Do You Provide Meals Or Kids Bring Their Own?

[Mike Lassiter]

Frances and I are sitting in day ONE of orientation and have heard of Health Dept. requirements if you serve food. Just interested in what those of you already operating are doing. It seems we will have to start as a group (<13) and all the must haves in order to comply seem too much to even fix meals.
Please advise?

[youretooloud]

I provide. As far as I know, there aren't any special rules. Or maybe there are, I just have been doing it for so long, I can't remember why I do it.

We have certain foods we can and can't serve. The food program it'self is a pain in the neck, but I think overall it's pretty easy.

[morgan24]

I provide everything. I do the food program and once you do it for a couple of months it's pretty easy.

[melskids]

is the dept. of health the same thing as the food program?

here, i think they are 2 seperate thnigs....and the health dept. isnt involved at all.

[PitterPatter]

Frances and I are sitting in day ONE of orientation and have heard of Health Dept. requirements if you serve food. Just interested in what those of you already operating are doing. It seems we will have to start as a group (<13) and all the must haves in order to comply seem too much to even fix meals.
Please advise?

I provide all meals and snacks. I actually don't allow any food from home.

I am enrolled in the food program. The meals are recorded daily and monitored 4 times a year with visits seeing the food and checking paperwork etc.

[Meeko]

is the dept. of health the same thing as the food program?

here, i think they are 2 seperate thnigs....and the health dept. isnt involved at all.

Don't know about other parts of the country, but I am licensed (Utah) through the Department of Health.

[Blackcat31]

I provide all meals and snack that occur within the times I am open. I am also licensed as family childcare. There are different rules/regs that for centers vs family childcares. Things such as preparation, temping foods and serving/disposing them. Are those the differences you are referring to?

[countrymom]

in ontario there is NO such thing as a food program. I provide all meals and snacks and don't allow food from home.

[Sugar Magnolia]

BYOL here, we provide snacks. Always have a few back-ups though, someone will forget! We are a center and FL has very tight regs on kitchens, so they bring their own lunches. It was too expensive to convert the kitchen here, and the government food reimbursement program didn't seem worth it. My opinion. I do have a lunch policy that says the lunch should contain a grain, a protein, a dairy and a fruit/veggie serving. Most comply. No candy or junk food allowed.

[sharlan]

I've always provided all meals (breakfast & lunch) and 2 snacks a day. Any food brought from home has to be enough for all children. I'm not on a food program.

Any child still here at dinner time is fed dinner.

[PitterPatter]

is the dept. of health the same thing as the food program?

here, i think they are 2 seperate thnigs....and the health dept. isnt involved at all.

Here they are 2 separate businesses.

[Mike Lassiter]

I provide all meals and snack that occur within the times I am open. I am also licensed as family childcare. There are different rules/regs that for centers vs family childcares. Things such as preparation, temping foods and serving/disposing them. Are those the differences you are referring to?

Yes. If we PREPARE meals we must have a 3 compartment sink or commercial dishwasher. Also must have a completely different sink for hand washing only. You can not wash your hands in the same sink you wash dishes in.
Thats just one thing; stove selection may require a fire suppression vent hood. If you open a can of food and put it into a plate we have to be inspected just like a restaurant. However packaged foods that are microwaved and served in that package does not. I can see some things that were covered today in orientation but others seem over kill to me

[Symphony]

There is more than one food program available in the US. You might want to look into a different one if you don't think this one will work for you. Your licensor should be able to help with that.

[PitterPatter]

Yes. If we PREPARE meals we must have a 3 compartment sink or commercial dishwasher. Also must have a completely different sink for hand washing only. You can not wash your hands in the same sink you wash dishes in.
Thats just one thing; stove selection may require a fire suppression vent hood. If you open a can of food and put it into a plate we have to be inspected just like a restaurant. However packaged foods that are microwaved and served in that package does not. I can see some things that were covered today in orientation but others seem over kill to me

Oh my goodness!! If that was required here the parents would be supplying the food!

[Symphony]

There are also things (as a pp mentioned) that are in my regs, but when I am inspected, I'm told they do not apply to me as a Family Child Care Home.

For me, I am inspected by Dept of Health and Sanitation and he checks things like seperate handwashing sinks and my sanitizing facilities for dishes/silverware, etc, the temps of my fridges/freezers, how my food is stored etc. That is not optional, it is part of my license just like the Fire Marshall. Then I am inspected by the food program person who is there to see if I am serving healthy meals and reporting them back correctly. These are the people who reimburse me for meals and they are completely optional.

I would talk to your licensor and find out what exactly is required of you and whether you have the option to work with more than one program.