PreK School Snacks.."that mom"

[angelica]

Last year in preschool my sons class did individual snacks, this year he's in the class that does "shared snack". When it's the kids day to bring in snack they also do their show and tell. I am health conscious, and try to feed my familyvegetarian/wholefood/plant based yadayada food and to "make matters worse" I am also environmentally conscious so I opt out of buying prepackaged snacks and juice when possible, but as a busy mom, that's not always realistic. I know most people don't care, but I do.

 

Yesterday was my sons turn and I sent in organic graham crackers, back to nature rounds and and some organic flavrz pouch things to add to water. My son likes these snack treats and was excited to share with his class. Well today my son got fruit snacks and a juice box. It was not "organic" or "non gmo" and even it was, I would still be annoyed. I compromise and give him a zbar or fig bars for outings and what not but when I can't afford to buy that for 15 kids every two weeks. I get why others buy cheap snacks like hi-c and goldfish, because it's expensive to feed kids healthy, especially in bulk. 

 

I don't feel right just marching along and allowing him to eat whatever other parents decide to bring for snack 4 days a week. I already spoke with the teacher since she knew my son ate "a special diet" as she kindly put it. Last year I was the mom whose son wasn't allowed to have dum dums.

 

What I would really like to see is that group snacks get dropped and just do show and tell, but I'm not the teacher and I don't feel it's my place to suggest that. Theres about 5 more kids left on the list, and she already wants everyone to bring in their own cup to save on the dixie trash/cost, so maybe now would be a good time to just suggest having all kids bring in their own snacks in reusable containers? I don't know.. Any ideas or suggestions on how to handle this? I plan to email and talk to her in person after class tomorrow but in the meantime I had to get these feelings off my chest.

 

My son is super picky as it is and I just feel that this whole food at school things makes things more complicated. He's there for iep speech, and I know diet is one way to help accelerate things, but this just seems counter productive to what I do try so hard to do at home. 

 

HELP!

[Bluegoat]

I have a few thoughts:

 

About the cost - I know you provide for the whole class when its your turn, but since other parents do on other days, doesn't it come to the same cost you would see if you just provided a snack for your son each day?

 

I tend to think it is actually just best to be relaxed about what kids eat in groups.  Barring real allergies or helth problems, I am not convinced that a bleh snack once a day is actually going to have much health impact if the rest of the diet is pretty good.  On the other hand, kids I've known whose parents really restricted such foods have been actually more inclined to become very focused on them. 

 

Those things being said - I think a lot of parents actually find group snacks annoying for all kinds of reasons.  It might be that lots of other parents would rather do individual ones as well.  I think it is worth mentioning to the teacher - if there is a reason she prefers this approach, she will let you know.

 

[Excelsior! Academy]

I see that you are new here.  Welcome!

 

When my dc were in ps, we had a similar set up, bring snacks and drinks for the class on show and tell day.  Our show and tell day occurred pretty infrequently, like a couple of times a semester.  Unless it is a true food allergy, I would let it go.  When we provided snacks the teacher might split a standard sized goldfish bag between 20 kids.  A tiny handful of goldfish several times a week won't derail an otherwise uber healthy diet.  If you *really* don't want your child to partake, then ask the teacher if you can leave snacks for your child, then just restock as needed.  When its time to send your snacks you can either send something inexpensive like goldfish, while still letting your child eat the pre-stocked and agreed upon snack or just plan to budget for one for the class that you would rather send.

[poppy]

I am a vegetarian. I would let it go. Preschool is just a year.... No shared snacks after this. The benefits of being part of the tribe outweigh the negatives of the nasty goldfish Ingredient list. To me.

[texasmama]

I agree with the above.

[Guest]

Another vote for "let it go". Sorry!

[Guest]

I have a few thoughts:

 

About the cost - I know you provide for the whole class when its your turn, but since other parents do on other days, doesn't it come to the same cost you would see if you just provided a snack for your son each day?

 

I tend to think it is actually just best to be relaxed about what kids eat in groups. Barring real allergies or helth problems, I am not convinced that a bleh snack once a day is actually going to have much health impact if the rest of the diet is pretty good. On the other hand, kids I've known whose parents really restricted such foods have been actually more inclined to become very focused on them.

 

Those things being said - I think a lot of parents actually find group snacks annoying for all kinds of reasons. It might be that lots of other parents would rather do individual ones as well. I think it is worth mentioning to the teacher - if there is a reason she prefers this approach, she will let you know.

You said it better than I was going to.

 

OP, I get it. I *loathe* group snacks and have lobbied, unsuccessfully, for years to have our sports team not do shared snacks. I am a Zero-Waster, too, and my dilemma includes not wanting to end up with snack and drink trash galore. But I did/do allow my kids to go along with the provided snack because this is not a hill I want to die on and I already have mentioned this a billion times to coaches and parents for sports teams, which we have been involved in for fourteen years. I have made little headway. The best I can do is do the snacks my way when it is my turn and urge recycling of bottles when it is not.

[catz]

I was a vegetarian for years and my first child was for years too, including when he was in preschool.  You could talk to the teacher about letting your child bring his own snack and opting out.  Group snacks generally annoy me too.

 

Honestly, I would and have let it go.  Both my kids went to preschool and did Sunday school programs with snacks starting at 3.  It was 2-4 times a week for 1 snack, and it was like a hand full of crackers, goldfish, etc.  Usually not a big deal to me.  My dd has one friend who is now 12 we've known since she was a toddler.  They are neighbors.  Her parents have always been HIGHLY picky and controlling about when and what their kids will eat.   That kid starts asking for snacks when she walks through the door and I've found her raiding my pantry and had things disappear. 

[Guest]

Slightly off topic but I have to ask - Danielle, with things like in shell peanuts and zero waste habits do you just, like, compost them? I've always been slightly fascinated by how one pulls that off. We generate low garbage for a family our size because I cook from scratch, but I'm nowhere near zero!

[redsquirrel]

I was 'that mom' as well and it's not worth it. I agree that it might be worth asking the teacher if she is open to returning to sending individual snacks, but many teachers like to have that time when students can share food. I can see the benefit.

 

Honestly, this is not a hill to die on.

 

My friend's kids went to a pre-school (I don't have experience with them) and they rotated snacks. Everyone had their turn to bring a fruit and a vegetable. That was the snack. The kids had a small serving of fruit and a small serving of a vegetable.  Maybe you could suggest that.  It was mostly apple slices and baby carrots. I would much prefer my kids had that instead of organic graham crackers and a flavor pouch. 

[texasmama]

And while I'm here, I will say that group snacks almost never work for my kids.  We are gluten free, and snacks almost always have gluten.  I hate group snacks.  I really don't understand why playing a light sport for less than an hour renders kids needing sustenance in order to make the drive home.  Geez, I will be glad when we are past this stage.

[Farrar]

I get the social value of the group snacks when it's everyone bring a fruit to make a fruit salad or the like. When it's send "something" and everyone sends individual bags of crackers or cookies or whatever, then I don't get the social value.

 

But I think it's not a hill to die on. Live your values but barring a real allergy, don't worry about the one non-organic cracker he gets a day.

[Guest]

Slightly off topic but I have to ask - Danielle, with things like in shell peanuts and zero waste habits do you just, like, compost them? I've always been slightly fascinated by how one pulls that off. We generate low garbage for a family our size because I cook from scratch, but I'm nowhere near zero!

Yes, I compost them. I am nowhere near Zero. I go by the thinking that every little bit helps. I can't control all the trash and my family is not as compelled as I am. So, trash happens. But the less, the better.

[SKL]

I agree with "annoying, but not a hill to die on."

 

Adjust the rest of your meals to make up for the fact that he had empty junk calories at snack.

[redsquirrel]

And while I'm here, I will say that group snacks almost never work for my kids.  We are gluten free, and snacks almost always have gluten.  I hate group snacks.  I really don't understand why playing a light sport for less than an hour renders kids needing sustenance in order to make the drive home.  Geez, I will be glad when we are past this stage.

 

sing it! I could not agree more

[Tanaqui]

Arctic Mama - and this is MY sole derail - peanut shells are a good source of "brown" compost (carbon-heavy), something that is sorely lacking in every season that isn't fall, so yes, one would generally compost those. One tries to layer brown and green (nitrogen-heavy) materials to make the compost go faster and be more balanced.

 

On topic, I hate shared snacks as well. Drives me batty, and you know what? Out of your kid's classroom, I bet you're not the only one wondering if you should say something.

[SKL]

I never had to do this for preschool, because my kids' preschool provided all the food and snacks.  I think that's the way it should be, but nobody asked me.  :P

[KungFuPanda]

I wouldn't derail the program. Some kids really look forward to their turn to bring snack. If it's really important to you, just provide an alternative snack for your own child and let the program move on. It's HARD being an educator these days when people feel every tiny decision is up for debate. I'd make my goal fixing this for my child without switching things up for everybody else.

[ErinE]

I agree with the above.

 

I also would say that my parent severely restricted my diet when I was living in their house. I was forbidden from having anything that wasn't on the list of approved foods, including eating outside the home. It did not make for healthy eating habits, even though the sole purpose of the restricted diet was to keep my siblings and me healthy. I recommend finding a way to compromise between your healthy habits at home and the "junk" foods they'll encounter outside your home.

[Guest]

Arctic Mama - and this is MY sole derail - peanut shells are a good source of "brown" compost (carbon-heavy), something that is sorely lacking in every season that isn't fall, so yes, one would generally compost those. One tries to layer brown and green (nitrogen-heavy) materials to make the compost go faster and be more balanced.

 

On topic, I hate shared snacks as well. Drives me batty, and you know what? Out of your kid's classroom, I bet you're not the only one wondering if you should say something.

I've never composted intentionally but my parents and in-laws do. I find the whole thing fascinating and would like to start soon, so this is helpful! I've been tossing vegetable peels, coffee grounds, and a whole bunch of peanut shells.

[Spryte]

I'm that mom, but to the nth degree.  My son has life threatening allergies to a multitude of foods, so I get it.  I can't stand shared snacks, or needing to eat at every event that involves kids.  It bothers me on a deep, deep level - as would anything that threatens your child's life.

 

But, that said, since you are not dealing with life threatening allergies, I don't think this is a hill to die on.  Obviously, if you're a vegetarian, then holding to that is important, and that needs to be monitored by the teachers.  Other than that, I'd probably let this go, or ask for some minor changes once all the kids have had their turn to bring the snack.  Individual snacks, or moving toward something like fruits or veggies and cheese sticks or yogurt with healthy drink choices. 

[Tanaqui]

I doubt many snacks brought in have meat so you are probably safe there.

 

Any snack which contains gelatin is not vegetarian, and that's a more common additive than you may think. Additionally, most white sugar is not vegetarian (it's bleached using bone char). Also, a good many savory snack foods, such as Doritos, are flavored with chicken bouillon - and while I should hope the preschool parents aren't sending in Doritos, I'm not confident enough to say that nothing else that gets sent in is flavored with a meat product. Once you start looking into the vegetarian rabbit hole, it goes a lot deeper than you imagine at first.

[Seasider]

I am always somewhat surprised to hear that group snacks are still done. With so many kids allergic to so many things, who wants that kind of liability?

[Kerileanne99]

My hubby and I are vegetarian, closer to vegan. My dd5 has never had meat and has always eaten a vegetarian diet. She is also allergic to dairy. That being said, we consider her to be the child of vegetarian parents rather than vegetarian. Preschool was actually really good for her in that area as eating snacks and lunch with the other kids allowed her to see what the other kids were eating. We always left it up to her: the teacher knew it was up to her if she suddenly wanted to exchange her lunch for that other kid's chicken nugget or processed meat-like substance. She never did, but autonomy over her body has to start somewhere. I did always include a snack in her bag as she often couldn't eat what was offered.

 

So yes, shared snacks like that are very annoying. But can you look at it as a chance for your kiddo to make choices? Grow and learn? He isn't suddenly going to develop a taste for just junk and start shunning your snacks:) and in the same way, he will be proud to show how his family eats by bringing the group snack. Also, you won't be building up those other snacks that 'all' the other kids are eating, making it the forbidden. That works when they are young, but you are encouraging life-long choices, right?😄And btw, don't bother buying more expensive organic options for kiddie snacks to take in-most of the preschoolers won't eat them:(. It 'tastes funny' to them and gets thrown away. Ask me how I know:). Apple slices, orange slices, even popcorn have gone over very well. I once made a huge Hungry Caterpillar out of fruit and veggies on a tray and the kids ate every bit of it, things many of the kids professed to have never tried at home:)

 

One other thing: the preschool teacher will more than likely be invested in keeping the group snack. Many preschoolers cannot do things like reliably open plastic containers or snack bags. The teacher spends way too much time going round helping each child, and she is trying to police each individual snack for possible allergens in many cases. With a group snack, everyone gets served the same thing. Then she has the reverse issue of getting all the kid's containers back in their bags efficiently. This doesn't make it any less annoying, but just a thought when you are talking to her about your concerns.

 

I know how frustrating this is. I hope you find something that works for you.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

When my son did preschool the only snack allowed was a piece of fruit.  I mean, the kids are only there for 2.5 hours... do they really need more???  

 

Anyway, same kids is now dx'd as celiac, so regardless of where he is, he brings his own food.  He doesn't make a big deal of it, he just quietly gets his gf cake at the birthday party or whatever and eats at the same time as the other kids.  

 

Shared snack at a preschool would drive me nuts!!!  Lots of sympathy for you.  But like others, I probably wouldn't die on that hill, unless I saw it was affecting my child's behaviour, in the "whine whine whine I want fruit snacks whine whine whine" way.  :-)

 

 

[Angie in VA]

I hate group snacks. I really don't understand why playing a light sport for less than an hour renders kids needing sustenance in order to make the drive home. Geez, I will be glad when we are past this stage.

My ds is in a student ordhestra that meets from 6:30pm-8:30pm and they have a snack break after the first hour. There is a range of ages of kids, elementary up to high school in the different levels, but it is beyond me why Americans can't go 2 hours w/o feeding children. Especially during that time slot!

[Bluegoat]

 

No, I do not think the cost is the same to provide one organic item 5x a week for one child vs 15 or so snacks once a week. Providing for the whole class could easily cost more.

 

 

 

I'm not sure how you see this being the case.  If there are 15 parents, each would be providing a snack every 15 days for 15 kids, which is the same as one snack per day for one child. 

 

Even if two kids were assigned to a day, the snacks would be proportionally smaller.

[Sarah CB]

I'm surprised more of the moms aren't making a bigger effort with the snacks.  Our last violin teacher had "snack time" in between two group classes and the moms took turns bringing snack.  We had one gluten free kid, so we made sure there were enough gluten free things to eat.  We all probably went overboard with snack, but we only had about two turns a year.  Snack would almost always consist of fresh cut up fruit, often veggies and hummus, sometimes organic tortilla chips and salsa or popcorn, there might be slices of cheese and rice crackers or a selection of crackers, some moms brought yogurt and fresh fruit with granola in individual cups.  There would nearly always be some kind of homemade cookie, muffin, or cake.  Our teacher encouraged fresh food and a source of protein.  No one ever brought goldfish or fruit roll ups - not in the five years we were there.  

 

I wouldn't let it go.  I would lobby for individual snacks, but I would also suggest to the teacher that healthy food choices might be something to focus on and that if a group snack is going to continue then perhaps something can be sent home to encourage people to send fresh food.  I'm not against treats - we thoroughly enjoyed the cookies and other goodies that were brought to snack, but there were so many other healthy choices that the kids weren't only eating sugar for snack.

[Bluegoat]

As far as the need for snacks all the time - I do think that depends on how long the day is.

 

I've been running a morning VBS this week, and yesterday we were busy and I decided to skip snack.  The kids actually really started to notice around 11, and I don't think they were just being whiny - they were actually a little hungry.

 

For that matter, I was hungry.  And I'd rather give a small snack at 10 or so than at 11 when it will spoil lunch.

 

Some kids do have higher metabolism, or they are like my dd10 who has a hard time eating much at breakfast.

[Bluegoat]

I'm surprised more of the moms aren't making a bigger effort with the snacks.  Our last violin teacher had "snack time" in between two group classes and the moms took turns bringing snack.  We had one gluten free kid, so we made sure there were enough gluten free things to eat.  We all probably went overboard with snack, but we only had about two turns a year.  Snack would almost always consist of fresh cut up fruit, often veggies and hummus, sometimes organic tortilla chips and salsa or popcorn, there might be slices of cheese and rice crackers or a selection of crackers, some moms brought yogurt and fresh fruit with granola in individual cups.  There would nearly always be some kind of homemade cookie, muffin, or cake.  Our teacher encouraged fresh food and a source of protein.  No one ever brought goldfish or fruit roll ups - not in the five years we were there.  

 

I wouldn't let it go.  I would lobby for individual snacks, but I would also suggest to the teacher that healthy food choices might be something to focus on and that if a group snack is going to continue then perhaps something can be sent home to encourage people to send fresh food.  I'm not against treats - we thoroughly enjoyed the cookies and other goodies that were brought to snack, but there were so many other healthy choices that the kids weren't only eating sugar for snack.

 

A lot of places don't encourage home made snacks.  And - the demographics will also affect what kind of snacks parents are able and inclined to offer.

[kentuckymom]

I agree that this is not a hill to die on. That said, if you do bring it up with the teacher, I recommend suggesting that the group snack guidelines be made more specific to include healthier options. My daughter goes to a preschool with a shared snack and I actually really like it the way it plays out there. Here's how it works:

 

First of all, if there's a child with a severe allergy (like, it could hurt them to be in same room with the food item) in the class that item cannot be part of the snack. Children with less severe allergies might just eat part of the snack. One child with multiple allergies always brings his own snack and his parents don't have to participate in the group snack.

 

The snack always has to include a fruit or vegetable, a grain, and a protein. For instance, I've brought in graham crackers, cheese cubes, and carrots. The goal is to expose kids to a variety of foods and build healthy eating habits. Sometimes a kid won't like anything offered at snack and then the kid just doesn't get a snack. The class is only three hours  long. It's not like it's going to hurt them. Oh, and the drink is always water, which the kids are encouraged to pour themselves.

 

Having these guidelines stops parents from bringing in things like fruit snacks and juice boxes. Perhaps you could suggest something like this to your son's teacher.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think the whole shared snack thing is just a bad idea. 

 

 

[73349]

I hated that DS would come home after preschool every day and say they had "crackers" for snack, except when it was my turn to bring it. I think group snacks are just a bad idea. We'd been asked not to send sweets except for birthdays, and forbidden to send anything that could ever possibly be a choking hazard (including all nuts and carrots; grapes had to be cut up). There was no coordination, and apparently nutrition was not a big consideration. Mom #1 would send Goldfish, and then Mom #2 would send graham crackers, and then Mom #3 would send some other kind of cracker... I was That Mom, I guess, with my cut-up watermelon and organic yogurt.

 

Midway through his second year I finally put two and two together and realized that food coloring was an issue for him (yay for ending hysterical screaming during the night!), so I sent his snack (like an apple) and asked his teacher to screen the class snack before letting DS have it.

 

I continued to send a healthy snack for the whole group when it was my turn. If you feel that medically he is not tolerating the class snack well, you could consider that. I'm sure the teachers wouldn't mind if you sent him with a labeled reusable container, again, as long as you sent the things for the whole class when it's your turn.

[SparklyUnicorn]

To add though, it's unfair to expect parents to bring all organic everything.  That stuff is often quite a bit more expensive. 

 

 

[73349]

To add though, it's unfair to expect parents to bring all organic everything.  That stuff is often quite a bit more expensive. 

 

I agree, but all natural makes a lot of sense and still excludes food coloring and HFCS.

 

That said, ours was a half-day preschool, and it was a completely optional expense for nearly all the families (i.e., this was not daycare while mom was working, except I worked about once a month, and I know one other mom had her baby home with the nanny who would pick up her older child from this program when it ended). $15 instead of $5 once every other month when it's your turn to buy a snack didn't seem outrageous to me.

[Library Momma]

I've never even heard of shared snacks in any school setting, even preschool.  The only exception would be parties of some sort in early elementary  or cooking activities in preschool.  If you feel strongly just say that you won't participate.  It shouldn't be that big of a deal, it's just snack.

[Sarah CB]

We didnt ask for organic. Just protein with veg, fruit.

 

Ime some parents need guidance on portion sizes. Some appreciate a suggestion list. Others will be happily sending in ants on a log.

 

This makes so much sense.  I don't understand why it has to be difficult to send in a healthy snack.  

[Jenny in Florida]

I was "that mom."

 

My daughter was vegan from the time she started eating solid food. For my family, our dietary choices reflect our ethical and spiritual beliefs and are kind of a big deal. So, I understand your frustration.

 

The two-morning-a-week preschool program my daughter attended handled snacks a little differently. Once a quarter, they asked each family to bring or send in enough pre-packaged, shelf-stable snacks to feed the whole class for one day. Those items were then kept in a cabinet and doled out daily as necessary. Knowing in advance that snack was likely to be an issue, I worked out with the teachers and administration that I would simply send a package of enough items for my own daughter's daily snacks for each quarter. On days when the class had sometime simple like pretzels, she had the option of having what everyone else did, but most of the time she got a snack from her own box. That was not a big problem. (I made the choice, so as not to be seen as a problem parent, to also donate the required quarterly allotment for the entire class. So, I would send in a couple of boxes of organic, vegan-friendly graham crackers, or whatever, for the common stash and a separate box labelled with my daughter's name to be set aside just for her.)

 

What did turn out to be a headache were the snacks assorted families provided on special days like birthdays. I never knew when any given family would show up mid-morning with a bunch of colorful, adorable cupcakes or cookies and start passing them out to the class. On those days, my daughter felt very excluded, and I was unhappy with the attitude of the teaching staff and administration and the way they handled that situation. (It was actually one of many things that pushed us into researching homeschooling.)

 

We eventually worked out a routine in which the teachers would try and give me a heads up if they knew a child in my daughter's class would be bringing in a special snack one day, and I would bake and send in something fun for her. As a back-up, for days when families sent or brought in something without telling the staff in advance, I provided a package of a "special" pre-packaged snack (cookies or something from the health food store) that my daughter could have only when the rest of the class was having something festive.

 

I also got very actively involved about pitching in and helping to plan and provide snacks for holidays and special events, to make sure that there would be something my daughter could eat and share with the group. And I made sure that, on her birthday, we brought in really yummy, adorable cupcakes that just happened to be vegan friendly so that she could participate in that way, too.

 

It wasn't perfect, but it was okay.

 

I do agree that "breaking bread" with the other kids can be an important aspect of feeling like a part of the group. So, over the years when my kids were little, I was very intentional about finding ways for them to participate while still sticking to our beliefs. It often required a fair amount of work on my part, as well as effectively doubling up on our costs for food, since I never tried to get excused from providing for the group even when I was taking care of my own child(ren)'s food. 

 

For example, my kids participated for a few years in a Campfire "twilight camp" program each summer. Each summer had a theme, and the kids would go one evening a week to have dinner and do crafts and games and activities related to that theme. The program director had fun planning meals that in some way related to or played off of each week's activities. So, one summer it was a "world tour," and each meeting the kids "visited" a different country. Dinner each night was foods associated with that part of the world. Another summer was all about arts. The kids learned about different artists and did various art projects, and the meals represented either a given artists's country of origin or were themed by color or something else. After some experimentation, I found the only way to make it possible for my kids to participate was for me to:

 

1. Call the camp director in advance to get the menu for each week.

2. Plan a meal for my own kids that looked like or somehow "matched" the group meal.

3. Prepare at home and/or take ingredients for my kids' meals to the facility.

4. Volunteer to assist with preparing the group meal so that I could be in the kitchen.

5. Assist with serving the group meal so that I could plate my own kids' meals and make sure they received the right food.

 

At first, I was a little resentful about the extra work and hassle. (The venue for this program was about an hour's drive for our house. So, it was kind of a production to plan, prep, pack and tote food in addition to my children.) However, I now have rather fond memories of the time I spent chatting with and getting to know the other ladies with whom I worked in the kitchen. It also gave me a chance to meet and talk with the kids as I helped serve meals. And I came to enjoy the challenge of figuring out vegan-friendly equivalents for the planned meals. 

 

For me, I decided I was less interested in changing the system than I was in making it possible for my kids to feel included right then. Along the way, it turned out we did raise some awareness, but it was pretty much never by being strident about it. Now that my kids are grown up or almost so, I feel mostly content with the way we handled these issues. It was "extra" work for me, but I don't regret it.

 

I wish you the best as you begin to navigate these waters.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I agree, but all natural makes a lot of sense and still excludes food coloring and HFCS.

 

That said, ours was a half-day preschool, and it was a completely optional expense for nearly all the families (i.e., this was not daycare while mom was working, except I worked about once a month, and I know one other mom had her baby home with the nanny who would pick up her older child from this program when it ended). $15 instead of $5 once every other month when it's your turn to buy a snack didn't seem outrageous to me.

 

Then again, is "all natural" even a regulated term? 

[SparklyUnicorn]

The discussion here showed that the concerns are cost and prep time. Cost mostly went away as people learned what a healthy preschool snack size should be. Prep time is a given, but a cheerful staff member told the mothers that 'don't cook' that it was necessary and why. They also supplied a few sample ideas and a list of protein ideas. The other thing that needs to be said to some is that they need to feed their children meals....showing up without having had breakfast or lunch because snack is anticipated doesnt work.

 

Right, but it is a lot easier to prep one snack/meal than enough for a classroom.  Nobody should be required to do so.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I agree that no one should be required if it is public school. Many families wont.

 

Prep time can be reduced, if one cares to learn the techniques. However, daily prep for one can add up to be longer than group prep for 2 or 3 times.

 

I'm well aware of the techniques.  There is a huge difference in a group than one.  Storage is another added factor.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yep, that's one too many things I want to do and spend money on.  I just don't get the whole group snack thing.  Send your kid with what you want to send them with. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yup and all the Ziploc, napkins, paper plates creates more garbage. 

 

Not to mention one of mine wouldn't eat most of the stuff mentioned here so another added factor for me. 

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Hilarious...I once read that graham crackers were considered a health food. 

[vonfirmath]

A lot of places don't encourage home made snacks.  And - the demographics will also affect what kind of snacks parents are able and inclined to offer.

 

At our preschool we are not allowed to bring anything homemade to share.

[SparklyUnicorn]

My kid was only involved with one activity that involved group snacks.  That was soccer.  It was expensive.  And really they were there for an hour.  Like they will die without a snack at the end? 

 

 

[angelica]

Thanks for everyone who took time to reply! Wow! I have a refreshed perspective now. This is not something I will fight but I will speak up eventually and just continue to bring him a snack even when it's not his day. I let him know daily that he can always go to his backpack for his own snack, and if he doesn't well then he has a snack for after school, which is sometimes helpful if there is an errand to run. He's super shy and doesn't need anything else to draw attention to him, but he'll learn and grown from this. 

 

I guess I was just taken back when I saw the mom march up with juice boxes and fruit snacks. It was too cliche, and a reminder to not be judgmental. The teacher wants the kids to have JUICE with snack. I'd rather see them use a pitcher and do water like a montessori classroom, and I think she's starting that since she asked for each kids to bring in a cup. But how is the teacher going to keep 15 kids cups clean through out the year? I get an eww feeling thinking about this.

 

For now I'll just send him in with a water bottle and his own snack and let it go. She gave us the option to stay off the list initially but I said we'll give it a shot and just bring in his own snack when it's not his day just in case it's something he can't have. But since he does not have a true allergy, and just reacts to certain things like dyes it's not likely monitored like a true nut or gluten allergy.

 

As a baby and toddler my son had reflux and that was super stressful dealing with him vomiting and trying to narrow done what was causing it, which we never did. He eats well at home, sometimes he doesn't like to eat, but your all right, going off his whole foods diet while at school for 3 hours is not going to do harm. And we have not entered the sports world, so I totally forgot about the whole group snacks in that arena too. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I agree on the juice thing.  I consider it a treat.  I won't say I never buy it, but it's not a daily thing.  Lot of sugar.

[vonfirmath]

In our school, they send cups home every Friday to be washed over the weekend.

 

[FriedClams]

I agree with the "not a hill to die on" and I'll add, "potentially a great way to fan some flames of mommy wars at you school". And, I agree with 95% of what you're standing for.

 

That being said, why not push for a policy change? Kids bring a filled water bottle (water only) every day and parents bring a fruit or veggie snack. Period. Carrot sticks, bananas, apple slices, clementines, orange slices, etc. Prepped for a quick snack. I'd make a list of good ones, and stuff to avoid (grapes come to mind) I'd approach it as a "look what you can market that this awesome, cutting edge preschool does for snacks". I think it might work.

 

(If homemade is an issue, maybe the parents could bring whole fruit, and the teachers cut it up. It would not take more than 5 minutes a day.)