I recently signed up for the food program and am still learning how it all works. I just had an interview for a 3yr and the mom claims he is on a gluten free/organic diet due to food allergies. I request medical documentation in regards to it and explain that legally I cannot feed him what she sends because I provide all meals and snacks. I also explained that with a doctor's order I could serve meals based on his allergies but not without it. He began at my daycare Friday and had no paperwork stating food allergies or anything so he ate the meal I served. He did state he wasn't supposed to eat it because it's not organic. I told him that was the meal I was offering and he didn't have to eat it if he didn't want to. He ate it all and appeared fine, no issues or complaints. My question is #1 was it right on my behalf to serve him our meal versus his. My assumption was that on the food program documentation must follow for a substitution meal. #2 If and when documentation is provided am I then responsible for preparing his meal based on his diet or can his mother provide his meal. The mother stated she would prefer to prepare and bring his meal. Sorry this is so long .

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Yikes! If he is supposed to be on a gluten free diet, you could have really made him sick by feeding him gluten. Organic, well, I am not aware of any conditions that need organic foods, but I'm not a doctor.

I need to eat gluten free or I am sick for weeks. I'm not celiac, but I do have autoimmune conditions.

If the boy is celiac, he can not have gluten ever, and it's a very big deal.

He doesn't have to be on the food program. Is Mom providing food? I didn't understand that. If not, ask Mom to provide easy meals. If she is, you just don't get reimbursed.

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Dcm will likely be mad.
You shouldnt have given him the meal. (I'm willing to bet that it isn't an allergy but that's another issue.)

In my food program he can bring his own meals. You still fill out paperwork for him and there is an option that that the parents tick off that says they choose not to participate in the food program and you don't get reimbursed for his meals.

It will cost you a lot to feed him the diet and it will be a lot easier to have him bring his own meals. You won't get a higher reimbursement for his "allergy"

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I would still feed what the parent brings while waiting on the medical documents. You just can't claim him on the food program for reimbursement until you have the documents.

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So mom did NOT send a meal or medical documentation? If that's correct, she has to feed the child! Imo, this falls on mom. As a provider, she can't just let him go hungry.

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It sounds like the mom did provide the meal but she fed him her meal instead.

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I would not have let the boy attend my program until the issue was resolved.

You cannot have parents bring food when you are on the food program. If he has a documented food allergy/intolerance, such as gluten, then you must provide him with alternate appropriate foods.

No, you should not have fed the boy a meal containing gluten without knowing about his medical conditions. Again, I would not have let him attend in the first place if I did not have the proper documentation.

Organic may not be a health issue, but more of a preference as I, like the PP, am not aware of any conditions that require organic food. If mom really wants organic and you do not provide it she may have to consider another program.

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I am gluten intolerant and your meal could have bad side affects for me and at least one of my daughters (documented); the effects don't always show immediately, but it would by that night. I would be looking at finding another daycare ASAP if you had not fed my child what I sent just because you didn't have my medical paperwork yet… it does cause major illness. Having to be gluten free is not a choice for some people.

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I'm willing to guess he doesn't have an actual "allergy", parents are usually on top of "My kid has an allergy, make sure he doesn't eat such and such and here is the dr order" However parents never surprise me anymore!

I'm thinking it may be a preference or mom suspects an allergy, but not diagnosed.

Either way, to play it safe until you know, I would have mom provide meals.

If he does indeed need a specific diet I would have mom supply all meals and not put him on the fp, since it will likely cost more than the food program pays and it is a lot more of your time...purchasing, planning and serving 2 separate meals at every meal.

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I was that mom, while I worked in the same daycare my daughter went to. I worked there over the summer, while my husband was home with my daughter. I saw what they ate and there was no way I wanted my daughter to eat that way every day. We eat primarily organic, although there are times we have things that are not. We also avoid gluten as a family (my husband has autoimmune issues and does best with it) as I want to avoid triggers to affect my children's health. Let me say, yes, there are times my child does not always eat this way, but I just couldn't let her everyday. The food they served were poptarts, honeybuns, cinnamon rolls, muffins and so on for breakfast.... no fruit or protein. Lunch was usually a processed chicken nugget, pizza, or other prepackaged easy to warm up item. When the school year started and my husband returned to his teaching job, she started at the daycare. They insisted she had to be on the food program. I discussed this with her doctor and he wrote a note, stating that she was on a special diet, so that I could avoid it. They had me bring her own food, but they still claimed her on the food program There are several providers that believe that all children must be a part of it.

Just have his mom bring his meals and do not claim him on the program.

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I would continue to feed meals that Mom provides and not claim the child until the issue is resolved. Give Mom 3 days to provide documentation of medical necessity. If you don't receive the documentation, I'd assume Mom lied to me and I would term for that. Lots of parents put their kids on fad diets (and while gluten-free is a necessity for some, it's nothing more than a way for parents to get attention in some cases-I don't mean to offend anyone with an intolerance, but I have NO respect for parents who put their kids on fad diets). Gluten-free is necessary for some, but a child who doesn't require gluten-free misses out on the benefits of whole grains.

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I am going to disagree with this... there are whole grains which do not contain gluten. Corn, buckwheat, certified-gluten free oats, rice, wild rice, and quinoa would be the most known, there are some more. A gluten free diet does not mean a child would miss out on whole grains.

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Prior to Me accepting the child into care mom was informed that I provide meals and don't allow meals to be provided by parents unless there are food allergies. I have children with food allergies and decided before I open I would provide meals to ensure my own children aren't exposed to allergens. I am aware of how dangerous it could be to give a child things they may be allergic to and I was hesitant to feed him. The meal was wheat crackers cheese tomatoes Turkey and peaches. I told mom that if he has allergies to foods I recommend him staying home until she has the proper documentation. Mom chose to bring him and upon signing him in brought his lunch and said she didn't have the paperwork for him to eat it and she knew I had stated I won't feed it without an order from the dr and she understood. She wasn't upset which made me feel as if it wasn't medical but her preference. I see where I made some rookie mistakes for sure. I spoke to the mom recently today just to tell her I wouldn't accept him back into care without the order and to see how he was. She said he was fine and that she understands and hopes to have the documentation by Monday afternoon, but the doctor wants to see him before filling it out. My gut says that he doesn't have any food allergies but I felt that I handled it wrong and wanted to hear from you all. I think if she hasn't furnished paperwork by Wednesday I will assume she lied and term.
Also she mentioned at the interview he doesn't have celiac disease just food allergies and food allergies are not listed on any of his enrollment forms. I mentioned to mom that allergies and medical conditions must be listed on his paperwork so she wrote it before leaving him.

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Hmmm ... I'm not sure gluten free falls under "fad" diets. It's not fun to eat gluten free, it can be a lot of work, and forget about ever eating out - unless you live in LA, Chicago, New York, or some other big city, you are out of luck. Not to mention expensive. I have to eat fresh everything, because packaged foods almost always = gluten.

Whole grains can also be given in other, gluten free ways. Much healthier ways, too. But I will get off the "gluten free is healthier" soapbox. Anyone can eat unhealthy, even those on a gluten free diet. I mean ... most chocolate is gluten free.

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The federal rule for the food program is that paperwork needs to be filled out for every child in attendace. ( so yes they are enrolled) All parents may opt out of the food program. This may be the best choice for the parent and she brings all food.

fad, allergy, intolerance, ADHD, Celiac it really does not matter what is the reason the child is gluten free and mom needs to send the food. It is so easy to contaminate the childs food If you have a crumb on the counter, use the same knife. etc.

Remember gluten free also pertains to art material for some children. Especially playdough. They should only use gluten free playdough.

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Oh my goodness - you learn something new every day! Thanks!

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I actually have had parents who have wanted their child to eat gluten-free as a life choice. There was no medical need. They just thought it was a good idea for me to do it. They themselves did not eat gluten-free, but that is how they wanted me to feed their child. I did consider it a bit of a fad, or a way of making their child more special, or something, not exactly sure how to classify that
They could not provide documentation of medical need, so the best I could come up with was that they could decline the food program. We are told we must offer it, but a parent can decline it. Then I asked the parent to provide the food.
In the end, it did not work out. Not the food part, just the over-all expectations of these parents. They ultimately wanted to be sure that this child was more special than any other child in care, and that was just not okay with me.

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I didn't even think about the playdoh needing to be gluten free. During the interview he was offered playdoh or wooden blocks, he chose the play doh first. Mom stated he loves play doh and has so many different colors and often he sneaks a bite of it. He put a piece in his mouth during the interview and I explained its for playing not eating and put it away. She just laughed and said that's Jim he samples all sorts of things.

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So do as I say, not as I do? I had an interview on Friday and I could tell the parents were going to be obnoxious. Their little snowflake needed the best of everything. And he wasn't even born yet! I passed.

If someone told me how to eat, I'd be furious. Oh wait, my doctor already does that. Boo! No holiday card for him.

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That's disgusting. Why is she laughing about her child eating playdoh?

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I am gluten intolerant and I had a gf dcg for 2 years. I made my menus gluten free. We had brown rice, corn tortillas, gf cereals, rice cakes and gf oats. It was not hard at all. Now gf no longer comes here so I now serve gluten. I just substitute gf foods for myself. I never bought gf bread because it's very expensive and has a boatload of ingredients.

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I would agree that the gluten-free part was not too difficult, except for pasta - the kids just didn't like the GF pastas. The only one I used regularly was a rice pasta that I already used in a couple of asian-style recipes. If we had pasta in other recipes, I made a small amount of GF and regular wheat pasta for the others.
Midaycare, I was surprised to see the quote of what I said include something that I didn't say I'm assuming that your cursor just went where you didn't want it to go and you didn't realize

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The issue for me would be whether the child actually medically needs a special diet or if it is a preference.

If it is a medical reason supported by a doctor I would have mom bring ALL food

If it is a preference I would not accept this child in my care since that is not how I run things.

All children are served the same meal, I will not make more than one meal (per meal). I will not have parents bringing in food because their child does not like what I am serving. I will not have parents telling me what to serve. I will not have parents saying they "suspect an allergy or intolerance" to get around my rules (show me proof from the dr)

Children bringing their own food (in my experience) is like children bringing a toy from home. Everyone is interested in and wants what the other child has and causes an unnecessary upset at meal times.

My parents are told we use the food program. They can opt out, but I will still serve the same food so there is no point. Unless like I said there is an actual medical reason.

If parents are insistent on supplying food for any reason other than a documented medical necessity than my program isn't right for them.

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I have had tons of vegetarian kids over the years, and I have always flexed my meals for them.
The GF diet can be more expensive though, when you are getting in to the pastas and breads they are more expensive than wheat products, at least it is that way where I live.
I used basically the same method for GF as I did for vegetarian, though it is a bit trickier for some meals.
My method of accommodating a vegetarian diet depends on how many days per week the child attends (I have all part-time children).
For a 2-3 day child, I will just go all-veg on the days they attend. We can have other proteins when they are not here.
But for a 4 day child (my max # of days), I do it differently. Most items will be the same, obviously: fruits, veg, grain, milk. But I can do a vegetarian chili, for example, and then add ground beef for the non-veg kids, or vegetarian spaghetti sauce, with a ground beef or grated cheese option. I give each child a choice of veg or non-veg, since the items meet the nutritional components either way.
For a pea soup, I will make it all vegetarian, and then use a choice of "toppings": chopped green onion, ham or celery, or croutons. The vegetarian children won't use the meat option, but they have other options.

That's just the way I have chosen to do my meals - not saying anyone else should We just have a pretty diverse group of eaters around here

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[QUOTE
Midaycare, I was surprised to see the quote of what I said include something that I didn't say I'm assuming that your cursor just went where you didn't want it to go and you didn't realize [/quote]

That's what happens when I stay up too late - sorry!

Edited: fixed!

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That's what happens when I stay up too late - sorry![/quote]

No problem

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So I see my quote didn't work right there Or else I did something wrong

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Based on the fact that no issues were reported when I called to check up on him this weekend I am assuming its definitely a preference and not a medical need. Also the fact that this child was in a previous daycare two months ago, She should have current documentation if it is a true medical issue. My own children have a range of medical issues but there is supporting medical documentation to go with the diagnosis. It annoys me when people make up things to just be in control and look for attention sympathy or whatever and I kind of feel like that is whats going on here. She was referred to me by my child's doctor and someone from the EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program on base). They stated they knew her but not on a personal level but that she was seeking a provider that had experience with food allergies and special needs as he's going to be evaluated for Autism in August. I am seeing lots of red flags from this family and lots of "My child is special" type behaviors. I don't really need the family (income wise) and am truly considering terming because I don't feel she was honest with anything during the interview as there is no medical documentation for anything she said this child has.

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Here we MUST enroll everyone or not participate at all. ONLY infants under one year old are given the option of "opting out." There is NO option for children over the age of one to not enroll. This is why I provide meals to accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions.

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That's so interesting, because here we are told that we MUST OFFER the FP to ALL families or it is considered discrimination. We are specifically NOT allowed to not offer it to infants. Only families are given the opportunity to "opt out". If we don't offer it to a family, we are out of the FP.

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This is how mine is too except that infants aren't given the option to opt out either. I specifically asked what do I if a family doesn't want to participate and I was told not to accept them as a client.. and to explain to parents that this is part of my program and if you don't want to participate then go elsewhere.

I'm dreading the day I get a family who needs a special diet.

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I believe that in my area, parents may opt out. However, the center I was at would not give that option. I felt it was wrong of them to require me to bring in meals for my daughter that they were counting as if they had served them. They also falsified the meal records after teachers marked the meals for each child, they would fill them out for children that were not there. Many of the teachers there thought this was ok. I only worked there a few months after my daughter started there and then I began my own in home daycare. I am not on the food program, because I want to be able to be accommodating to my families I provide for. A DCM recently said to me, "oh, we are avoiding oranges and orange juice because of his diaper rash." I replied, we haven't had any recently (he still was having issues) and I was able to suggest that I thought dairy was giving him problems. So, we did almond milk and dairy free for his last week here before summer.... and his bottom was looking so much better. So, no actual diagnosis or doctor's order, but yes, we had made some progress.

I totally get that the center was not right for me or my daughter, I was doing what I could in that situation, as it was my income at the time. Her doctor agreed with me, given my husband's health history. I just think that there should be some flexibility in what we provide children. I know there is no easy answer to this, as the number of food allergies and intolerances has increased dramatically over the more recent years. Ultimately, it is up to each provider what they are willing to do or not do... so if OP does not want a child to bring their own meals or make changes to the daycare meal plan, let that family know so they can move on.

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If the child is going to be tested for autism, gluten free without a diagnosis makes sense. The mom is just being proactive, as that's one of the things they did for kids with autism. I dunno ... I work with a lot of therapists that come to my home to work with kids. I understand every child is different and needs different things. I don't mind a parent thinking their child is special - I'd rather have that than the other way. Sounds more to me that the mom is really freaked out it could be autism.

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agree!

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I completely get what you are saying. I'm not really concerned about the food program as I just signed up this month and am still trying to figure out how it works. I just feel like shes not being honest about things and that's why there is no documentation. If she would've said he was on an organic gluten free diet by choice then I wouldn't have enrolled because that's not how my program works. This mom also said her son has asthma and an attachment anxiety disorder but there is no paperwork about it. His medical states there are no medical or food issues. Its kind of funny because at playtime dcb was playing with the McDonalds cash register and scanning items saying it was his organic happy meal from McDonalds that mommy always buys him for being a good listener.

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Weird how the FP can vary so much. I know there are different FP's, but I thought they all had the same "rules"

Here I use Yours For Children. I must offer it to everyone. Anyone can opt out, but I have to have the forms filled out to show that I offered.

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oh, I totally understand... she should have been up front with it. I think there are times that parents may feel the need to say it is an allergy or intolerance when it is a lifestyle choice... mostly due to people thinking it is just a fad diet or whatever. And that is definitely wrong, they should always be upfront with it... because what if the child did accidently eat something and then you are panicking about it. I would just tell her at this point that in your daycare, you do not allow food from home. period. if she wants him to have a special diet, then you need documentation and cannot provide care until he has it. or just term him. While I'm willing to work with families on meals, there are many things that I do not negotiate, so I get it and that is really crazy about the mcdonalds.... I would mention to mom that you were surprised he eats at mcdonalds due to his allergies,

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I feed quite a bit of fresh local veggies and fruits, although not all organic. My family owns a farm.

Although I do respect parents that choose certain eating preferences at THEIR homes for THEIR children.... I go over sample menus etc at the interview and parents that expect ME to feed high dollar organic food while THEY feed mcdonalds just won't fit into my program.

I can't get the food program here because they won't allow parents to opt out here. Also the state allows me to care for FIVE kids NOT counting my own two. Which makes a total of SEVEN total here at any one time. However, the FP sponsor that takes my area has a rule that says only FIVE TOTAL can be in care COUNTING my own so I don't qualify anyway.

So, long story short. I don't allow parents to bring food AT ALL. All the kids eat the same things even if I have to adapt a little based on tolerances and ages etc. If a child HAD to have a special diet due to a REAL MEDICAL concern that's diagnosed and DOCUMENTED, I may not be able to accomodate them at all. But if I could accomodate them, and I could opt them out, I would. Then I would hand out menu's and what wouldn't work the parents would have to send meals.

If I allowed every parent to send meals and dictate every special thing their child could eat based only on a fad or a rumor or because they thought their child was Queen Victoria, then my program wouldn't work too well.

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Are you kidding me?
So he has food allergies, anxiety, asthma and maybe autism?
However, his medical states none of this?
No documents provided, and he was fine after eating your meal, AND talks about going to McDonald's!

Run!!!!!! And don't look back! O.M.G.

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I thought the mom was not being truthful originally, but seeing the way Daisy Mamma listed it out makes me agree even more! And it also makes me laugh

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