How Many Others DO NOT Provide Meals??

[Crazy8]

In reading here I really feel like I am one of very few yet in my area its very UNCOMMON to provide meals for the daycare kids. So strange how different things are.

Anyway, just curious how many others do not do the meal plan thing. I do provide 2 snacks a day but both breakfast and lunch are brought from home. And nope, we've never had a single issue with kids wanting what another one has.

A question for any others who do it this way.... do you wash all the empty containers/dishes from the kids lunches?? I feel like I spend forever doing that at nap time. I know daycare centers don't - they send them home dirty - but I feel like its a little perk to the home daycare. but then I have the one kid who brings in 20 little containers for his meals and I dread washing them all. ::

[Pammie]

I provide all meals and snacks during the school year.

During the summer, I provide breakfast and snacks but not lunches. We're so extra busy outdoors and on adventures during the summer, it's so much easier to have all of the kids bring their lunch! My dc parents don't mind - as I don't ask for extra $ for outings - I tell them it all balances out by them providing lunch. So far, no one has complained.

But my rule is that anything that the kids don't eat does not go in the trash - it comes back home in the lunchbox - so the parents can see for themselves what their child did/didn't eat. So I don't wash their little containers either. I do make sure that everything is sealed tightly, so they don't have a mess by the time that they get back home. But especially for my s/a kids who are used to throwing away any food they don't want to eat at school - it's a great way to keep them honest when their mom/dad ask, "did you eat all your lunch?" It also helps if the parents see that the same food is coming back home every day for a week - to change it up a little in the lunchbox

So if you're washing all of those little containers, are you throwing away the foods that the kids don't eat??

[Crazy8]

I provide all meals and snacks during the school year.

During the summer, I provide breakfast and snacks but not lunches. We're so extra busy outdoors and on adventures during the summer, it's so much easier to have all of the kids bring their lunch! My dc parents don't mind - as I don't ask for extra $ for outings - I tell them it all balances out by them providing lunch. So far, no one has complained.

But my rule is that anything that the kids don't eat does not go in the trash - it comes back home in the lunchbox - so the parents can see for themselves what their child did/didn't eat. So I don't wash their little containers either. I do make sure that everything is sealed tightly, so they don't have a mess by the time that they get back home. But especially for my s/a kids who are used to throwing away any food they don't want to eat at school - it's a great way to keep them honest when their mom/dad ask, "did you eat all your lunch?" It also helps if the parents see that the same food is coming back home every day for a week - to change it up a little in the lunchbox

So if you're washing all of those little containers, are you throwing away the foods that the kids don't eat??

For the most part the food is eaten, maybe sometimes I will be throwing away a few little scraps. Anything substantial that is not eaten is sent home. But even that is a bit of a pain because then I keep it in the fridge and have to remember to pack it up right before that child goes home (I have kids going home any time from 3:30-5pm).

[morgan24]

I provide all meals and snacks during the school year.

During the summer, I provide breakfast and snacks but not lunches. We're so extra busy outdoors and on adventures during the summer, it's so much easier to have all of the kids bring their lunch! My dc parents don't mind - as I don't ask for extra $ for outings - I tell them it all balances out by them providing lunch. So far, no one has complained.

But my rule is that anything that the kids don't eat does not go in the trash - it comes back home in the lunchbox - so the parents can see for themselves what their child did/didn't eat. So I don't wash their little containers either. I do make sure that everything is sealed tightly, so they don't have a mess by the time that they get back home. But especially for my s/a kids who are used to throwing away any food they don't want to eat at school - it's a great way to keep them honest when their mom/dad ask, "did you eat all your lunch?" It also helps if the parents see that the same food is coming back home every day for a week - to change it up a little in the lunchbox

So if you're washing all of those little containers, are you throwing away the foods that the kids don't eat??

I was wondering how do you handle if the parents send junk food in lunches? I provide all the food. I watched a friends granddaughter for her and the girls Mom sent lunch for her. She said it was in case she didn't like what I made. I didn't say anything because it was for one day only. I fed her what everyone else ate. I was curious what she sent for her, so I looked in her bag and it was Beefaroni and cheese puffs. Those are two things I would never serve. I would rather provide the food myself to make sure they are eating healthy.

[countrymom]

I think kids eat so much bagged lunch that offering homemade meals for many is a treat. Also do you charge less because you don't supply food, I factor in my meals when I charge people.

[dEHmom]

I've been considering telling parents to supply lunches only. But some food that comes is so gross to smell i want to yack. or it's super duper messy, or it's crappolla. I know that one family for sure would find it a little bit hard, as they are in a hole their daycare monthly right now. because dad's on EI and in classes, so they have a significant amount of debt piling up.

I have been tempted though, to have parents provide lunches in hopes that they realize just how much of a deal they get. when they factor in daycare cost, + food, they will see that much of what they hand over will be spent on the breakfast, 2 snacks and lunches. But I can see how some parents wouldn't even think about how much it costs. Or in comparison to what I feed verses what they give. kwim?

When I did have parents providing lunches, I would rinse out the containers if they were empty. If they still had food they went home. If I didn't have time to rinse out the container then it just went home like that. It all just depended on my time. I'd always let the parents know when I washed, rinsed, or didn't do either to the dishes. They never expected me to wash them.

[Crazy8]

I think kids eat so much bagged lunch that offering homemade meals for many is a treat. Also do you charge less because you don't supply food, I factor in my meals when I charge people.

Again, most daycares around me do not provide lunches (don't know of any who do) so therefore my rates are not "less" because I don't provide the food - they are competitive to every other daycare in the area.

[Crazy8]

I was wondering how do you handle if the parents send junk food in lunches? I provide all the food. I watched a friends granddaughter for her and the girls Mom sent lunch for her. She said it was in case she didn't like what I made. I didn't say anything because it was for one day only. I fed her what everyone else ate. I was curious what she sent for her, so I looked in her bag and it was Beefaroni and cheese puffs. Those are two things I would never serve. I would rather provide the food myself to make sure they are eating healthy.

I feel that is a parent's decision. I have some who eat all organic veggies and some who eat chicken nuggets. I do not allow candy or chips though.

[Sugar Magnolia]

I am a small center. We provide am snack, pm snack and drinks. Parents provide lunch mon-thurs, fri is pizza day. If I served meals, I would need a commercial kitchen and do not have the space for that. I definately wash the kids containers, just pop 'em in the dishwasher. I couldn't imagine sending home dirty dishes! Yuck! That would attract ants here in FL.

[blueclouds29]

i was determining changing to NO MEALS here... do any of you have a letter you sent home deciding this? what are your rules...
info please!