Daycare No Longer Providing Morning Snack

[gbcc]

I did away with morning snack this past September because it was costing way too much in food for the week. I serve breakfast until 8am. What I found was that parents were not feeding kids breakfast and expecting me to make it up with snack. They would not be satisfied with just a snack and would whine until lunch. I figured parents would be forced to feed the child breakfast. It was a battle for a bit but parents finally saw that I would not cave in and started giving breakfast. One parent actually tried dropping her child off half an hour earlier just to avoid feeding her own child breakfast :confused:

[Christian Mother]

I did away with morning snack and talked to all my parents about it before hand. I am a home based childcare. I started noticing that if the parents feed breakfast in the morning they where still hungry so at 7-7:30am I would feed them another hearty breakfast...some of my kido's didn't have breakfast. Everyone at breakfast whether they ate or not at home. All the kido's would eat everything...so I got rid of morning snack bc they would get filled up on snack and not each lunch. It solved my problem right away. Breakfast is fun here and although I full support breakfast with mom and dad. Sometimes it doesn't always happen so they can have breakfast with me. We just skip snack bc lunch is another big deal. After nap we change diapers and have our afternoon snack...it works out great and no one parent complains.

[youretooloud]

I also dropped morning snack too. I serve breakfast a little later... so, it's "brunch". But, the kids wont eat that often.

I also do not serve milk. I serve water only.

[Meyou]

I don't serve breakfast here. If kids arrive before 8am they can eat breakfast that they bring with them at the table. After 8am if you haven't fed your kids yet, you're lazy IMO. :P

I do morning snack at 10:30, lunch at 12:30 and PM snack at 3pm. I also give the kids a little something about 4:30 like 1/2 an apple outside while they play because most don't get dinner at home until 6pm. My kids gobble their morning snack but I have all good eaters that are busy all morning. All my kids get breakfast everyday at home because its one of the things I ask the kids every morning. Maybe that shames the parents into feeding them since they know their kid is going to report to me.

[Unregistered]

After a short time I nixed morning snack b/c the kids were not eatting there lunch. Ithink sometimes a morning snack is just away to give the kids a break in the morning. I think it depends on the age of the children also.
Debbie

[Meeko]

Confused....

....our state and food program REQUIRES us to serve breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack. It's not an option.

I guess each state is different!

[dEHmom]

I think the biggest difference is that snacks often become more of a meal.

Honestly, after school 4pm I give the kids 1/2 a granola bar, and some yogurt, or something of the sorts. Yeah I know each kid could eat a whole granola bar, but then they won't eat supper.

Snack is not to fill the kids, it's to give them a little energy to make it through to next meal. There is nothing wrong with being hungry come supper time, starving is not good, and not hungry is not good. That's one of the biggest things I've learned and I've never had to diet, or exercise to stay thin. . Leaving the table a little less full at meals also helps.

I often don't serve a morning snack simply because the kids eat a good breakfast. By the time they eat, have a nap and wake up, it's usually 10:30- 11:30 am and then it's lunch time. They eat at 11:45 for lunch, and then nap at 1:30- 2:45 and we leave to get kids from school, come home have a 345-4pm snack and wait for parents to pick up. I just don't see a slot in there for a morning snack. I serve breakfast at 7:45. Usually they finish around 8:10.

If they tell me they are hungry at 930, (for any who are awake), then I find them something to munch on.

[Unregistered]

Daycare not providing snacks or meals

This is coming from a childcare providers opinion who operates a Montessori Preschool/Dayhome program from my home. I am currently in the process of changing my lunch/snack program as well. I will be asking the parents to provide both A.M., P.M snacks and lunch.

My current childcare fees are only $525.00 per month, soon to go up to $650.00 per month. If you break that down, I only make $20.00 - $25.00 per day, per child (if I'm lucky). Break it down further by taking out what I spend for lunches and snacks (which vary between $5 - $10 per day depending on what is being served because let's face it parents want healthy nutritious meals and snacks (which can be expensive). Don't get me wrong I think it's very important to provide healthy nutritious snacks to children. Anyways, That brings it down to about $15.00 a day. Take away arts and crafts materials (because parents want them to do arts and crafts EVERYDAY), as well as heating costs, hydro costs, wear and tear of toys, wear and tear of the premise etc. If I'm lucky I might make $1 - $2.00 per hour taking care of one child. Yes, I take care of 6 children but I can't look at it that way. I have to look at it as each individual child. Today I could have six children, tomorrow 3. That's the reality of doing childcare. I love my job. I love taking care of children and teaching them, and that's why I do it. However, with that in mind I still have to make some money.

Parents tell you their children are the most important people in their life, however when it comes down to paying for childcare they don't want to pay for it. They want the healthy meals, the BEST quality of care, a preschool program etc. etc. but they are NOT willing to pay for it. And when we as childcare providers turn around and ask parents to provide meals and snack so we can spend more time with their child-instead of preparing meals, or because we are wasting a great deal of food because there children are not eating the meals or snacks or so we can actual use that extra money towards more arts and crafts or learning materials, parents are upset, and make comments like, "I can't believe my daycare won't provide this", "I can't believe I have to to try to decide what to feed them everyday or get up and make my children's meals." When I hear or read comments like that I feel like asking that person, "do you make $1.00 an hour where you work?" "Do the customers come to your house and destroy your house, or break your toys. Is your child actually the most importat person in your life?" It's this simple...If you want me to provide your childs meals and snacks then you have to pay for it. Meaning don't expect to pay $550 per month or even $650 per month. Now you'll be charged by the day instead and your fees will be close to a $1000. a month. Parents don't seem to understand that childcare providers who operate a dayhome from their home DO NOT get paid what they are truly worth. We HAVE to HAVE 6 or 7 or 8 children in our care (if your allowed to in your province or state) to actually make at LEAST min. wage/any sort of money. They DON'T understand when we do our taxes it shows up as us actually not making anything. It's extremly difficult to get loans etc. based on our income because on line 150 iT States we only made $2000 for the year (because we have tried to claim so much, so we don't have to pay a huge amount of taxes) This is what I have to say to that one parent... "**** it up butter cup. If you don't like it go somewhere else. Personally, I wouldn't want you in my daycare if I read your comment. I would find it insulting. And it would demenstrate to me how much you think I'm truly worth. No childcare provider wants an ungrateful parent in their program. I recently opened my daycare at 5:30am (1 1/2hour before open) for a parent who had to work early and closed it at 6:30pm (1 1/2 hrs after closing) at night because they didn't get off work until 6:00pm. (I did this for four days straight.) How much did I get paid for working 13 hours of care $1.92 per hour (This included breakfast, 2 snacks, lunch and dinner). $25.00 for 13 hours of care! I wasn't paid over time, like the parent was. She makes well over $15 an hour and her husband makes $20.00 an hour. Even though he is there only child and the most important person in their life, When I told the parent I would need to charge her more to open my daycare that early and close it that late, she told me she would have to withdraw him from my program and bring him somewhere else.

So the next time you want to complain about a daycare; whether it be a daycare center or dayhome provider and them asking you to provide meals, think about how much they charge you per child, per day, then break it down to an hourly rate, and be grateful that's all they charge you. The going rate for a nanny is about $10 - $15+ an hour.

FYI: My parents have no reason to complain by me asking them to provide their child's own meals & snacks. I offer a Montessori Preschool program in the morning and in the afternoon. We also do Yoga once a week, have art classes (outside of the regular arts and crafts), baking/cooking classes, skating lessons, swimming lessons, kindermusik clases (All included in the price.) As well as a Thanksgiving dinner, Halloween parties, Christmas parties etc. A year end birthday party with gifts for each child to celebrate everyones birthday. All of this for $525.

[Unregistered]

Get a Nanny.

Maybe I am making too big a deal, but my daycare is no longer providing morning snack(children already bring their own lunches from home). They said it is because they are wasting too much food. They said that they will offer the children a snack from their lunch box if they are hungry. Why can't they still provide morning snack, and ask who is hungry and wants to eat. I have three kids in daycare, and it is hard enough offering a vary of foods throughout the week as it is. Not to mention I will have to buy more food for the school week.

Because that's their new policy, that's why they don't provide snacks.

Regardless of how much you pay for childcare it probably still doesn't come close to what you should ACTUALLY be paying and them charging you, instead of them giving you a discounted rate. YES a discounted rate, because unless you are paying an hourly rate (At LEAST min. wage), for each one of your children to attend that daycare, you ARE getting a discount. I know parents can't afford to pay an hourly rate for childcare, so childcare providers and daycare centers are FORCED by parents and society to charge parents a discount. You have NO REASON to complain that they have asked you to provide those meals or snacks. If you don't like it, quite your job and care for your own kids. I had FOUR children in daycare at one time. It cost me well over $2400 per month, and I had to provide their own meals. I decided, after a year of that, I would be better of quiting my job (I worked at a Montessori Preschool) and raising my own children. Oncethey got old enough, I opened my own Montessori Preschool from my home with daycare hours.

I know your upset about this new policy, and perhaps you can't afford childcare but you shouldn't blame the daycare center for that. They have bills to pay just like you, they have employees to pay. If it's a dayhome, they still have bills to pay, also think about the wear and tear on their house. Do you think charging a parent $20 or $25 or $40 a day or even charging a flat rate of $500 or $600 a month covers that? No. We do what we do because we love it. Ask your daycare provider "WHY" they are no longer providing that type of service anymore, and actual listen to their reasons. They are probably VERY GOOD reasons.

[Unregistered]

No Snack

That is strange not to provide a snack

[permanentvacation]

Your provider said that she is not providing morning snack because the kids waste the food. She has noticed that obviously they are not hungry enough to eat the food offered at that time. I don't understand why you are fussing over her saying that she has paid attention to the children enough to realize that they aren't hungry at that time. If the kids are not really eating the food at morning snack, then it makes perfect sense that they stop serving morning snack.