Schools with nutritious food and little to no screentime

[Anonymous]

Trying to narrow down our search for open house season. Tell me if I should be posting this to another board.
We will be moving in the summer (DC will be going into 1st grade) and we can technically move wherever makes the most sense, but we’d prefer to stay in DC as we like walking everywhere (currently live a few blocks from the yellow/green line). Some schools that looked good based on enrichment were Hearst, Murch, Eaton, Janney, and Mann (with a preference for the smaller schools). We love all of the neighborhoods, but some of our other priorities are hard to know until you actually start attending the school (they always say there’s minimal screentime in the open houses, for example).

These are our priorities:

1. Walkable commute to school (and playgrounds, library, groceries, etc)
2. Little to no screen time (besides iReady). Our current school has screentime/tv on in beforecare, during the day, and in aftercare. When we asked about it, their response was “We encourage our staff to incorporate this technology into the program to further engage students.” From what our DC reports (Bluey, Peppa Pig, lots of movies), the screen time isn’t furthering their learning. During a week where it rained every day, they just stayed in and watched tv/movies. I worry that they’ll get even more screentime in the colder months when they’re stuck indoors.
3. In-house meal prep or a healthy catering option. I know this is a long shot, but we’d love a school that prioritizes whole foods and isn’t stuck with the typical DC food vendors. Our current school (Title 1) is contracted with SodexoMagic and we do as much as we can to avoid it (breakfast at home, send in lunch) but the menus are so lacking (sugary cereals and muffins) and aftercare just hands out junk food. Every single school event is focused around candy or junk food (the teacher even passes out candy for doing well on assignments and when we said we try not to use candy as an incentive, she just stopped giving our kid candy with no alternative so our kid of course feels left out when every other kid gets candy for a reward, sigh). Totally understand the need to support kids who don’t have good food options outside of school, but is this the best they can do nutrition wise? We always sign up to bring in class snacks and send in better options but it feels like a drop in the bucket. Maybe we need a private, crunchy school, but where does that even exist around here? I was on a zoom call a while back where a person was saying their school doesn’t allow packaged cupcakes to be brought in for school birthdays. I didn’t know this person well enough to say “where do you live because I want to move there” (I think she lives in Maryland, maybe Silver Spring area) but it made me think it’s possible to find a school that aligns with our values. My dream is one of those schools where all of the meals are made from the food the kids grow in their garden (https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/port-towsend-district-uses-produce-from-its-garden-for-school-meals/) and rewards are little toys or knick knacks. And school birthdays are celebrated with games and activities.
4. Good comms with parents
5. No cell phone policy (for the feeder middle school as well)

Can anyone recommend any schools that align with these priorities (or some of them, e.g. #1 and 2 or #1 and 3)? Our current school has a very welcoming environment (which we love) but we have been pretty disappointed otherwise. We are willing to move to MD or VA if there are walkable communities. I’m guessing it’s too late to get into any charter schools that could fit the bill, though maybe there are some in MD? We would be willing to pay for a private school, but wonder if they would even fit the bill and feels crazy that we couldn’t find a public school with no screentime and good food. Are we asking for too much?

[Anonymous]

The rampant amount of screen time in school goes against every bit of currant scientific research.

Parents must demand better. Many more children are now struggling to communicate in plain spoken English.

[Anonymous]

Good luck with that. Pack a lunch and or homeschool.

[Anonymous]

Look for a Waldorf school - they will have what you are looking for

[Anonymous]

You can pack a lunch at any school-even if tuition includes lunch.

[Anonymous]

Our Lady of Lourdes has no screen policy. They could work on their food though.

[Anonymous]

OP here! Thanks for those who mentioned actual suggestions (Waldorf, Lady of Lourdes). We already pack her lunch, in addition to giving her breakfast at home super early, since we send her in for beforecare and don’t want her to get stuck eating their breakfast menu which would just be sugary cereals. It’s junk food and candy for snacks during class before they dismiss in the afternoon, at aftercare (provided by the school), for incentives to do well in school, and for every school event. I was looking for actual school names where people have experience with a whole food-based school culture and candy isn’t used as an incentive. Or at least if she’s getting plied with junk food, she isn’t also glued to a screen all day on top of it.

[Anonymous]

Start your own school. You sound exhausting.

[Anonymous]

Home school, where you control everything about your kid.

[Anonymous]

I second the Waldorf school.

[Anonymous]

Pack her lunch and get an after school nanny. She can have a healthy snack at home. Look for Catholic schools and ask about their technology in the lower grades.

[Anonymous]

I don't know OP, but I can tell you that public schools in Montgomery County MD are exactly as you describe. I have two elementary schoolers. The screen time has gotten a bit better since kindergarten - definitely less as they get older - but I pack lunch daily because the school food is so bad, and absolutely there are tons of treats. After care is particularly terrible with food. That said, it depends on the kid, too. My older kid will find and eat ALL the snacks. My younger one just isn't as into it and frequently brings an apple or pretzels because she doesn't like the snack offerings (chips, go-gurt, pop tarts ... wish I were kidding about pop tarts but I'm not).

So in my limited experience, I think you'd have a better shot at a private school. The public schools don't have the resources for healthy food, even in affluent areas. They contract out to the cheap, mass-produced crap food companies. They have no money and no alternatives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Start your own school. You sound exhausting.

+1

[Anonymous]

Montessori may also be an option, however, if your kids are older, they may not transition well to a model where they are not told what to do all day. Holton-Arms (girls only) has good food prepared on-site. Not sure about their screentime, but it does cost about $55k a year. Adults give kids junk food because it's cheap and doesn't spoil and have them watch screens because it shuts them up and keeps them from making messes and fighting with each other. Caring for children is difficult. We did no before or after-care, sent to Montessori through sixth grade, packed lunches, and limited screens at home. Kid is now 18 and doing well--still stuck on her phone all day, though.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the additional helpful responses and insight into MCPS, Montessori, and Holton-Arms! For those telling me I sound exhausting and to start my own school, maybe spend less time making snarky unhelpful responses.