Do you pack your PK3 kid's lunch?

[Anonymous]

My kid is about to start PK3 at a Title 1 school. When we visited the school, the principal told us the food would be served family-style in the classroom, and that everything was according to Michelle Obama's healthy eating standards - no refined sugar, no white flour, etc. So I thought the food would be fine. Now I read here about the new Sodexo contract and am wondering if I need to pack my 3yo's lunch. I don't like the idea of him being possibly the only one in the classroom not sharing the same meal (we may well be the only upper middle class family in his class), and I had also thought that sharing food with the other kids would help him get over some of his picky eating behaviors. Now I'm wondering what I should do, since people familiar with DCPS lunches here seem to think that the food is atrocious. What are others with kids in this age group are planning on doing?

[Anonymous]

I'd pack it. At that age the kids really don't care what everyone else is doing.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to pack. Sodexo completely sucks and I don't trust them that the food even meets the standards. DD would probably like it better because she's used to a pretty junky daycare regime, but oh well.

[Anonymous]

I packed my PK4 kid's lunch this year. But at our school lunch wasn't served family style.

I personally hated school lunch and I gave my kid the option, she asked me to send her lunch. What I saw last year, the food seemed substantially similar to what she had gotten at daycare with less fruit/veggie variation.

[Anonymous]

Our teacher in a similar school asked everyone to eat the school lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd pack it. At that age the kids really don't care what everyone else is doing.

+1. Just help the teachers and try to make sure your DC can open any containers that you send. Practice a bit at home even.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our teacher in a similar school asked everyone to eat the school lunch.

Sorry but I'm not compromising my kid's health to make the teacher's life easier.

[Anonymous]

Gawd, the lunches are going to be awful and the kids can't even drink the lead tainted water. When is DCPS going to get it together?

[Anonymous]

If the lunch is served family style, I don't really see how one can prevent one's kid from eating it. Sure, you can send something, but your kid may just want to eat what everyone else eats and your food goes to waste.

[Anonymous]

I substitute teach in DCPS, and I felt like the school lunches were usually fine. I would start by having your child eat the school lunch and see how it goes. I see so many kids throwing out half of their home lunches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I packed my PK4 kid's lunch this year. But at our school lunch wasn't served family style.

I personally hated school lunch and I gave my kid the option, she asked me to send her lunch. What I saw last year, the food seemed substantially similar to what she had gotten at daycare with less fruit/veggie variation.

+1

[Anonymous]

I didn't, because I wanted to encourage her to try new foods and I wanted to save money. When she changed schools and lunch was no longer free, I again had her try school lunches (from a different provider), but after her mostly just eating the fruit and maybe one entree or sandwich a week, we agreed she could bring lunch from home. She's eating more and better now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I substitute teach in DCPS, and I felt like the school lunches were usually fine. I would start by having your child eat the school lunch and see how it goes. I see so many kids throwing out half of their home lunches.

I packed my PK4 child's lunch. Half of it would routinely return home in her lunch box, but in her class, leftovers brought in from home were not thrown away. I may or may not have recycled leftover apple slices into the next day's lunch (don't judge). Uneaten leftovers from school lunch, meanwhile, are routinely thrown away.

[Anonymous]

I didn't, because I wanted to encourage her to try new foods and I wanted to save money and hassle. When she changed schools and lunch was no longer free, I again had her try school lunches (from a different provider), but after her mostly just eating the fruit and maybe one entree or sandwich a week, we agreed she could bring lunch from home. She's eating more and better now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I substitute teach in DCPS, and I felt like the school lunches were usually fine. I would start by having your child eat the school lunch and see how it goes. I see so many kids throwing out half of their home lunches.

I packed my PK4 child's lunch. Half of it would routinely return home in her lunch box, but in her class, leftovers brought in from home were not thrown away. I may or may not have recycled leftover apple slices into the next day's lunch (don't judge). Uneaten leftovers from school lunch, meanwhile, are routinely thrown away.

many of my breakfasts during the school year are remaining half of sunbutter sandwiches returned uneaten