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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>All My "Giving A Crap" About Anything Is All Gone. Bye Bye. Adios. SEE YA
E Daycare 06:30 AM 01-16-2013
I've had my daycare exactly 3 yrs and any type of "gives a crap" is gone.

When I first opened I tried my hardest (and did up till this new school year) to feed these kids a well balanced meal. I'm not licensed but still fed them as if I were. I advertised as healthy and home made. I'm not a granola mom by any means but I've raised my son with what I feel is healthy eating habits. Last year I had to start a diabetic diet myself and dropped 40lbs while doing so and putting me beyond my healthy BMI range (woo woo). I model good eating habits and incorporate it into my daycare.

Well, NOT ANY MORE! None of these daycare kids, and I mean NONE eat anything I make. Carrots and hummus? Nah. My kid will eat it sure! Egg omelet muffins? NOPE. Fruits, veggies? LOLYEAHRIGHT.

I wasted so much food in 3 yrs that this year I said "screw it" and stopped taking time and energy. Instead of kale chips it's Lays chips. Low carb no flour muffins? PPFFT entemans coffee cake it is!

I have one 4.5 yr old who weighs (NO LIE) 70lbs. His mom tells me the doc mentioned she needs to cut his carb intake but doesn't know how since "that's all he will eat". I know. She brought him to me 2yrs ago saying she hopes my healthy cooking with tempt him. Nah. Never happened. I'm part time with these kids so when they are in my care 2days a week my carrots at lunch isn't gonna help. His sister is the same way. She's little and there are times she eats no lunch for me. He has a gagging issue too. Don't like the food? GAG GAG!

Fun times.

I had another parent try and get me to do full time. I went 3 days a week this year. All parents last year needed that so I made it official this year as it better suits my time with my son who is getting older in a flash.

In may my new contract goes out. 1st day of school mom goes "oh my backup can't watch for a few weeks". On the spot I said "k for a few weeks". Few weeks turned into "forever" in her eyes. I told her shed have to the new year to find care. Come dec1st I give out her updated contract. I make full time care REALLY SUPER EXPENSIVE. She's a teacher and on Christmas break she says she's finding daycare (she has since sept to look).

We all know where this is going.

She calls me 1st Friday into Christmas break "I found a daycare and they are expensive to do just 2 days or I go with them full time. You don't have to get back to me now, just think about it. It's just till June". I tell her in 5 seconds "I figured that Would be the case and that you guys would be better going somewhere full time anyways. I have his stuff here for when you want to collect it"

::crickets::

She tells me we'd be in touch and hurries me off the phone. I know well that she hasn't found care. She wanted to give me the "all or nothing" speech.

I'LL TAKE NOTHING

I tell dh, she'll call back. She does. She waits till two days before she needs to go back to work to tell me "I was slow in finding care and I jumped the gun. I have no one for next week. When/would you be willing to watch him this next week?". I tell her I'd do 3 days at the normal rate or all 5 days, like in the new contract, at the OUTRAGEOUS price (new contract has 3 emergency full time weeks a year at $$$$). She picks just 3 days.

His last day was last Friday and she tells me "lemme know if you change your mind, it's just till June". I told her no I won't. She seems put off but I don't care. He needed 10-11hrs a day 5x a week care and I was no longer a fit for her.

Parents "forget" about my "contact me by 7:30pm the night before" rule if they need to change schedule. If you text me at 10:30 at night asking to drop your kid off before I'm opened and I don't answer you back don't show up at my house at 6:45 or you'll wait till I'm done getting ready at 7:30. Sure you can call my phone 10 times when I'm in the shower but it's not my fault. Manage your schedule better.

Someone learned that the hard way today.

I also demand you get your kid when they are sick. if you take your sweet time that's fine since I call your backup over and over again making them annoyed and you look like the doof to your mom or Ex husband.

Fees are fun too aren't they? It's nice that they are so insanely expensive that if you're late or make get up too early it's like having to pay for another day. No one wants to do that.

Happened 1 time.

This was long I know and thanks for reading. After 3years doing this I've heard every story and excuse. Now I just blink at them when they say something.

Apparently I run a rocket science facility because everything is so hard or so hard to understand.

I no longer have sympathy for anyone. How many cares do I give?

NONE!
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CedarCreek 06:44 AM 01-16-2013
I want your back bone! Good for you, standing your ground! I know it had to come on because people take advantage, but still. I am sorry the healthy food didn't work out, that just stinks and is sad. Kids these days don't want it unless it's McDonalds. Ridiculous. At least you tried!
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Daycarelady1979 06:48 AM 01-16-2013
Ha! You crack me up. I thought I was the only one who said "crickets"

Let me tell ya, I know EXACTLY what you mean when it comes to the meals. I waste a ton of food too & my kids don't eat most of what I make. It's so annoying. I am on the food program, so I offer what I have to offer, but I try to do it as inexpensively as possible. The parents don't care. The kids don't care. I give them all the components they need for a meal, but take the time to make my own homemade breaded chicken tenders? Nope. It's Tyson all the way. I read all the posts on here about healthy eating & processed foods and it makes me feel sad...like I'm not good enough...but honestly, these kids just waste 1/2 of what I make anyway, so why bother? No one here is overweight. In fact, I'm the heaviest one in the whole house & I don't even eat chicken nuggets!

As for the parents, trust me...I've seen/heard it all in my 9 years of business. They seem to think that WE work for THEM. Our own families don't matter. Our schedules don't matter. There's a total lack of respect for what we do. In my experience, the parents don't even read the contract I hand out. It's sad, really.

I'm sorry you're going through this, I hope things get better.
Wish I had some encouraging words for you...
Hang in there!
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allsmiles 07:32 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by Daycarelady1979:
Ha! You crack me up. I thought I was the only one who said "crickets"

Let me tell ya, I know EXACTLY what you mean when it comes to the meals. I waste a ton of food too & my kids don't eat most of what I make. It's so annoying. I am on the food program, so I offer what I have to offer, but I try to do it as inexpensively as possible. The parents don't care. The kids don't care. I give them all the components they need for a meal, but take the time to make my own homemade breaded chicken tenders? Nope. It's Tyson all the way. I read all the posts on here about healthy eating & processed foods and it makes me feel sad...like I'm not good enough...but honestly, these kids just waste 1/2 of what I make anyway, so why bother? No one here is overweight. In fact, I'm the heaviest one in the whole house & I don't even eat chicken nuggets!

As for the parents, trust me...I've seen/heard it all in my 9 years of business. They seem to think that WE work for THEM. Our own families don't matter. Our schedules don't matter. There's a total lack of respect for what we do. In my experience, the parents don't even read the contract I hand out. It's sad, really.

I'm sorry you're going through this, I hope things get better.
Wish I had some encouraging words for you...
Hang in there!
daycarelady im so glad you chimed in.. i too have felt bad reading because although my husband DETESTS processed food, i have it for the my own kids for quick snacks.. so when i got on the food program, i thought along with homemade food, i could have some frozen chicken nuggets and fish sticks.. i was SHOCKED to see the rules.. but i tried and was very excited about offering the kids homemade foods.. BUT they dont eat it! i even had a 4 year old that didnt know what a GRAPE was.. this is not the kinda stuff offered in their homes so they dont want it at daycare! Im all for requiring kids to have healthy habits and introducing them to new foods, but the food programs requirements are getting to be a lil much when my kids dont eat half of the food..
TELL ME..when you do your frozen nuggets, do you just offer egg or something like that so it can still count for the food program? i was thinking about doing that or just getting off the program all together because thats still defeating the purpose and wasting food?
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Country Kids 07:46 AM 01-16-2013
Yesterday-rolled ham,cheese,triscuits,carrots,grape tomatoes,and fresh assorted fruit.

Threw 3-4 plates away out of 5 kids! I know my kids are hungry because we don't do a morning snack because then none of them would eat, so they really haven't eaten in almost 5 hours by the time we have lunch. They have to be hungry!
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allsmiles 07:51 AM 01-16-2013
go e daycare go e daycare GO!!!

3 years??? i hope you can rub off on my by the start of my 2nd year in august.. im already getting tired of these excuses, set ups and issues!!
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mom2many 07:53 AM 01-16-2013
It is hard when kids are used to junk. I can always tell which ones are served healthy foods at home, because they gobble up the food at meals and even tell me how yummy it is!

I have a group of very picky eaters right now and have been wasting lots of food at lunch...I know the kids must be hungry, but instead of caving in to them at snack, I serve apple slices, grapes, oranges or pears at snack with some yogurt or peanut butter crackers.
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allsmiles 07:53 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
Yesterday-rolled ham,cheese,triscuits,carrots,grape tomatoes,and fresh assorted fruit.

Threw 3-4 plates away out of 5 kids! I know my kids are hungry because we don't do a morning snack because then none of them would eat, so they really haven't eaten in almost 5 hours by the time we have lunch. They have to be hungry!
open a bag of cheetos randomly and i bet you will see how hungry they are
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blandino 07:55 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by allsmiles:
daycarelady im so glad you chimed in.. i too have felt bad reading because although my husband DETESTS processed food, i have it for the my own kids for quick snacks.. so when i got on the food program, i thought along with homemade food, i could have some frozen chicken nuggets and fish sticks.. i was SHOCKED to see the rules.. but i tried and was very excited about offering the kids homemade foods.. BUT they dont eat it! i even had a 4 year old that didnt know what a GRAPE was.. this is not the kinda stuff offered in their homes so they dont want it at daycare! Im all for requiring kids to have healthy habits and introducing them to new foods, but the food programs requirements are getting to be a lil much when my kids dont eat half of the food..
TELL ME..when you do your frozen nuggets, do you just offer egg or something like that so it can still count for the food program? i was thinking about doing that or just getting off the program all together because thats still defeating the purpose and wasting food?

I don't know how accurate this is, but a friend of mine who is a provider said that her food program rep told her that most companies that manufacture processed foods, will send you a CN label for it if you ask them to.

I do, serve a hard boiled egg with my premise chicken nuggets (when I use premade) - as I have not asked for a CN label.
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allsmiles 07:57 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by E Daycare:
I've had my daycare exactly 3 yrs and any type of "gives a crap" is gone.

I had another parent try and get me to do full time. I went 3 days a week this year. All parents last year needed that so I made it official this year as it better suits my time with my son who is getting older in a flash.

In may my new contract goes out. 1st day of school mom goes "oh my backup can't watch for a few weeks". On the spot I said "k for a few weeks". Few weeks turned into "forever" in her eyes. I told her shed have to the new year to find care. Come dec1st I give out her updated contract. I make full time care REALLY SUPER EXPENSIVE. She's a teacher and on Christmas break she says she's finding daycare (she has since sept to look).

We all know where this is going.

She calls me 1st Friday into Christmas break "I found a daycare and they are expensive to do just 2 days or I go with them full time. You don't have to get back to me now, just think about it. It's just till June". I tell her in 5 seconds "I figured that Would be the case and that you guys would be better going somewhere full time anyways. I have his stuff here for when you want to collect it"

::crickets::

She tells me we'd be in touch and hurries me off the phone. I know well that she hasn't found care. She wanted to give me the "all or nothing" speech.

I'LL TAKE NOTHING

I tell dh, she'll call back. She does. She waits till two days before she needs to go back to work to tell me "I was slow in finding care and I jumped the gun. I have no one for next week. When/would you be willing to watch him this next week?". I tell her I'd do 3 days at the normal rate or all 5 days, like in the new contract, at the OUTRAGEOUS price (new contract has 3 emergency full time weeks a year at $$$$). She picks just 3 days.

His last day was last Friday and she tells me "lemme know if you change your mind, it's just till June". I told her no I won't. She seems put off but I don't care. He needed 10-11hrs a day 5x a week care and I was no longer a fit for her.

I no longer have sympathy for anyone. How many cares do I give?

NONE!
your back and forth with this mom is hilarious LOL.. im sure had it been me i woulda been totally stressed out by her constant trying to get her way.. you handled it like a champ.. REALLY lady? telling me you have found someone just to trick me into keeping you full time?? wow LOL
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butterfly 07:57 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by allsmiles:
TELL ME..when you do your frozen nuggets, do you just offer egg or something like that so it can still count for the food program? i was thinking about doing that or just getting off the program all together because thats still defeating the purpose and wasting food?
There are certain chicken nuggets, fish sticks, etc. that are crediable for the food program. I think your local agency can give you a list of items that are approved in your market area. There are a couple generic brands here that work for us, though I don't serve them very often.

I still believe in serving healthy foods. Yes, I throw away alot, but it's worth it to me to know that I may be the one person in their life that is caring about the foods they eat and I think that the parents do care! I just think they are too busy to acknowlege it or follow up with it at home.

I seem to throw away less food once I switched to family style serving instead of plated. Atleast I can save the uneaten, untouched food and serve it to my own family.
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allsmiles 08:01 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by blandino:
I don't know how accurate this is, but a friend of mine who is a provider said that her food program rep told her that most companies that manufacture processed foods, will send you a CN label for it if you ask them to.

I do, serve a hard boiled egg with my premise chicken nuggets (when I use premade) - as I have not asked for a CN label.
I see! THANKS

oh okay, cool to know! i might just look into the CN label.. i really like getting reimbursed for food, but i just hate to have her look down on me if she comes one of the days i have my tyson nuggets on the plate LOL..
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Daycarelady1979 08:04 AM 01-16-2013
Ummm...I'm not sure what you mean. ?? My food program must be different. I'm in Ohio & I participate in the Children's Hunger Alliance. I'm allowed to serve chicken nuggets. I'm essentially allowed to serve whatever I want, but it has to follow the guidelines, for example, lunch has to be 5 components:
1 protein
1 grain
1 fruit
1 veggie
milk
(I can serve 2 fruits or 2 veggies instead of 1 of each...and I can serve chocolate or strawberry milk instead of white if I want to.)

What kind of food program are you guys using?
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E Daycare 08:10 AM 01-16-2013
It always amazes me the run around given for daycares. You want your little "angel baby Johnny snuggle muffin" to have stellar day care yet parents complain about pricing, or whine about your contract, or dont follow any rules and try to take advantage.

My next contract is gonna be titled: "Dont take advantage of this good situation".

I know I offer good services just like you guys know you do too. I see CL and the ads of incompetent providers. I had to term a family from not following my rules and they cried heading out the door. I wish them well but I know they wished they paid a little more attention to how things worked.

They forget it's a business and not a personal nanny service. There are other families here including my own. Some do well in home daycare and others need a facility daycare. I'm not in a facility for a reason (other than being home with my son).

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Or whom you depend on.
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E Daycare 08:15 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by Daycarelady1979:
Ummm...I'm not sure what you mean. ?? My food program must be different. I'm in Ohio & I participate in the Children's Hunger Alliance. I'm allowed to serve chicken nuggets. I'm essentially allowed to serve whatever I want, but it has to follow the guidelines, for example, lunch has to be 5 components:
1 protein
1 grain
1 fruit
1 veggie
milk
(I can serve 2 fruits or 2 veggies instead of 1 of each...and I can serve chocolate or strawberry milk instead of white if I want to.)

What kind of food program are you guys using?
I'm in Ohio too! I use "E's feeding you nothing but lucky charms today" program.

Still doesn't work.

Jk jk. Some days though, it's too much of an effort to prepare otherwise. I've had the same kids in my care the entire duration of me being open (give or take 6mo) and one has been here since she was born (1.5yrs now). They love entemans though!

I'm pre-diabetic with a gluten allergy so I'm sure I'd love entemans too if I could stomach it. Lol
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allsmiles 08:17 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by Daycarelady1979:
Ummm...I'm not sure what you mean. ?? My food program must be different. I'm in Ohio & I participate in the Children's Hunger Alliance. I'm allowed to serve chicken nuggets. I'm essentially allowed to serve whatever I want, but it has to follow the guidelines, for example, lunch has to be 5 components:
1 protein
1 grain
1 fruit
1 veggie
milk
(I can serve 2 fruits or 2 veggies instead of 1 of each...and I can serve chocolate or strawberry milk instead of white if I want to.)

What kind of food program are you guys using?
well i thought the food program was a federal program but that state of local agencies handled the enrollment and participation so that could be why each agency may interpret the rules a little different..

my agency requires only 1% milk and it cannot be subsititued with flavored milk.

with my agency same components are required, HOWEVER if i use processed food, i must substitute with a credible component (like adding cheese to a frozen pizza)
or have a CN label which my worker told me i could buy foods at SAM's or Costco and some of those packaged foods had CN label..i THINK she did mention getting it from the manufacturer too, now that you guys mention it!
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blandino 09:07 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by allsmiles:
well i thought the food program was a federal program but that state of local agencies handled the enrollment and participation so that could be why each agency may interpret the rules a little different..

my agency requires only 1% milk and it cannot be subsititued with flavored milk.

with my agency same components are required, HOWEVER if i use processed food, i must substitute with a credible component (like adding cheese to a frozen pizza)
or have a CN label which my worker told me i could buy foods at SAM's or Costco and some of those packaged foods had CN label..i THINK she did mention getting it from the manufacturer too, now that you guys mention it!
Ditto. We have the same requirements you listed, but any processed foods for the protein must be supplemented with a credible protein. So that's why I use a hard-boiled egg.
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cheerfuldom 09:58 AM 01-16-2013
ha! well I am definitely in agreement to your new attitude. thats how I am and I know people think I am mean but I dont care. I made a mom stand on my porch just this week because she thought she could drop off "a few minutes early". I didnt open the door till right at 730 even though she was knocking and calling

As for the food issue, this is one reason why I am currently unlicensed. It is too much work to keep up with food programs and crazy parents and picky kids. I have parents send their kid with a sack lunch and the parents know that any junk food outside of one small treat will be thrown away. If they send all junk food, I will throw away the whole lunch and their child will get nothing that day. Amazing how compliant parents are when they are the ones starving their kid and wasting money sure they send lunchables and other options that are not the greatest but at least it is something their kid will eat and it is not chips/soda/candy.
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MarinaVanessa 10:02 AM 01-16-2013
I'm in the USDA food program through our local CHild and Adult Food Program and I'm only allowed to serve chicken nuggets if it's a certain brand. I think it's Tyson but I'm not sure.
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MamaG 10:04 AM 01-16-2013
Glad I'm not on the food program! I've sat with the kids and ate chips or something and they say 'I like those' 'I want some, I'm hungry' sitting in front of untouched lunches. My reply, 'Eat everything on your plate and you can have some.' Some times it works other times it doesn't. I've started giving super small portions when I know x won't it or h doesn't like that.
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Country Kids 10:09 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
I'm in the USDA food program through our local CHild and Adult Food Program and I'm only allowed to serve chicken nuggets if it's a certain brand. I think it's Tyson but I'm not sure.
We aren't allowed to use tyson here. It has to have a CN label on it, then we have to photocopy that and send it into the fp.

We are only allowed to use the brand that makes Dino Bites and Schwans.
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Play Care 10:13 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by MamaG:
Glad I'm not on the food program! I've sat with the kids and ate chips or something and they say 'I like those' 'I want some, I'm hungry' sitting in front of untouched lunches. My reply, 'Eat everything on your plate and you can have some.' Some times it works other times it doesn't. I've started giving super small portions when I know x won't it or h doesn't like that.
I have been on and off the food program and I find the requirements not to be that difficult or time consuming. I figure if I'm already serving the kids healthy meals, why not get reimbursed some of the costs to do it.

Like a pp I also serve family style. The kids are allowed to take either the serving size (I use measuring cups to serve so I control portions that way) a little or none at all. If Tommy says "No thank you" to fresh steamed green beans, he doesn't get any. No waste

Any leftover gets packed up and served either to my family at dinner or for another dc meal later in the week (my food program allows leftovers that are properly handled). But I will say that whenever I interview and the parents go on and on about how wonderful their families diets are and how little Susie just looooves her veggies, that once they sign on I'll find out they were not being the most truthful.
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My3cents 10:16 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by butterfly:
There are certain chicken nuggets, fish sticks, etc. that are crediable for the food program. I think your local agency can give you a list of items that are approved in your market area. There are a couple generic brands here that work for us, though I don't serve them very often.

I still believe in serving healthy foods. Yes, I throw away alot, but it's worth it to me to know that I may be the one person in their life that is caring about the foods they eat and I think that the parents do care! I just think they are too busy to acknowlege it or follow up with it at home.

I seem to throw away less food once I switched to family style serving instead of plated. Atleast I can save the uneaten, untouched food and serve it to my own family.
I feel the same way- I might be the one person that showed a child good eating choices. It is our job to serve the food it is the child's job to eat it, even if they choose to eat nothing at all. To save on waste I give smaller portions and always offer more if a child wants it. They usually do. I have been doing daycare for a very long time and most of the time children will eat if they have been active in the morning to build up a good appetite, are offered foods but not given choices for something else. You will find out who really doesn't like something and then can adjust from there, and if you don't force a child to eat something. If kids see friends eating good foods they like to try too. You will run into the child that is strong willed and refuses but if you don't make a big deal out of it, they pick up like the rest of the kids and learn to eat when it is time to eat.

I think some parents would serve better food choices if the price of produce was not so expensive. Grapes can be unaffordable to me at times. I don't want to pay the price. A lot of food gets thrown out in super markets because of high prices. Apples were a dollar a piece. Same with a navel orange. I don't think so. Want people to eat better make it affordable for good food choices.


Anyhow wish you the best sounds like you have had parents taking advantage of you but your backbone has grown strong
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wahmof3 10:29 AM 01-16-2013
Silly question, but what is a CN label? I'm on the FP (Ohio) and have never heard of it.
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Country Kids 10:41 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by My3cents:

I feel the same way- I might be the one person that showed a child good eating choices. It is our job to serve the food it is the child's job to eat it, even if they choose to eat nothing at all. To save on waste I give smaller portions and always offer more if a child wants it. They usually do. I have been doing daycare for a very long time and most of the time children will eat if they have been active in the morning to build up a good appetite, are offered foods but not given choices for something else. You will find out who really doesn't like something and then can adjust from there, and if you don't force a child to eat something. If kids see friends eating good foods they like to try too. You will run into the child that is strong willed and refuses but if you don't make a big deal out of it, they pick up like the rest of the kids and learn to eat when it is time to eat.

I think some parents would serve better food choices if the price of produce was not so expensive. Grapes can be unaffordable to me at times. I don't want to pay the price. A lot of food gets thrown out in super markets because of high prices. Apples were a dollar a piece. Same with a navel orange. I don't think so. Want people to eat better make it affordable for good food choices.


Anyhow wish you the best sounds like you have had parents taking advantage of you but your backbone has grown strong

I so agree with you about the price of foods! For a family of six to eat real foods 3 times a day plus snacks (non processed) in my mind would be astonomically high.

My husbands big gripes with produce are always oranges and grapes!
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mamac 10:49 AM 01-16-2013
Costco carries their own "Kirkland" brand of chicken nuggets that have the CN (Child Nutrition) label on them. I don't know about other areas, but here they are Mickey Mouse shaped nuggets. My own kids love them. I believe BJ's has their own brand which are dinosaur shapes.
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daycarediva 10:52 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by blandino:
I don't know how accurate this is, but a friend of mine who is a provider said that her food program rep told her that most companies that manufacture processed foods, will send you a CN label for it if you ask them to.

I do, serve a hard boiled egg with my premise chicken nuggets (when I use premade) - as I have not asked for a CN label.

OP-this was pretty hilarious, although I'm not sure you really intended it to be. I can sooooo vent like this at times!

as per food-
This is what I do as well, then my 2 fruit/veggie sides.

I only offer seconds of fruits & veg. No grain/carb. Sorry.

I also split my produce so that it is a combo of frozen/fresh/canned. I have better success with frozen firt with cool whip to dip (popscicleish), or made into smoothies and served with bunny grahams. Canned is GREAT over yogurt. My kiddos fav snack is a parfait of FF vanilla yogurt/peaches(canned, packed in juice)/whipped cream.

My kids gobble up soup, and it's so easy and cheap to make that we do LOTS of soup & 1/2 whole wheat, good cheese grilled cheese, or seasoned oyster crackers, or whole grain rolls. They eat THOSE carbs (even my pickiest eater!).
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nanglgrl 11:06 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
We aren't allowed to use tyson here. It has to have a CN label on it, then we have to photocopy that and send it into the fp.

We are only allowed to use the brand that makes Dino Bites and Schwans.
Do you have to send a copy every time you serve it? I've never had to send a copy of any of that stuff and if I did it would probably be the straw that broke this camels back. Here we can serve whatever, if it doesn't have a CN label we have to pair it with something, I always choose cottage cheese.
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Country Kids 11:08 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by nanglgrl:
Do you have to send a copy every time you serve it? I've never had to send a copy of any of that stuff and if I did it would probably be the straw that broke this camels back. Here we can serve whatever, if it doesn't have a CN label we have to pair it with something, I always choose cottage cheese.
Once we send it in we don't have to send that particular one in again but if we use another brand we have to.

I just try and not serve it.
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MarinaVanessa 11:27 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
We aren't allowed to use tyson here. It has to have a CN label on it, then we have to photocopy that and send it into the fp.

We are only allowed to use the brand that makes Dino Bites and Schwans.
Oh maybe that's what it is. I don't serve them so I don't really know but I know that there are some that are allowed.
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Blackcat31 11:29 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by wahmof3:
Silly question, but what is a CN label? I'm on the FP (Ohio) and have never heard of it.
CN means child nutrition label. Here is the link to the USDA site that explains in detail what the requirements are for using the CN.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/cnlabeling/default.htm

They also have an extensive list of what foods do and don't carry this label. That list can be found here: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/cnlabeling/labels.pdf and here:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/cnlabeli...ufacturers.pdf

HTH
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LK5kids 11:31 AM 01-16-2013
I served fresh blackberries for lunch yesterday and the kids went crazy over them. Gobbled them up. Today, grapes- same thing. I knew they loved grapes but was a bit surprised about the b. berries.

I mentioned to one mom that her child loved the black berries and she said they have some at home.....that surprised me that a family would have them at home. I do make homemade meals, offer fresh fruit and frozen veggies, etc. I rarely have had trouble with kids who won't eat.

I am in the Midwest....do you think it depends where you live? Maybe families offer their kids more good old fashioned home cooking here.... I don't know.

My kids won't stop eating the fresh fruit I serve.

I do understand your frustration and why you started offering less of these types of food.
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MarinaVanessa 11:37 AM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by MamaG:
Glad I'm not on the food program! I've sat with the kids and ate chips or something and they say 'I like those' 'I want some, I'm hungry' sitting in front of untouched lunches. My reply, 'Eat everything on your plate and you can have some.' Some times it works other times it doesn't. I've started giving super small portions when I know x won't it or h doesn't like that.
You can still serve chips and still be on the food program ... the only requirement is that you have to serve all of the required foods from the food groups and in the right portions in order to be able to claim the meal. So if you serve fruit, yogurt and chips you can still claim the meal ... let me rephrase that, If I serve fruit, yogurt and chips I can still claim the meal through the food program (since different areas interpret it differently) because I am still meeting the minimum requirements for the snack which is 2 of the food groups. I can serve anything else extra but I won't be covered for it, only what the food program requires.

Anything else that you serve is extra and can't be claimed through your food program but you can still claim it on your taxes (along with the meals that you already claimed for the food program).
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Evansmom 12:12 PM 01-16-2013
OP this is the exact reason why I quit making meals and now require parents to pack a sack lunch. Before I did that I was throwing away so much beautiful organic and locally sourced food it made me sick and the money i wasted was shameful. So now my kids eat what I make and the other kids bring lunchables, chips and cookies and they eat it all and everyone is happy. I still serve healthy snacks but they tend to be fruit and yogurts, but not plain yogurt sweetened with honey for the DCK, they won't eat that either! Lol!
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wahmof3 12:34 PM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
CN means child nutrition label. Here is the link to the USDA site that explains in detail what the requirements are for using the CN.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/cnlabeling/default.htm

They also have an extensive list of what foods do and don't carry this label. That list can be found here: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/cnlabeling/labels.pdf and here:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/cnlabeli...ufacturers.pdf

HTH
Thanks, helps a lot!! I have been on the food program for 5 years an have never heard of this.
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MarinaVanessa 01:41 PM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
CN means child nutrition label. Here is the link to the USDA site that explains in detail what the requirements are for using the CN.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/cnlabeling/default.htm

They also have an extensive list of what foods do and don't carry this label. That list can be found here: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/cnlabeling/labels.pdf and here:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/cnlabeli...ufacturers.pdf

HTH
This is a totally awesome reference to have!! Are all of these pretty much processed foods do you know? It seems like it is so it seems like it's important for someone that serves processed foods to have the CN# lists. If you do serve processed foods it's also important to take note what exactly the food counts for with your local food program sponsor. I know my food program sponsor explained to me that corn dogs for example couldn't be counted for both a meat and a bread (the breading around the corn dog) or something like that. I don't serve them so I sort of wasn't paying a lot of attention during this part . Ooops.

Thanks BC for posting. I'll be saving these links and sharing them with the members of my DC association .
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E Daycare 03:21 PM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by allsmiles:
your back and forth with this mom is hilarious LOL.. im sure had it been me i woulda been totally stressed out by her constant trying to get her way.. you handled it like a champ.. REALLY lady? telling me you have found someone just to trick me into keeping you full time?? wow LOL
This. That showed me just the type of dishonest person she was. Did she think that I would be so depressed without her snicker muffin that Id break down and be like NO DON'T LEAVE ME HERE'S A FREE DAY?!

No.

I had my mind set and I knew shed come at me with that so I was prepared. I didn't take the few days she felt she was "giving" me to decide. As if she had a choice in the matter.

When she came back a week later telling me she couldn't find something (after having 4 whole months to look) I had to hold back laughter.

She truly needs a facility though. Someone more flexible with what she needs. What I mean by that is she needs a place she pays and they don't care if the kid is there from 6-6 all 5 days and doesn't close since she used up all her sick days and can't be home when I need to close anyways.

Things worked out great till she thought she had seniority and owned my business.

Nope and nope.
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E Daycare 03:26 PM 01-16-2013
Originally Posted by Evansmom:
OP this is the exact reason why I quit making meals and now require parents to pack a sack lunch. Before I did that I was throwing away so much beautiful organic and locally sourced food it made me sick and the money i wasted was shameful. So now my kids eat what I make and the other kids bring lunchables, chips and cookies and they eat it all and everyone is happy. I still serve healthy snacks but they tend to be fruit and yogurts, but not plain yogurt sweetened with honey for the DCK, they won't eat that either! Lol!
The biggest thing I claim on taxes is the food. HOLY MOLEY am I dreading this years tax crap. I'm wayyyyy behind and the grocery bill is by far my worst enemy.
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Tags:fed up, nutrition
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