and carrot sticks, at a cost of $2.

[MyAngels]

Didn't they do a study not too long ago about how lunches reached unsafe temperatures in spite of cold packs being included? I think I'd get a cooler or something like that to place by the door so that they'd stay as cool as possible until lunch time.

[Bella99]

Didn't they do a study not too long ago about how lunches reached unsafe temperatures in spite of cold packs being included? I think I'd get a cooler or something like that to place by the door so that they'd stay as cool as possible until lunch time.

But there's not much foods that are 'unsafe' if they're not cold. Other then what I said above, I mean. Those things alone wouldn't take up much fridge room, if she had to.

OR!!!

You can ask the parents to bring a multi-pack of juice/drink for their kids, and a box of snack (i.e bear paw, granola bar) and just bring the main meal every day. That way, if they forget the lunch part, you have their drink/snack already and just need to make a quick sammy, or cut some cheese & crackers.

[Blackcat31]

Didn't they do a study not too long ago about how lunches reached unsafe temperatures in spite of cold packs being included? I think I'd get a cooler or something like that to place by the door so that they'd stay as cool as possible until lunch time.

They may have, but in all honesty I had cold lunches packed my entire school age years as did my kids and we all survived.

Perhaps the bacteria that was created during that process was good for us? :confused:

I don't know, but I do know that kids have been taking cold lunches to school for generations and I don't recall any sort of illness or disease epidemic that has been blamed on cold lunches.

Plus I think Kendallina said her kids are only there for 5 hours and I am thinking they are going to be eating in the middle of those 5 hours so she has time on her side

[familyschoolcare]

Didn't they do a study not too long ago about how lunches reached unsafe temperatures in spite of cold packs being included? I think I'd get a cooler or something like that to place by the door so that they'd stay as cool as possible until lunch time.

like others have said that may or may not be true. I do not pay much attention to that because I pack my children food that does not need to be

cold. A sandwich with processed meat (is fine untill lunch not good the next day) a piece of fruit (at home is stored on the counter) a breakfast bar or some crackers (stored on the self at home) and water.

[Springdaze]

My dcks bring their lunches and I out what needs to be cold in a mini fridge and other things on a shelf. What I want to know is...how did you swing enough kids who want short "preschool" days to pay off?! I would love to do that! Then I wouldnt be looking for a job!