Berkeley Parents Network: Food at Preschool

Berkeley Parents Network

Food at Preschool

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > School & Preschool > Food at Preschool

Questions

Daughter not eating anything at preschool
How to improve snacks at preschool
Birthday treats at preschool

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Daughter not eating anything at preschool

Jan 2008

Our daughter is nearly 4 years old. She started preschool last September, has slowly adjusted, and seems to rather like the school. But she will not eat any of the food provided unless I drop in around lunch time and encourage her to try something. We've essentially stopped giving her food in the car with the understanding that unless she eats at school, she will not be snacking in the car. When we ask her why she doesn't eat at preschool, she says she doesn't feel like eating. Although she is clearly ravenous by the time I pick her up. The other day she said she might eat when she gets to be a big girl. It's rather disconcerting since all the rest of the ~38 kids eat their snack and lunch when it's given. anon

I don't have any real solution to your daughter who won't eat at preschool, but wanted to tell you that I did essentially the same thing when I was in preschool many years ago, and turned out just fine :) I do know that my preschool had rules of sorts (like you must have the soup if you want to eat the cookies) -- you might consider checking if there are some rules that could be bent or modified for your daughter. Good luck!

Try setting a date (say, 4 weeks from now) when she's going to be a ''big girl'' so she can start eating at school. Make a big deal out of the countdown (build a paper chain) have a ''big girl'' party if she eats at school on her big day. Worth a try? Until then, keep encouraging her to eat. Also, you don't specify how long she's at school, but if she's home by mid-afternoon, yeah she'll be ravenous, but she won't starve. If she's hungry enough, she'll eat. Paula

My son doesn't eat very often at preschool either. He is nearly 5 and has been at the same school, which he loves, since age 3. When I ask him why he didn't eat he usually says 'I didn't have time'. It drives me crazy, but I try not to let it since he's perfectly healthy. I suspect it's a mixture of the stimulating experience of sitting with all the other kids distracting him from eating, or perhaps he's just not hungry yet. They feed him a few crackers at 9:15, then a snack around 10:30, then eat lunch at 11:45. At home he doesn't get hungry until 1 or 2. Remember, kids will eat when they're hungry. Forcing the issue usually makes matters worse. I have resorted to asking him to bring home whatever he doesn't eat and have him eat it when we get home. I pack a balanced lunch each day so he at least knows what he SHOULD be eating, and remind him that he should be eating with all the other kids so he has energy to learn and play. Hopefully someday it will click for him. Good luck, and don't stress too much about it. I think it's a pretty common thing! anon

Ignore it. Don't punish her. Let her eat in the car, if that's what suits her. The more attention you put on the struggle, the deeper it will go. Alice

How to improve snacks at preschool

Feb 2003

My daughter's preschool does not serve what I consider the best snacks in the world. In an effort to improve on this, I'm working with another parent to try to get paren's to bring snacks on a regular basis. I know that some preschools do this; have parents rotate bringing snacks. If you participate in a preschool like that, I'd love to know the logistics of how you do it. Also, I'd love to hear from anyone else who may have experienced this problem and have solved it, or anyone who has some great ideas about this issue in general! I thank you and the kids at the preschool thank you! Hilary

I can tell you how we do things at our preschool (CCC, in North Berkeley), but it is a co-op, so the situation will no doubt be quite different from yours. Every family participates as parent-teachers one morning a week, so we're already on site. As participating parents, we have one of five potential jobs, which rotate. One of those jobs is snack. The snack parent brings enough snack for all the kids (26) and then serves it to them. Up to 8 kids at a time can sit at the snack table. We don't have any rules about what sort of food is okay, though this has periodically been subject to discussion. There is a sort of unofficial agreement not to bring meat or very sugary snacks. We avoid allergens. A typical snack is cheese cubes, crackers and grapes, but some parents bring or make miniature waffles, noodles, latkes, mini pizzas, etc. There is almost always some fresh fruit or vegetable. We almost always serve just water to drink. The kids get a good variety of snacks, and each parent brings a snack every 5 weeks. We have a tiny kitchen, but it doesn't have a stove or an oven, so cooking must be done in the microwave, the toaster or a hot-plate. Judith

I belong to a coop preschool and had some of the same issues about snacks. We had a nutritionist come to speak to our parents group and specifically asked her to talk about snacks. It was not expensive ($40). Lisa

I cannot agree with you more about the need to improve school snacks. What is cheap and convenient (i.e., has a long shelf life, can be stored for years in the classroom cupboard, still has a salty or sweet taste, but is deader than a doornail) tends to be the current trend. Nevermind that the children's palates will be perverted to wanting only salt and sweet, and refusing the healthy nutritious foods you offer.

Your plan to bring healthy foods is great but potentially time consuming. But a bowl of fresh fruit, some cut up veggies and a bean dip or avocado dip, some nuts and seeds with small quantities of dried fruit, cut up cheese all are fairly manageable and usually well-received by most of the children. A crockpot of homemade oatmeal can also be a lovely cold-day treat. I've made applesauce too.

Good luck with your efforts. It's really hard but so important to help children keep their palate for whole, healthy food. Another mom swimming upstream

Birthday treats at preschool

October 2002

We're new to the preschool scene and could use some advice. At our school the families can bring in a birthday treat to celebrate their child's birthday. This treat is eaten with the morning snack around 10:30. The school makes some reasonable suggestions for treats(popcorn, fruit, etc.)in the parent handbook. They ask that no chocolate or nuts are used due to allergies. Sounds fine, right? What has happened so far is that the parents have brought in these yucky super sugary cookies, both which had chocolate and nuts! When I asked the teachers about it they just threw up their hands and said, ''We keep asking but the parents just do what they want.'' There are several children who have allergies at the school too. And now the kids think you are ''supposed'' to bring cookies!

So I am looking for guidance. First off, what is the birthday/treat policy at your child's school?

What should I do? I am not happy about my child eating this junk, especially in the morning. If I approach the parent board what is the best way to do this?

Help! Frustrated Mom

I am a Preschool teacher and it is hard to tell parents what to bring. Our school also has a treat policy. But if parents bring things that are too sweet we cut them very small, and remove icing and such. I like it when kids bring fruit, muffins, popcorn, dinosour gramcrackers( these look like cookies; you can get them at any store I think) or oatmeal cookies can work. Some parents have brought fruit with wip cream which is less sugery but fun.

We also have parent that have requested their children not eat cetrain food because of allergies. These parent bring 'special' snacks for their children. Some kids have these even 'more special' snacks on birthdays so they can join in the fun. We never serve children food they are allergic to. Most children understand why they can not have certan foods.

I would say try and model what you thik is a good birthday snack, bring what you think if not to sweet but stil fun. It is hard when all the children bring cookies and your child wants to bring cookies too. Maybe make cookies at home that don't have too much suger ( if you have time) or have your child pick from some other things you are willig to bring.

Hope something helps.Good luck. J

I feel that along with a birthday is invariably a sugary snack and I am okay with that. As long as your child is offered a healthy snack along with it and at other scheduled snack times on regular days it should be fine. My child is allergic to chocolate, dairy, and nuts. I brought a box of doughnut holes on her birthday for the kids to share. The kids loved them and at least they are small!! Heather

All the preschool and elementary schools I have seen ban nuts of any kind at school, request nutritious snacks, but allow junk food for birthday treats. You should definitely approach the school about sticking to policies on allergy-sensitive foods, and even request that they reiterate the request for healthy snacks, but forget about eliminating treats for birthday snacks. It will never happen. Just remind yourself that the number of birthdays are limited and get used to it because this is only the beginning. another healthy snack parent

Someone mentioned that ''all the preschools I've seen ... allow junk food for birthday treats.''

Not true! The New School (preschool) has a very firm policy against junk food and sugar. Children are not even allowed to have lunches with sugared items in them. Both parents and teachers work together to achieve this ... it takes both sides. Birthday treats are fun and delicious -- but they do *not* contain sugar. And none of the children feel deprived.

Even with parent/teacher cooperation, I think that the driving force behind enforcement of a ''no sugar'' policy is always the director of the school. If the director is unwilling to be a leader for the school's stated policy, then that policy should not be written into their literature. If you place your child and pay your tuition, you don't want to feel mislead. anonymous

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