No Longer Providing Breakfast and Lunch

[SilverSabre25]

I know you've already made you decision about the lunches, but I just wanted to respond to your most recent post about the "I want more" or "I want something different"--I have recently started doing things family style, so the sandwiches are cut into small pieces and on the table, and the fruit and veggie and whatever else are in bowls on the table and the kids serve themselves. This is going over VERY well--less trouble for me and they feel so grown-up and independent. Maybe you could try this at least until the end of the year? And if they won't eat what you made for lunch, then they're hungry until snack time. Natural consequence. You offered, they refused, it's the child's choice. Maybe leave their plate out and available until snack so that if they get really hungry, they can try some of what you made for lunch.

[DancingQueen]

so the sandwiches are cut into small pieces and on the table, and the fruit and veggie and whatever else are in bowls on the table and the kids serve themselves.

That is exactly what I had hoped to work towards. i already cut everything into portions size etc... but my crew is just too young to serve themselves. 2.5 and younger right now.

And if they were older I'd be more comfortable with the natural consequences - but I just ccan't do it at this young age. Which is my own thing that I know i need to get over.

Another thing is that I'm on the food program and they are very specific about what options I have to serve and it is just exhausting. And the more effort I put in the more I realize that if parents were feedign their kids they'd likely send them with a PB&J sandwich every single day and parents would be totally fine with that -but because *I* am feeding them they are expected to have a wide variety of many food groups etc.

I know this is part of the gig - but I just decided that it wasn't working out for me.

[mncare]

Yep, we go with the natural consequence of being hungry until snack time, as well. My job is to offer healthy food, but I can't make them eat it and I will not play short order cook. I honestly haven't had a kid ask me for something different. I just make it clear that if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it. We serve family style, too, and everything is healthy so if they don't like one thing then they take more of another.

[Francine]

When I was open previously I provided lunch for a while and then started having them bring their own, I never had an issue with the kids wanting what others had. It just never came up, they all had their lunches and ate what they had. My policy was that I would be glad to warm something up but it had to be microwave ready, in there dish ready to go. No boxes of mac and cheese, no cans of soup. After a while the parents all decided that they would rather pay me more than to pack a lunch so I switched back.

I closed for two years and just reopened in June, I have to prices for kids over 12 months 1) parents provide lunch, 2) I provide lunch.....nobody so far has wanted to bring the lunch so they pay me 3 dollars more per day. It is a hassle and I wish that some of them would bring their own but they don't want the hassle either.