Frustrated with bad daycare food/snacks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We, as moms and dads, need to start demanding more from our preschools!! They are caring for our children - including their physical health, which should mean what they are feeding our kids too. We should push them to do more. And, as someone mentioned, it's not just what they serve, it's how they use food - as a reward, as punishment. What are they teaching our kids?!?! Unacceptable. Do parents care though? I'm surprised so few people have commented on this post....Would love to start a petition as one way of encouraging change...think it'd get momentum?

Not all preschools serve unhealthy foods; maybe that's why there haven't been more responses. My DC's school serves organic, whole foods and they are pretty insistent that any snacks or lunches sent to school be the same. If a kid brings in an "unhealthy" snack from home they substitute something that fits the guidelines. They make their own whole grain bread and hummus every week, along with a variety of other healthy offerings that the kids can help make.

If you want to have the same at your school you will need to approach the director and other parents. Is that what you mean by starting a petition? Unless you are in a public school I don't think trying to petition on a larger scale would go anywhere.

This would annoy me to no end.

I'm 12:41, and yes, we roll our eyes about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just bring your own snack and say your kid has allergies or other food sensitivity and they will not play around. My kid's egg allergy made the day care paranoid and they were vigilant about only feeding what I sent in if I specified it.

and this is why many people think allergies are no big deal and a joke these days. I hate when people don;t like something and lie about being allergic to it. Don't lie about your kid having an allergy when they don't. if you don't want them eating the snacks then be honest about "I don't like the snacks you are providing and if you are nto going to imporve the quality then I would like to send in my own snacks."

Thank you for saying this. Parents not being truthful about allergies is probably the reason our daycare requires a letter from the ped stating exactly what allergies the child has, otherwise you cannot bring in any outside food (unless it is a special snack day and they are requesting something like fruit for fruit salad). All food is provided by the daycare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just bring your own snack and say your kid has allergies or other food sensitivity and they will not play around. My kid's egg allergy made the day care paranoid and they were vigilant about only feeding what I sent in if I specified it.

I'm sure parents with real allergies must love you.

Are you always this passive aggressive? Or just fear adult interaction?

[Anonymous]

If you children don't eat healthy food/snacks now, they will probably never eat later on. On top will get all kinds of sicknesses in that regard. If you provider/school not providing healthy food- run away from there. But also, please remember that kids are also people, they like time to time sweet or little salty. Everything in moderation. But food from the early childhood - it's the most important for a healthy body. As a provider, I can see that kids learn better when they have hot breakfast, they sleep better when they have healthy (cooked daily lunch) and good snack before going home to eat good dinner. I don't grow veggies, yet, but we are cooking everyday hot breakfast and lunches and our kids are healthy and parents are happy.

The worst menu I ever saw it was at Childtime in Bethesda. I cannot believe that kind horrible food kid eat there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you children don't eat healthy food/snacks now, they will probably never eat later on. On top will get all kinds of sicknesses in that regard. If you provider/school not providing healthy food- run away from there. But also, please remember that kids are also people, they like time to time sweet or little salty. Everything in moderation. But food from the early childhood - it's the most important for a healthy body. As a provider, I can see that kids learn better when they have hot breakfast, they sleep better when they have healthy (cooked daily lunch) and good snack before going home to eat good dinner. I don't grow veggies, yet, but we are cooking everyday hot breakfast and lunches and our kids are healthy and parents are happy.

The worst menu I ever saw it was at Childtime in Bethesda. I cannot believe that kind horrible food kid eat there.

As a provider, do you get any guidance on what to serve - what "healthy" is or do you just go with what you know as healthy? Does anyone train you and your teachers on how to talk to kids about food, healthy eating, trying new things etc? I don't think they do at my child's child care center but I can't tell if that's the exception or the norm.

[Anonymous]

How about just raising your kid yourself. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you children don't eat healthy food/snacks now, they will probably never eat later on. On top will get all kinds of sicknesses in that regard. If you provider/school not providing healthy food- run away from there. But also, please remember that kids are also people, they like time to time sweet or little salty. Everything in moderation. But food from the early childhood - it's the most important for a healthy body. As a provider, I can see that kids learn better when they have hot breakfast, they sleep better when they have healthy (cooked daily lunch) and good snack before going home to eat good dinner. I don't grow veggies, yet, but we are cooking everyday hot breakfast and lunches and our kids are healthy and parents are happy.

The worst menu I ever saw it was at Childtime in Bethesda. I cannot believe that kind horrible food kid eat there.

As a provider, do you get any guidance on what to serve - what "healthy" is or do you just go with what you know as healthy? Does anyone train you and your teachers on how to talk to kids about food, healthy eating, trying new things etc? I don't think they do at my child's child care center but I can't tell if that's the exception or the norm.

There is minimum guidance from the MD licence department. The biggest point for them it's has to be nutrition and portions control. They not really strict on healthy aspect. Every center should submit Menu to the licence agency for approval. I try new healthy foods from books and other sources for kids, because i really believe myself and i can see how kids are benefiting also. I am also grew up in the country where we had to cook meals everyday and enjoyed family time at the table not around fridge.

[Anonymous]

To 10/19/2012 20:10:

Can you tell me more about the menu at Childtime Bethesda? I thought they subscribed to the same food service at BCDS and others in the area?? See menu here:
http://bethesdacountrydayschool.com/page.cfm?p=15343

It doesn't seem TOO bad although I kind of see what you're saying with the Goldfish and wafers some afternoons. We were thinking of moving to a school that uses the same catering service and now we're worried.

[Anonymous]

I checked Childtime"s website menu is not posted. I saw it when i was there for a tour (it was posted on the wall for the parents). What I saw it was kids 2 plus years old eating soup
or something from the can. It scary to me if that was the lunch and then I saw the menu for a week. I know there are a lot of pluses to be in downtown Bethesda, but eating that kind of food from toddlers age will create many health problems late in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about just raising your kid yourself. Problem solved.

Mitt, shouldn't you be out campaigning instead of trolling these boards?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about just raising your kid yourself. Problem solved.

Mitt, shouldn't you be out campaigning instead of trolling these boards?

We're all stuck in our binders. Makes childcare difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about just raising your kid yourself. Problem solved.

Sure, make sure you only see male doctors, male peds, male lawyers, etc.

Don't you DARE let a female deliver your child. Because that OB should be home watching her kids.

[Anonymous]

I think everyone has a different definition of what "healthy" is and perhaps that is why there isn't wide spread agreeement/support for changes at day cares. And, maybe we are all just busy, tired and overwhelmed?! (or maybe just me!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To 10/19/2012 20:10:

Can you tell me more about the menu at Childtime Bethesda? I thought they subscribed to the same food service at BCDS and others in the area?? See menu here:
http://bethesdacountrydayschool.com/page.cfm?p=15343

It doesn't seem TOO bad although I kind of see what you're saying with the Goldfish and wafers some afternoons. We were thinking of moving to a school that uses the same catering service and now we're worried.

BCDS menu is much better then Childteme. Why Childtime will be subscribing the same food service as BCDS?

What i saw on the menu at Childtime (pizza, burgers, canned food) basically 100% processed food, nothing freshly cooked, that is for sure not Healthy and kids will be sick after eating this......for couple of years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think everyone has a different definition of what "healthy" is and perhaps that is why there isn't wide spread agreeement/support for changes at day cares. And, maybe we are all just busy, tired and overwhelmed?! (or maybe just me!)

As a parents we can be busy and overwhelmed, but as a professional businesses they can and should to allocate the time and money to feed our kids healthy enough food. It's very important if they get good habbits about food, it will stay with them for rest of the life. We already have generations of kids who was growing up on burgers and french fries and they all have health issues, isn't?