Time Between Meals/Snacks

[afmama]

I just turned in my claim for this month and she told me all meals AND snacks had to be served at least 3 hours apart to claim them. I thought the 3 hrs was just for meals.

For instance I served breakfest at 8, snack at 10, then lunch at 1. This was only on one day....since I do drop-in's it really varies.

Is that the universal rule for you guys too? How far apart are your snacks/meals?

[mac60]

That sounds like a stupid rule, if it is true. If that was the case, I would be feeding kids constantly here, as the different families arrive at different time, and so to consistantly keep everyones meals and snacks 3 hours apart, I would need to hire a cook.

[3kidzmama]

I just turned in my claim for this month and she told me all meals AND snacks had to be served at least 3 hours apart to claim them. I thought the 3 hrs was just for meals.

For instance I served breakfest at 8, snack at 10, then lunch at 1. This was only on one day....since I do drop-in's it really varies.

Is that the universal rule for you guys too? How far apart are your snacks/meals?

My program requires our meals and snacks to be served at the same designated time each day. We do have to have them a minimum of 3 hours apart. Therefore, our meal/snack times are 8:30 am breakfast, 11:30 am lunch, and 3 pm snack.

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

Our's has to be within 3 hours. So we can't make the children wait more than 3 hours before having a snack or meal. Our's ends up being 2 1/2 hrs between breakfast and snack, and 1 1/2 hr between snack and lunch. There's 3 1/2 hr between lunch and pm snack, but they allow that since there's nap time inbetween. It doesn't matter what time the children arrive or leave. If they're here we have to serve them, if not, they eat the next time we have snack/meal. It seems all we do here is get ready for meals/snacks, eat, and clean up from meals/snacks. It really drives me crazy during the school year when I'm trying to stick to a more structured preschool schedule, and we can't get anything done inbetween eating, preparing for eating, or cleaning up from eating. We need a janitor and cook that can take care of all that for us and all we have to do is wash hands and sit down, then get up and go right back at it when done eating! :: We probably waste at least 45 min for every meal/snack. So with 4 meals/snacks that makes a total of 3 or more hours every day related to just food! Then they nap for 2 hours, that's 5 hours taken already. Oh and they have to have an hour outside everyday (we like to do more if we can), so that's 6 hrs with just food, nap, and outdoors (the state requirements for things we have to do everyday. Wow, I never realized how little we actually do in a day!

[PitterPatter]

I just turned in my claim for this month and she told me all meals AND snacks had to be served at least 3 hours apart to claim them. I thought the 3 hrs was just for meals.

For instance I served breakfest at 8, snack at 10, then lunch at 1. This was only on one day....since I do drop-in's it really varies.

Is that the universal rule for you guys too? How far apart are your snacks/meals?

3 hrs between every meal and or snack here too. My times are 9, 12, and 3. If serving dinner 6pm. I decide my times and then office sets it on the menu online. When I pull up MM the time is already set in as what I stated. I just enter the kids and food. If we are changing the time or wont be home etc I have to call before hand and report it. That part is the pain! Lots of time the kids get here at 8am and are too hungry to wait if I only have those 2 on that day I do breakfast early but I have to call in and report so. Dumb I think!

[mac60]

But what do you do when kids arrive at different times.....I have kids that come at 6:00 am, then next group at 7:15, then next at 7:30 then a couple at 7:45.....then I have some leave in the a.m. for "real preschool" , then return again at different times.....

[Auntie]

i would say do your hours of operation. eg you open at 6:30 close at 5:30you don't do breakfast they arrive fed or bring their own and have a cut off time of say 7 or 7:30. Then you can do a 9am 12pm and 3pm schedual.

[Kaddidle Care]

I just turned in my claim for this month and she told me all meals AND snacks had to be served at least 3 hours apart to claim them. I thought the 3 hrs was just for meals.

For instance I served breakfest at 8, snack at 10, then lunch at 1. This was only on one day....since I do drop-in's it really varies.

Is that the universal rule for you guys too? How far apart are your snacks/meals?

Double check that rule and make sure it's in writing (make a dated copy) because I would think it would be within 3 hours not at least 3 hours apart.

We open at 7:30 but they don't all come that early. Most have had breakfast before we get them. Snack is 10:30, lunch is 12:30, afternoon snack is 3:00 and they go home by 5:30 so none of the Kadiddles are starving ever unless they are fuss pots and refuse the snack we're serving. (we usually offer an alternative which is usually accepted.)

[afmama]

Hmmm, yeah I'll have to do some reading. I wonder if we have to have set times for meals as well. I do have a schedule, but VERY rarely follow it since I do drop-ins. And some times one kid just came who didn't eat lunch yet even if it's 1pm.

I'll have to check and see if it's WITHIN 3 hrs....that sounds more reasonable.

[mac60]

So if we eat lunch at 11:30 to 12, does that mean by 3 we have to eat snack? My kids are still sleeping then, usually don't get up till 3:30 to 4. Some of these regs are crazy.

[Country Kids]

Our FP just says that you have to eat by a certain time to I would really reread it and make sure that you are understanding it. We have to have breakfast done by like 9, lunch done by 1, and then if you serve dinner by a certain time. I always did breakfast by 7:30 so that they would be hungry for snack at 9:30 or 10:00 and then I had to serve lunch again by 11:30 so that the kindergarteners could eat before they left. If you do have to serve every 3 hours there is no way you could even probably do a morning snack because it would be right by lunch time it seems.

[Crystal]

I would recommend calling and asking your FP specialist. These regs are FEDERAL, they cannot change them state to state. It has always, for 14 years, been my understranding that there must be a MINIMUM of two hours BETWEEN meals with an additional 20 minutes for eating. You don't have to feed every two hours, but there must be AT LEAST two hours BETWEEN meals. The reason for that is children do not need to eat more frequently and the FP isn't going to pay you for more than 1 meal/snack if you only have a child for two hours.

I tried to pull up the regs on the CACFP site but it keeps giving me error messages...I will try again later.

[Country Kids]

OK double checked the website for our state. It says that mealtimes are as follows.

Breakfast=Before 9:00 AM
Lunch=11:00-1:00 (you can serve anytime in those two hours)
Dinner=5:00-7;00


Anything else is served as a snack.

[Unregistered]

I just turned in my claim for this month and she told me all meals AND snacks had to be served at least 3 hours apart to claim them. I thought the 3 hrs was just for meals.

For instance I served breakfest at 8, snack at 10, then lunch at 1. This was only on one day....since I do drop-in's it really varies.

Is that the universal rule for you guys too? How far apart are your snacks/meals?

My meal times are-
Breakfest 8-8:30
Lunch- 11-11:30
Snack- 2-2:30
I do not serve dinner

[MarinaVanessa]

Usually they mean at least a minimum of those hours from the last meal/snack. For example I'm in CA and my food program requires me to serve meals/snacks at least 2 hours apart. If I serve breakfast at 7am then snack can't be earlier than 9am.

I think the issue for those that allow drop-ins and kids arriving without eating is harding for those that have to have a minimum of 3 hours between meals/snacks rather than the 2 hours that I'm required to wait. I have a set schedule that I follow to a T because otherwise I'd be serving meals all day. IDK why but NONE of the DCk's eat breakfast at home before coming regardless of what time they get dropped off. If they're hungry I give them peanut-butter and veggies, like celery or carrot sticks or something to tie them over until the next meal. 2 hours between meals/snacks works really well because they don't have to wait very long until our next meal/snack time.