I'm going through it now and doing a self-assessment but I'm confused in the Meals/Snacks portion.

1.1 says that if parents provide the food that the provider must check nutritional adequacy and supplement when needed. How are we supposed to do that? Unless the parent provides the ingredient amount won't it be hard for us to do that?

Also in 1.5 it says "no accommodations made for children's food allergies or family dietary restrictions". I already make exceptions for allergies as they are medical restrictions but I require a DR's note. Does this provision include personal beliefs such as vegetarianism, etc? I just require the parent to provide the child's food under any circumstance that a a DCK can't eat what I serve if it will majorly impact my meal plans unless its a medical condition but now I realize that if parents send the food it has to meet nutrition guidelines. I have had parents with kids that only want to eat chicken nuggets, corn dogs, boxed Mac n cheese etc and so I have a policy that says no outside food but these families have asked to be able to provide their child's meals instead of eating my healthy meals. I of course said no but does this mean that it would count against me when scoring this part of FCCERS?

It's sort of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" isn't it? If I say no outside food I get a score of 1 but if I allow it then parents will try to send food from home and then I have to check the nutritional value and supplement missing components.

Anyone have any insight?

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Welcome to the madness! Funny thing I don't think ours even says anything about food. I will look into it and get back to you. Might be awhile as I have a million things to do during nap.

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Thanks ... I'm really hoping that it only counts when families have allergies, medical reasons or due to personal beliefs such as religion, vegetarianism, veganism etc. and NOT just because a parent says that their kid is a picky eater. .

I'd hate to score a 1 here just because I choose to only provide healthy meals that meed the guidelines. I wonder if I would make the exception and allow families to bring food from home but under the requirement that it HAS to meet food program guidelines if it would count. I hope so ... if not I guess I score a 1 .

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You are fine. If you are even asked, simply state that you provide all meals and that you honor the cultural diversity of the group, offering foods that meet the requests of families, provided that they are healthy choices. Dietary restrictions would be cultural, or, say a parent doesn't want their child drinking cow milk, but rather soy milk.....then either they or you could provide soy milk instead of cow milk.

If you have children with specific allergies, somewhere in your kitchen post a "food allergies chart" (inside of a cupboard is fine) post the names and the exact food allergies. On the day of your assessment, provide a healthy snack or meal that meets the nutritional guidelines and that's that. Be sure to show your chart as well.

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The FCCERS is the same everywhere. Yours does have the food guidelines in it.

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OK good thanks.

When it comes to allergies I preffer to simply not serve whatever foods that a child is allergic to. For example I have a DCG that's allergic to peanuts so I simply don't serve any type of peanut product during DC hours even on days that she's not here. It's simple enough for me to substitute it with something else anyway and I remove the risk of accidental contamination with surfaces or other foods. I also already serve soy milk to one child (besides my own 2 kids) because the parent believes that it's healthier than regular milk so they provide a carton of soy milk for him and I don't claim this child's meals for the food program (but still claim it for my taxes).

I was just worried that if I refused to allow a family to provide their child's food because the child was a picky eater and would only "eat certain foods" that I'd get dinged.

For example I'm hispanic and although I'd love to serve foods native to mexico our traditional foods are high in carbs, sodium and fat. Culturally it would be right for me to allow a family to provide a child with a meal of chile con carne, refried beans made of lard and chorizo, mexican rice and several corn tortillas (an actual meal that has been brought for me to serve their child) however it is deffinetely not a healthy meal. I just want to make sure that I can say "as long as it meets food program guidelines" and still be ok .

Allowing one child to bring their own meals but serving other children something else can also complicate meal times KWIM? In the case of the DCB with the soy milk ... the other kids don't know that DCB and my 2 kids are drinking anything different since it's similar in color. I prefer to only allow it if they have medical and/or religious/spiritual beliefs.

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You know the parents can sign a form that allows you to substitute soy for regular milk, without a doctor's recommendation, so that you can be paid by the food program, right?

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REALLY?!?!?!?! . I specifically asked my food program analyst if there was some way to substitute dairy milk with soy milk and she said no. I was told that I could only substitute it with a DR's note and that even with a note it wasn't claimable. Grrr. A whole year of unpaid meals for this child .

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Mine said the same thing! Everything has to have a drs note and it has to be allergy related is what mine said.

Of course I have to actually have the child sit down in front of the food to claim it, I find this out after 17 years of doing this!

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Heres what mine says for a 5 star under the food portion:

Program personnel provide instruction about healthy nutrition, including: instruction on eating from the USDA guidelines, instruction on how foods help bodies grow, and how good nutrition helps keep bodies healthy. Instruction is delivered in a positive manner;using naturally occuring opportunities; on an individual basis; and during group activities.

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I don't think this is the FCCERS? Maybe I am confused.

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I will see if I can find the form for you.

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This comes right from our rating system manual. Once again though remember each state is different and maybe this is what ours wants.

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Here is the form. It does not need to be signed by a physician, but it does need to be for a special dietary need, not just a taste preference. The parent will have to state why they are substituting with Soy, so I would ask them to put lactose intolerance or "cultural beliefs" or something of the like. I would emai it to your analyst and show her that it is accepted by the CACFP.

http://www.beanstalk.ws/images/milksubform.pdf

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Oh, okay.We are talking about the FCCERS, which is used nationally:

http://ers.fpg.unc.edu/

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So is it different then for every state of what they are looking for? We have nothing in our manual like MV is talking about. What posted earlier is the only thing listed for food in our manual.

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It seems to me the alternate milk without the dr note came with the move to 1% / skim milk I remember getting a note showing which soy/rice and other milk would be creditable.

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When my food program rep visited last month she told me that soy milk is now credible without a doctor's statement or special diet statement.

She gave me a list of credible brands:

• 8th Continent Original Soy milk
• Pacific Natural Ultra Soymilk (Plain or Vanilla)
• Wlmart Great Value Origianl Soy milk
• Kikkoman Pearl Organic Soymilk Creamy Vanilla
• Sunrich Naturals Original or Vanilla Soymilk

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I think what you are referring to is your states QRIS rating scale? I'm referring to the FCCERS which is the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale. Mine is the revised edition from the 1989 version. So I guess its really the FCCERS-R. If you and I are talking about the same thing then perhaps you have the original? I know the one I have was revised a few years ago.

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Yes, mine is the QRIS. Sorry for the confusion. I didn't know there was another program that used a star for a rating system.

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MarinaVanessa,
Are you on the food program? I am assuming so. If so, then what they bring from home has to follow the USDA guidelines to be claimable and if so, then you are fine. I think that is what the FCCERS means by nutrition guidelines - having the right portions of all required food groups at each meal/snack.

I personally don't allow 'picky eaters.' Kids get served what I serve them and they eat or don't eat. I don't let parents bring food unless it is alternate milk, etc. and even then, I'm picky and hoping it's only food allergies. I don't want to put up with the hassle of different meals to serve. How do you do it?

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