Would You Say Something About The Lunch They Pack?

[renodeb]

When I first opened my home daycare I had considered making the parents provide lunches but after hearing stories of kids getting junk food I decided to provide breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack. For some its the best they eat all day.
I wouldn't say anything, they are providing it so its not under your control really. You could try posting something aimed at the whole group. Truthfully I like providing the foods for this reason.

[Josiegirl]

I would try to go the education route but I believe most parents have the common sense that carrots and apples are better for their children than potato chips and granola bars. It comes down to convenience and what their child will actually eat. Another thought is you could supply veggie trays with cool dips as an addition to what they bring from home. All of it being a tax write-off if you don't do the food program.
Other than that, I don't know if you can really say much about what parents send in their child's lunches. Sad, I know. I've seen what some parents pack their kids for school. Their feeling is if their child eats *something* it's better than nothing.

[LysesKids]

I would if I had a concern for the child, but my clients would expect that. I don't cater to parental political defiance on my time. I am a caretaker of small children who trust me.

I am the same caretaker that serves cupcakes and cheetos at parties. I have served fried chicken and waffles with maple syrup, too. All things in moderation. Balanced diets and treats with common sense. Life is short, this is not the hill to die on. ::

Interesting read:https://schoolnutrition.org/uploaded...erceptions.pdf

I have one set of parents that love the fact I serve chicken & waffles once in a great blue moon... don't forget the side of greens. at My holiday open house i did one bite appetizers last December... I came up with a one biter chicken & waffle that was the bomb (very little syrup with just a touch of heat) . Those & the spicy meatballs in a crockpot went fast. I plan on doing the 2 oz soup shooters again too... it was healthy food done a fun way

[Josiegirl]

I have one set of parents that love the fact I serve chicken & waffles once in a great blue moon... don't forget the side of greens. at My holiday open house i did one bite appetizers last December... I came up with a one biter chicken & waffle that was the bomb (very little syrup with just a touch of heat) . Those & the spicy meatballs in a crockpot went fast. I plan on doing the 2 oz soup shooters again too... it was healthy food done a fun way

Not to hi-jack this thread but I would love recipes for stuff like this! Sounds like a great way to feed the group at a Halloween or Christmas Party. Would you care to share or add links?
Thanks!

[LysesKids]

Not to hi-jack this thread but I would love recipes for stuff like this! Sounds like a great way to feed the group at a Halloween or Christmas Party. Would you care to share or add links?
Thanks!

Here's the meatball recipe; One 2 lb bag frozen ****tail meatballs (not the large ones), 12 oz Frank's redhot sweet chili sauce and 1 can ocean spray cranberry sauce (with whole cranberries)... put into a crockpot & cook on high until bubbly then turn down to keep warm after checking meatballs to make sure they thawed & are warmed thru (frozen meatballs are precooked). I'll put the rest of some of what I did in the menus/recipe sections

[Cat Herder]

Not to hi-jack this thread but I would love recipes for stuff like this! Sounds like a great way to feed the group at a Halloween or Christmas Party. Would you care to share or add links?
Thanks!

I am covered up and only have a couple minutes. :: Simplify these recipes and you have it. The last one is today's lunch.

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Southern-Fried-Chicken-_-Waffles-542003?prm-v1

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Collard-Greens-with-Bacon-Simply-Recipes-42771?prm-v1

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Shrimp-and-Grits-512325?prm-v1

[Pestle]

If I were not currently providing lunch, and didn't want to provide lunch, and wanted the kids to have a healthy lunch, but the kids were already enrolled--

--I'd probably tell the parents that I'm changing my program to include lunch for the next X number of weeks and that, afterward, there will be nutritional guidelines for packed lunches. Sort of a hard reset, where I'm taking over lunch for a season, instead of fighting the parents daily to change their habit.

My daughter was at a Montessori school for three years. You had the option of buying lunch or sending in lunch. If you sent lunch in, you weren't given a list of what was required to be in it--you were given a list of what was not permitted. No-go foods like fruit punch and yogurt with aspartame would be thrown away by the teacher. Nutritionally iffy foods, like fruit juice and cookies, would stay in the lunchbox and would be accessible to the child during the final recess of the day.

Some parents see this kind of thing as policing their freedoms. You know how I see it?

-The school is raising your child for you. It's doing a better job of feeding your child than you are. If you have a problem with that, figure out how to quit working and educate your child yourself.

-Your child is not your property; your child is a human being with dignity and a need to be free from the bad decisions of the people around him/her. The school is part of the local community, a community that should operate like an extended family and act with responsibility toward all of its members.

[Josiegirl]

Lyseskids and CatHerder, thanks so much!! Saving these ideas for our seasonal dcf get-togethers! It's something different and most of them sound so easy. Win-win!

[Cat Herder]

Lyseskids and CatHerder, thanks so much!! Saving these ideas for our seasonal dcf get-togethers! It's something different and most of them sound so easy. Win-win!

One more hijack. ::

The best thing I know for the big seasonal (fall) get togethers is a low country boil. Think stone soup with red potatos, crab, shrimp, sausage and *crawfish (optional). lovethis

The kids usually love the shrimp, corn on the cob and andouille sausages (this recipe substitutes kielbasa since it is easier sourced). The adults go for it all. Crowd pleaser and it is cooked and served outdoors. Solo cups, paper plates and paper towels mandatory. :: Easy clean-up, just roll everything up in the plastic table covers and toss.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/44033/daves-low-country-boil/

[LysesKids]

One more hijack. ::

The best thing I know for the big seasonal (fall) get togethers is a low country boil. Think stone soup with red potatos, crab, shrimp, sausage and *crawfish (optional). lovethis

The kids usually love the shrimp, corn on the cob and andouille sausages (this recipe substitutes kielbasa since it is easier sourced). The adults go for it all. Crowd pleaser and it is cooked and served outdoors. Solo cups, paper plates and paper towels mandatory. :: Easy clean-up, just roll everything up in the plastic table covers and toss.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/44033/d...-country-boil/

I was thinking the same thing . You beat me to it... in fact it's what I am making for tomorrow nights dinner (a few neighbors are coming over). Some people have slightly different names for it, but it is TASTY no matter what

[e.j.]

Are you licensed or unlicensed? Here, we have to be licensed so we have to go by the state's regulations. If I remember correctly, one of those regs states that even if parents pack snacks and meals for the day, the meals still have to meet FDA requirements. If a parent fails to pack all of the required meal components, the provider has to provide that component. (So let's say at lunch, if a child is given a fruit, veggie and slice of cake, I would have to provide a protein and milk.) It's one of the reasons I belong to a food program and choose to provide all of the kids' meals. If I have to have the food on hand "just in case" anyway, I might as well just provide it. Do you know if you have a similar regulation to follow? If so, you could always let parents know that they need to follow FDA guidelines. I have one family who does provide food for their child because of food allergies. I gave them a food program menu sheet to follow and they've been great about following the guidelines. I've actually added new menu ideas for the other kids in my program based on the snacks and lunches they've sent!

[CityGarden]

I do not provide lunches, upon enrollment I do have a list of foods we do not allow. I also open all lunches (checking for choking hazards, peanuts, etc.) before giving them to the children. If I see something the child should not have at my program then I don't give it to them (my parents all over pack lunches so I don't feel bad not offering everything).

I love having parents provide lunches and have had very little issues / challenges with it. I also feel it is one of the best business decisions I have made in terms of policies because food tends to be one of if not the largest day-to-day expenses a provider has and snacks only (which I provide) are far less expensive. I also like that I don't have to divide my time being in the kitchen I am able to be 100% present with the dcks.

I have had two incidents with the same mom and they went this way.

DCM: I see dcb has not been eating his hard boiled eggs
ME: We often picnic in the park and all foods need to be ready to serve. I do not have the ability shell the eggs while also watching and assisting all the children at lunch. I ensured he ate his other food while there then offered his egg when we return but dcb did not want it then.
DCM: Oh okay (I know she was not happy and she keeps sending the eggs unpeeled, I just return them at the end of the day..... )

another one.....

DCM: Does DCB not like his graham crackers?
Me: We have lunch right before nap so we do not serve treats at that time. I would be happy to give him the treat just before pick up if you would like.
DCM: No that is okay.
Me: If you change your mind just let me know.

I do not tell them what to send but I do tell them what not to send. I do like them providing lunches and the good far outweigh the bad with this.