I am not on the program yet but I'm trying to prepare myself for what to expect. I think I get the idea of what to serve but when they come to inspect your house don't they look at other things?
1.I don't have a dishwasher so is there a certain way I'm supposed to do dishes? I usually just throw them all in a tub and wash them all with my family dishes at the end of the day.
2.Are you technically supposed to sit with the kids while they eat? I am way too unorganized for that! I'm constantly up and down.
3. Menus..are they mandatory? Again, way too unorganized!
4. Is there certain ways to store the food? Cook the food? Can I precook and just microwave it before I serve it????
5. Do I have to wear gloves???

So many questions! A little insight would be helpful

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Here are the answers from my neck of the woods. All food programs differ a little.

1. We handwash dishes and must allow to air dry.
2. We are to be with the kids while they eat. We are not required to sit and eat with them but must be present.
3. No menu is required. Sometimes I do plan but usually I go day to day depending on the humidity, what we get into etc.
4. We are not allowed to reserve foods, If I serve pot raost 1 day I cannot serve the same pot roast the next. We are not allowed canned ravioli etc (believe it or not I had a DCM that only fed her kid canned spagettios and mac n cheese packs so the kid wouldnt eat here)
5. I do not have to wear gloves but do wash hands very frequently during meal prep and serving. Even if I just handle a childs cup I wash my hands again before serving 2nds or assiting, handling food etc.

There are required serving amounts for each food group and varies for ages. You can use bubble sheets to record on (like highschool tests lol) or u can record online like I do on th MM. Here we have to mark what we serve daily before midnight or we cannot claim it. We file the claim in at the end of the month along with a green sheet the parents have all signed off on. We are paid the following month. Like Augusts food I will be reimbursed for in October. We are visited every few months or so and they check the past 5 days menus and go over previous claims and any errors if there were any. They give advise and some material. Check what the kids are eating and mark it all down. That's all I can think of right now.

I hope that helps some.

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