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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Terrible Snacks at Preschool!
Jo123ABC 11:48 AM 09-10-2018
I just signed up my 4 year old for pt preschool. We went to see the classroom and meet the teacher today. Her teacher is super nice the classroom looks great as does the playground! My daughter is really excited to start. I glanced over the paperwork when we got home and saw the snack menu. It consists of cookies, fruit snacks, rice krispie bars, marshmallows, puff corn, popsicles, ice cream, donuts I mean my kid gets treats and we do occasional treats at my daycare but this seems like an excess of junk food to me. I'm not big on juice either and it's on the menu 3 days a week. I mean fruit snacks and grape juice for snack!?
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Unregistered 11:57 AM 09-10-2018
I am assuming the preschool must have a morning snack and then an afternoon snack? When I worked at a center morning snack was healthy afternoon was a fun snack. Maybe this is what they do too. I now have my own home daycare and follow the same routine. But I do not offer juice.
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Ariana 12:06 PM 09-10-2018
I would not enroll my kid there! That is not meeting nutritional guidelines and it is too much junk for my liking. Everyone is different. Like you my kids get these as treats once in a while not every day
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BrynleeJean 12:26 PM 09-10-2018
Wow. i wouldn't enroll my child their either but some parents i think just think I'm my kid is happy them I'm happy and junk food makes them happy
Im surprised they'd do that, I'm hesitant to give any sugar at all because of little sugar rushes that are so prominent in tiny humans. but i guess if its the snack right before they leave it could be a treat like one said or threat snack, we can't do that here in my snack but maybe private preschools do like "if you finish all your work and have a good behavioral day you get a treat" or something then they sugar them up and send them on their way
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Blackcat31 02:04 PM 09-10-2018
Is the preschool participating with the food program?
I would also ask if you can provide snacks.

I don't know but I think that snack isn't necessary and this weird idea that we have to have breakfast, morning snack, lunch afternoon snack, dinner and then a bed time snack is overkill in my honest opinion.

If kids ate healthy in the first place 3 snacks a day is not necessary and in the preschool's defense, the first complaint we hear from parents is about costs/tuition so being able to provide healthy well balanced snacks to kids (that rarely eat them anyways) is a waste of money in many cases.

I don't know but I'd choose a school for academics based on their academic program and not their menu. Unless I was choosing a place FOR it's menu...kwim?
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Ms. Alison 02:08 PM 09-10-2018
I just cringed!

Can you pack your own snack? And then talk to your child about the importance of healthy eating so that when the other children get fruit snacks for snack and your child is eating real fruit, they don’t feel left out or sad.
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hwichlaz 02:45 PM 09-10-2018
I wouldn’t send my child there.. I pulled him from a kinder class that gave candy every day. I like to give my kid an occasional treat, but I wouldn’t feel like I could if he was already getting one at school every day. That’s way too much.
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flossie 05:04 PM 09-10-2018
I work in a preschool and child care center. We cannot offer the things that you have listed - that's crazy, ha ha!

We have had cake doughnuts with sprinkles twice - I bought them myself from my second workplace. Not reimbursable, I just bought them out of my own pocket for a Valentine's Day treat and then a second time for a treat on the last day of preschool for our kindergartners. Children celebrating birthdays will often bring a treat for snack time, too. However, I must offer two qualifying snack options still. Also, when we first started offering meals, and prior to getting on the food program, I had made krispie bars and cookies a few times, too. I would guess they are not on the food program.

I think snacks are overkill, too. I am the only kitchen staff in our preschool and child care center. I am just finishing cleaning up their cereal/milk/juice breakfast when I look at the clock to see that it's time to load cups and such for a.m. snack already. They're eating every 1.5 to 2 hrs! At times I am just collecting snack dishes (they often run late and don't get to their snacks when they'd originally intended) when I see I have only half an hour before the toddlers get lunch. Once each room's got lunch I then have to get p.m. snack together... 9:45am to 1pm is just non-stop for me. This steady grazing likely has more to do with childhood obesity than anything else, ha ha. (Sort of kidding - it must contribute though.)

I'd voice my concern to the owner/manager. They may just be in the process of getting onto the food program and will have to adjust anyway.
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LysesKids 07:59 PM 09-10-2018
Originally Posted by flossie:
I work in a preschool and child care center. We cannot offer the things that you have listed - that's crazy, ha ha!

We have had cake doughnuts with sprinkles twice - I bought them myself from my second workplace. Not reimbursable, I just bought them out of my own pocket for a Valentine's Day treat and then a second time for a treat on the last day of preschool for our kindergartners. Children celebrating birthdays will often bring a treat for snack time, too. However, I must offer two qualifying snack options still. Also, when we first started offering meals, and prior to getting on the food program, I had made krispie bars and cookies a few times, too. I would guess they are not on the food program.

I think snacks are overkill, too. I am the only kitchen staff in our preschool and child care center. I am just finishing cleaning up their cereal/milk/juice breakfast when I look at the clock to see that it's time to load cups and such for a.m. snack already. They're eating every 1.5 to 2 hrs! At times I am just collecting snack dishes (they often run late and don't get to their snacks when they'd originally intended) when I see I have only half an hour before the toddlers get lunch. Once each room's got lunch I then have to get p.m. snack together... 9:45am to 1pm is just non-stop for me. This steady grazing likely has more to do with childhood obesity than anything else, ha ha. (Sort of kidding - it must contribute though.)

I'd voice my concern to the owner/manager. They may just be in the process of getting onto the food program and will have to adjust anyway.
I don't get their schedule at all... most states have a time of 2.5-4 hrs between. And people want to know why kids are overweight I wonder if they saw how France handles it, if it would change, cuz I guarantee their children don't get snack between breakfast & lunch - I know I don't do it
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hwichlaz 08:40 PM 09-10-2018
Originally Posted by LysesKids:
I don't get their schedule at all... most states have a time of 2.5-4 hrs between. And people want to know why kids are overweight I wonder if they saw how France handles it, if it would change, cuz I guarantee their children don't get snack between breakfast & lunch - I know I don't do it
I do B, AS, L, PS

But my am snack is only for kids that arrive after breakfast and it’s two of the breakfast components.

730a-B
900a-S for kids that missed B
1130a-L
1200p-L for kids that got am snack
300p-S
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Josiegirl 02:30 AM 09-11-2018
Wow, that's a whole lotta crap food. Do they offer any healthy alternatives??
Those are all treats and IMO, treats are an occasional offering. Brains and bodies need quality fuel to run on optimum power. If everything else about the preschool is wonderful, then I would talk with the director and see if you can bring about some kind of change. You'd think in this day and age of nutritional knowledge, this wouldn't be happening.
Is this an everyday thing? Once a week? How part time is your dd's preschool?
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Cat Herder 05:55 AM 09-11-2018
Was this snack menu for the week or for the year?
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Blackcat31 06:22 AM 09-11-2018
Originally Posted by Jo123ABC:
I just signed up my 4 year old for pt preschool. We went to see the classroom and meet the teacher today. Her teacher is super nice the classroom looks great as does the playground! My daughter is really excited to start. I glanced over the paperwork when we got home and saw the snack menu. It consists of cookies, fruit snacks, rice krispie bars, marshmallows, puff corn, popsicles, ice cream, donuts I mean my kid gets treats and we do occasional treats at my daycare but this seems like an excess of junk food to me. I'm not big on juice either and it's on the menu 3 days a week. I mean fruit snacks and grape juice for snack!?
What is part time? A partial day or part week?
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sahm1225 07:44 AM 09-11-2018
Originally Posted by Jo123ABC:
I just signed up my 4 year old for pt preschool. We went to see the classroom and meet the teacher today. Her teacher is super nice the classroom looks great as does the playground! My daughter is really excited to start. I glanced over the paperwork when we got home and saw the snack menu. It consists of cookies, fruit snacks, rice krispie bars, marshmallows, puff corn, popsicles, ice cream, donuts I mean my kid gets treats and we do occasional treats at my daycare but this seems like an excess of junk food to me. I'm not big on juice either and it's on the menu 3 days a week. I mean fruit snacks and grape juice for snack!?
Could you double check if that’s actualy what they’re serving? The only thing that popped into my mind is that according to my daycare kids, I serve hot dogs every day and I never serve hot dogs! We call any sausage hotdogs and all meat the kids refer to as chicken.
My new assistant speaks Spanish as a first language and refers to crackers as cookies sometimes so the kids now say they get cookies. Sometimes I put a mini marshmallow in their Cheerios but I wouldn’t say they get marshmallows every day! I would just double check if that’s really what they’re serving and what portion size. Then maybe opt out of snack?
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Jo123ABC 07:59 AM 09-11-2018
The program offers various pt schedules. We are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I wouldn't want to send an alternate snack because I don't want her to feel left out and since it's 2 days a week I can deal with it! I just thought it was crazy that this was the snack menu. The menu is for the month- afternoon snacks. Not every day is junk but it's way more often than I would think as normal for a "snack". Snacks and treats are not the same thing to me.... And I do consider juice a treat.
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Blackcat31 08:11 AM 09-11-2018
Originally Posted by Jo123ABC:
The program offers various pt schedules. We are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I wouldn't want to send an alternate snack because I don't want her to feel left out and since it's 2 days a week I can deal with it! I just thought it was crazy that this was the snack menu. The menu is for the month- afternoon snacks. Not every day is junk but it's way more often than I would think as normal for a "snack". Snacks and treats are not the same thing to me.... And I do consider juice a treat.
Are they participating with the food program?

Even the food program views juice as acceptable for snack.

I don't and consider it a treat but I also know most providers view "healthy balanced meals and snacks" a WHOLE LOT differently than most folks.
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Jo123ABC 08:20 AM 09-11-2018
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Is the preschool participating with the food program?
I would also ask if you can provide snacks.

I don't know but I think that snack isn't necessary and this weird idea that we have to have breakfast, morning snack, lunch afternoon snack, dinner and then a bed time snack is overkill in my honest opinion.

If kids ate healthy in the first place 3 snacks a day is not necessary and in the preschool's defense, the first complaint we hear from parents is about costs/tuition so being able to provide healthy well balanced snacks to kids (that rarely eat them anyways) is a waste of money in many cases.

I don't know but I'd choose a school for academics based on their academic program and not their menu. Unless I was choosing a place FOR it's menu...kwim?
I'm pretty sure they aren't on the food program! They didn't give me any paperwork from them to fill out.

Snack at preschool is definitely not necessary for us because she's done at 3 which is the time I serve snack at my daycare. They do theirs at 2:15. Oh well I guess! I like the classroom and teacher so far so it's still worth it.

I've been lucky so far for kids actually eating most of the healthy foods I offer in my care. It took a couple of them a bit longer to try stuff but now they will eat tomatoes, peppers, and garden peas right along with my own kids! Not if chips or junk food is also offered though. Right now it doesn't bother me quite as much if they don't eat the healthy stuff either since I know MY kids are getting good stuff and enjoy it!
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hwichlaz 12:58 PM 09-11-2018
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Are they participating with the food program?

Even the food program views juice as acceptable for snack.

I don't and consider it a treat but I also know most providers view "healthy balanced meals and snacks" a WHOLE LOT differently than most folks.
Literature we were given says juice is okay, but discouraged because of dental health.
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jenboo 02:24 PM 09-11-2018
We have a lot of daycares around here with similar menus... its cheap and convenient. No prep needed. It can all be stored in cabinets vs the fridge....
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Hunni Bee 09:53 AM 09-13-2018
Never mind - didn't read everything at first
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