I don't serve breakfast. Morning snack is at 9:30am, which I do serve. My daycare kids (until January then it will change), some mornings, come at 7am.

One child came with an apple sauce, a granola bar, and I had been told she ate a fruit cup on the way.

The other child, I assume, ate nothing because his mom told me before that he doesn't really eat breakfast. He didnt come with anything to eat, either.

So anyway, my own kids get up, and what do they want? Pancakes. I had them premade from the day before so I only had so much, only enough for my own kids. Of course, the day care kids geot excited that yay, they're getting pancakes. But oop, no, they're not, they're wrong. Child #1 gets her apple sauce and Child #2 I felt bad for so I gave him a piece of fruit, which he did not eat.

There's a reason why I don't serve breakfast and I tell the parents in their handbooks that they either need to send breakfast or make sure they've eaten beforehand...the day care kids don't eat it. I throw away SO MUCH FOOD here. It's a waste of my food, we're on a strict budget and I can't afford to be throwing food away. I'm already considering not providing snacks anymore when my new policies roll out in January. Times are tight and I can not ask for any more rate increases. I already charge $30 a day and that is the high end of the home day care range in my area.

In the new year this will be a moot point because my hours will be changing and I will be opening much later than I do now. But for the time being, how would you have handled it, with regard to the child with no food sent? Would you have given something even though it says in your handbook that you won't, or just assumed he ate and not serve him until snack time?

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I probably would have offered the child/ren a bowl of cereal, which is relatively cheap if you don't buy the sugary name brands. While most cereals are going up, I can usually find things like corn flakes or off brand cheerios (20 oz boxes) 5 for $10. The plain cereal can be doctored up with sliced or dried fruit etc to make it "better". It's a quick and easy 'go-to' for the kids whose parents don't feed them in the mornings.

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this is why I serve breakfast because I would have people begging me for food. I think it depends when gets get up, because there is no way my kids would want to eat breaky at 5 or 6 in the morning. Also, I'm surprised how many kids eat in the car, arent' parents worried about chocking.

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I would have given him a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast. I feel bad for some of these kids. I've written about the dcb that gets up at 6:15 and comes to me about 8:00 and he gets those baby puffs as a "snack" before coming to me. He's around 18 months old. I always give him a bit of cereal while the other kids are arriving. I too wonder about the choking in the car. Almost all of my kids have food in the car.

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I'd just occupy the dc kids elsewhere while feeding my own. I've always fed my kids supper while dc kids were here (when I was open that late), or given them after-school snacks at a different time than the dc kids.

If your rule is "no breakfast" then you'd better be following your own rule .

You may end up with grumpy kids, but they won't starve. I would mention to the parent at pick-up time that Junior seemed really hungry this morning and could maybe handle having a little more to eat at home before coming to daycare.

I totally agree with the crazy amount of waste. Sometimes I think it would be easier to just throw my cash in the garbage .

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I have a personal policy that no child will go hungry at my house. Over the years in this business I have seen too many children hungry.. not because mom and dad were lazy and did not try to feed them, but because mom and dad were in a bind and there was always little to no food in the house.

I serve breakfast, but if for some reason a child comes in after breakfast and they are hungry I will give them something to eat, even if its just a few crackers with peanut butter.

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I've never had the issue come up. Actually, I have the opposite issue. I have parents bring fruit, bagels, muffins, danishes, Munchkins, etc. at least once per week. I generally dole these out as snacks throughout the day.

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I think the bolded things are important!!

Occupy the DCK's while your kids eat. IME, even if the DCK's were fed a 7 course meal before arriving, nature says they want to eat again just because someone else is eating...kwim?

I also would NOT bend or break my own rule/policy. I know everyone says "but the poor kids" or "I can't let them starve". Well, if there own parent wasn't concerned about them "starving" I am assuming they (the parents) are assuming that I will feel bad and will just feed their child....after all, no one would let a child go hungry.... I am not trying to be rude, but this falls on the parent.

If a child really is hungry and dad/mom didn't feed them and I honestly thought they were simply letting me feel bad and feed the child, I would call them out on it and I would probably call them back to daycare and ask them to get their child some breakfast and then come back.

I understand that children are children and we should all be looking out for them but I also think there is way too much shrugging responsibilty off onto the child care provider when it comes to this issue and others like it.

Tell the parents...make them responsible. If you cannot afford to feed the children and parents are reuired to bring their child fed, then insist on it.


fwiw~ I would NEVER let a child actually go hungry...I just HATE that so much of the normal every day parenting responsibilities are just pushed off onto providers but yet when it comes to paying for their child's care we get poo'ed on...kwim?

Maybe feed the child and then attach a fee to the parents bill for the food since they didn't do as they contractually agreed to do and left it for you to deal with. Maybe a fee for the food would be a win-win for everyone.

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IM usually the only one that doesnt get time to eat

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I understand what people are saying, but I, personally, can't just let a child be hungry. I would at least offer a piece of toast. (I have a 9 yo that's a super picky eater, so I only give him frozen pancakes, plain turkey sandwiches, and popcorn)

Adding a fee would be a good idea IF the provider wanted to make it a habit.

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