Ugh!! Got A Visit From The For Program State Auditor!

[proudmommyofthree]

And got in trouble because my last 2 days were not recorded (I'm usually good with that). Also I was caught off guard since I had just gotten a visit last Month from my regular rep so I didn't think to call them to tell them I was not home (took the kids to the park) anyways I pull up to my house and there they were . I knew I was trouble when I saw them. So I look at my rep and tell her I do not serve lunch till 1 (it was 12:55 ) and the state auditor says we know and that's why we waited for you. Anyways I always make home meals but since we took the kids to the park I decided on sandwiches. The kids wanted to eat outside so I said ok. It's a beautiful day today here in southern Cali. But because I was nervous I served their plates one at a time because they were hungry instead of serving them all at once so I got cited for that too . I'm bummed because I always serve everyone at he table together fresh homemade meals everyday. But be ause I decided to go I a field trip and serve sandwiches with fresh fruit which is fine, but didn't serve them family style or everything on the plate I get cited !! . But I was too nervous too think straight!!! I had nothing to hide , I'm always in capacity but I knew I had t recorded the last 2 days. Boy I learned my lesson. Record as soon as a meal is served!! Ok vent over

[mom2many]

Yikes! Sorry to hear how that went.

I just had my food program rep come by 2 weeks ago and those visits have always gone smoothly, but she warned me that the State would be picking random providers to visit. I've never had anyone from the State show up and I can imagine it would be intimidating!

I never heard about having to feed everyone all at once and getting dinged for not doing that? WOW! I will def keep that in mind from now on! I often assemble plates and allow kids to start eating, while others are washing up or being stragglers!

The food program used to allow us to have picnics at the park and I miss those days, especially when the s/a kids are on vacation!

[MNMum]

Aww. That is always my fear. I am usually good about entering my meals, but sometimes I get a day behind. It's hard to do "in the moment" in this line of work....

[MarinaVanessa]

Wow your county/area must be really strict. I'm in Cali too and they don't care if I serve them family style or not ... however I do prepare the food first and then I serve all of the plates and once that's done I call the kids to the table and set the plates and milk down while they are sitting down. I actually don't like "family style" because of the extra requirements that I have to meet with the food program so I prefer to make the food and serve the portions myself. If there is still some left and the kids are still hungry they can get seconds of what they want.

Yowsers ... citation for not serving family style or all at the same time !!!

[daycare]

in my county if we have to fill out our online food claims that day of. we have until midnight to make all claims. the next day they will lock you out of being able to make any changes. so if you forget to claim your food, you are out the money...

I am very good about end of the day food paper work.

[MyAngels]

I got a visit from the State Board of Education 5 or 6 years ago. They came on a day that I had closed and of course I didn't call the FP to let them know (I never called before that, either - my bad :. To this day every time I get a visit from the FP rep they ask me if the State has been back out, since I missed that visit . They keep saying I should have gotten a "serious deficiency letter" but I never did get anything at all. I think they should get over it already .

[rmc20021]

WOW...

I've never had a state rep and my regular one is sooooo good about everything...has never been here during a meal.

So IF anyone from state ever comes I'd like to be prepared as some of the things you said has never been mentioned to me so not sure if it's our rules as well or not.

I USUALLY put all the plates on the table before I call the kids to eat...almost always. So you're saying you HAVE to do this???

Also, I never put fruit on the plate until the kids eat their meals because I want them to eat their meal and the fruit is kind of like a 'desert' and I never give them their drinks until they are finished eating either...

[Starburst]

At the FCC I used to work at (also in CA) the provider paid her daughter an extra $10 a week to do food program and the daughter was a big procratinator (I should know because I was her roommate for 5 years ) and she would usually either wait until the end of the week or sometimes even at the end of the month to do the food program records. Also there the teachers always served the kids individually one at a time. They were all at the table but the teachers would serve one kid at a time- sometimes two teachers would serve at the same time to make it go by faster (it was usually always a full house at lunch time).

But at my college's child development center I heard the director got upset at the teachers after a child observation project because the ECE students saw one of the teachers not letting the kids pour their own glasses or squirt their own ketchup and supposively one of the teachers yanked the ketchup bottle away from one of the kids who was trying to use it. They try to teach kids to be independant- I heard that now they are teaching them to set their spots at the table themselves. Both places were in to different towns in two different counties and one was a home and the other was a center; so IDK if any of that had to do with regulations or not.

[Patches]

Wow!! That's really strict! I had a state rep come out a couple weeks ago and she was as nice as could be. I'm sorry that went badly for you :hug:

[AmyKidsCo]

I had that happen to me a couple of years ago too. My food program lady was really nice and would let me fill in a couple of meals if I was behind - I always had my menus posted and attendance records - but when the auditor was there I obviously couldn't.

The thing I find ironic is that if you use paper forms you have to fill them out at time of service, but if you use MMK you can wait and do it online at the end of the week.

[proudmommyofthree]

WOW...

I've never had a state rep and my regular one is sooooo good about everything...has never been here during a meal.

So IF anyone from state ever comes I'd like to be prepared as some of the things you said has never been mentioned to me so not sure if it's our rules as well or not.

I USUALLY put all the plates on the table before I call the kids to eat...almost always. So you're saying you HAVE to do this???

Also, I never put fruit on the plate until the kids eat their meals because I want them to eat their meal and the fruit is kind of like a 'desert' and I never give them their drinks until they are finished eating either...

Yes you have to have all their components on the plate. My food rep is awsome, I have never had a problem, but I got nervous and did everything wrong

[MarinaVanessa]

...but if you use MMK you can wait and do it online at the end of the week.

That's awesome, here we have to enter our meals in at the end of each day or we get locked out and have to call our sponsors. They only let you get away with it a couple of times until they give you the "aww so sad - too bad" bit.

And that's if we use MMK. Here if we do paper records you can literally wait until the day before you have to mail them in to fill everything out (just hope your sponsor doesn't show up and checks your records ) .

[mom2many]

I use MMK too, but our food program rep said that if we do not record our meals & attendance by the end of each day, we must send in actual hard copies to their office, in addition to recording them online.

I always make sure I record things after the last snack of the day, because I don't want the extra hassle of sending anything in!

[crazydaycarelady]

That is one thing I don't like about the FP - no flexibility!

I get nervous just hearing the doorbell ring and thinking it might be them! Something about someone coming into your home for the purpose of looking for something you are not doing right.

[Play Care]

We are supposed to get three "surprise" visits from the food program each year. But I know they always come around March, July and November, so I make sure on those months to stay on top of my menus and keep them informed of time off and changes to location (picnics)::
If they changed their months, I'd be in trouble!!

Sorry about the visit!