Expectations of preschools re: Allergies?

[Anonymous]

We are currently looking at preschools for our child with a sesame allergy. What are reasonable expectations for preschools regarding the handling of allergies?

So far we have toured schools that had no idea sesame was an allergen nor an ingredient in hummus, schools that would ask students in our class not to bring sesame containing foods and schools that are nut-free and allergy aware (I.e. everyone is informed of a child’s allergy).

Obviously we will have to navigate this for life and the schools with zero knowledge have been immediately eliminated, but looking for advice of how parents with non-nut allergy kiddos have navigated school.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I have a DS with a sesame allergy; he also had a peanut allergy in preschool. I think it’s asking too much to want a sesame free environment. You just need to make sure he doesn’t consume it. I always had a box of treats set aside with the classroom teacher just for him so she could give him something if treats were brought in. One time they did an international day and were trying foods in different classrooms. I hung a big tag on his shirt listing his allergies in red ink, just to be safe. Overall we never had any issues.

[Anonymous]

PS. I have often (and still do) remind people that tahini is sesame and that it’s usually in hummus. Eventually your child will learn to advocate for himself. Preschool and beyond I always packed his lunch or snack and really wasn’t an issue.

[Anonymous]

Also, my bigger concern was eating out at Asian restaurants due to sesame oil.

[Anonymous]

Look up the licensing regulations for your state and those will be the minimum standards you can expect. With an allergy like sesame, you'll need to educate and advocate for your child. It feels big and important, but remember not to focus your search so closely on their response to a rare-ish allergen than on the big picture of whether that school will be a good fit for your kid/family. I'd prefer a school where the teachers were open to learning and implementing new safety practices than one where they seemed to have all the right answers and I was so focused on that that I ignored other potential issues.

[Anonymous]

My kid has an egg allergy. Here’s what our school does, which I’ve been happy with:

They send home menus of the food they are serving for that month with ingredient lists. We mark up the menus to show what she can’t eat. Usually there are enough options that we don’t need to send food, but 2-3x per month we do need to send in lunch, which is fine. I’ve had teachers tell me they didn’t know egg was in certain things, like the fresh pastas or salad dressing, but I think being clear about what DD can and can’t eat is really our responsibility. I wouldn’t read too much into the hummus comment.

Kids with allergies get a red placemat. The allergy is listed in large letters and is also posted on her cubby next to a photo of her.

We have an “allergy plan” on file at the school from DD’s allergist explaining what to do if there is an exposure. We keep an epipen at school but thankfully they’ve never needed to use it.

If someone unexpectedly sends in food for a birthday or something, they send a photo of ingredients through the app and get permission before giving it to her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are currently looking at preschools for our child with a sesame allergy. What are reasonable expectations for preschools regarding the handling of allergies?

So far we have toured schools that had no idea sesame was an allergen nor an ingredient in hummus, schools that would ask students in our class not to bring sesame containing foods and schools that are nut-free and allergy aware (I.e. everyone is informed of a child’s allergy).

Obviously we will have to navigate this for life and the schools with zero knowledge have been immediately eliminated, but looking for advice of how parents with non-nut allergy kiddos have navigated school.

Thank you!

There are too many changes in staff to expect the staff to know whats in food. You can have all the placements or sticks or actions plans, which are necessary, but the biggest thing is to make sure she never has food that is not prepared or approved by you or your spouse. This meant that I provided all snacks and meals. If there was a special snack, I got asked. Teachers would normally send a quick message through the portal saying we are making X for our pirate party and heres whats being served. I usually needed to replace 1/2 items since it was dairy-related and dairy is in everything. For any treats that came home like goody bags or easter hunt candy, we went through it that day. Keep high-value treats there, if needed, for birthday celebrations where the parents dont notify in advance. One of the most difficult days we had was a parent "surprising the class" with chick fil a lunch, milk, and cookie cake. My son can have NONE of that. He was pretty sad that day. A PBJ, water, and bakery bar dont really equate. Allergy-free facilities are shown to have more accidents because everyone assumes that the location is safe versus other mitigation techniques.


I am surprised some places did not know since sesame is a top 9 allergen.

[Anonymous]

My younger DD is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, egg, and peas. Most of the daycares we looked into were already peanut and tree nut free. Egg is a bit tricky because, similar to sesame, people aren’t as aware of what all may contain egg. She’s also contact-reactive, which is hard at her age (2.5yo). Our daycare provides snacks and lunch, and all items served to her are pre-approved by us. They seat her at the same table as her classmates but with a bit of spacing so there’s no risk of “sharing” food with friends. They also ensure that all children wash hands immediately after eating to try to help prevent contact reactions.
My only real concern is when parents bring in treats for birthdays and holidays. So far, we have managed it well by providing a small stash of safe treats for her there at daycare that they can pull from when surprise cookies and cupcakes show up. The lead teacher in the room also has an older daughter with severe food allergies and I feel comfortable with her knowledge of mitigating risks.

[Anonymous]

And this probably goes without saying, but absolutely make sure that you have a FARE care plan from your allergist along with EpiPens on site with your child at all times. If they take a field trip, those EpiPens should go along. Staff should be well-trained in using your child’s EpiPen (note that they don’t all work the same way…there are variations between generic, non-generic, AuviQ, etc). And they should be aware of the specific signs of allergic reaction for your child.