school gives candy to 2 yearolds!!

[mikanmom]

It took me awhile to find the right school for my 2 1/2 y/o and 5 y/o.  I found a great small charter school k-8th that has an early learning center attatched to it.

i love almost everything about the school except for the attitude towards food and snacks and sugar/candy

I don't know if living in Seattle before just spoiled me since the place where I worked and took my son used alot of organic and fresh ingredients and had a diversity of cultures represented in the menu...

but now i'm in the south east and there is no cultural diversity in the food except for when they have nachos....

When they serve breakfast it's often food drowning in syrup, toast globbed w/ too much jam,

cinnamon sugar toast,

the teachers seem to be giving cookies and candy to the kids as rewards,

they have lollipops in the reward box for good behavior,

i have no problem w/ treats once in awhile but this place seems excessive, (compared to other centers this one was the best, others served icecream, pudding, cookies and jello daily)

I know i can bring the kids lunches if i'm not happy w/ what they serve,

But I'm wondering how to handle the excessive sweets part

my daughter has a peanut allergy and has a substitute when it's served, though she often gets upset and seems deeply hurt that she can't have what the others are having

This would be intensified if she weren't able to have a cupcake for example when everyone else was having one. I'd like the school to limit her sugar intake w/ out having to completly ban her from having treats,

any ideas of how to go about this w/ the school? I thought of getting some type of substiute "treat" that she likes such as fruit chews or something that they can give her when they are giving out

other "crap"

does anyone else have these issues w/ their childcare or school?

I'm just flabbergasted that they are giving 2 yearolds lollypops and jellybeans etc.,

I'm wondering if this is just the regional attitude about food here....

[raksmama]

I had this issue too when we switched into a mainstream school. Beside this we like the school way more than the Waldorf school but I was shocked by what parents put in their kids lunches and the kids sometimes made fun of my son's lunches.

The teacher sometimes gave the kids candy too but 2 is way to early to be giving candy!

[Momsteader]

If it were my kiddo, and she already had allergy issues she had to avoid that were upsetting her, I'd probably just ignore the other treats problem. She already can't have many things the other kids can, why single her out even further?  I'd just focus on no sweets/treats at home and it'll balance itself out IMO :)

[mikanmom]

Originally Posted by CrunchyClark 

If it were my kiddo, and she already had allergy issues she had to avoid that were upsetting her, I'd probably just ignore the other treats problem. She already can't have many things the other kids can, why single her out even further?  I'd just focus on no sweets/treats at home and it'll balance itself out IMO :)

this is kind of how i've been looking at it so far, it probably would be really upsetting for her not to have what the others have i'd hate to cause issues for her later down the road,

what i should do but haven't yet...is start making her lunches for school to ensure that she has a habit of healthy food and maybe allowing her to have the school lunch twice a week,

one of my main challenges is that I want to make really healthy food for them and myself, but am limited by time, and have lack of ideas, and i  have a high ideal  of wanting fresh non-processed foods , that the kids like,

i made flelafel and humous pita's w/ sprouts cucumber and tomatoes the other night , i loved it but the kids didn't eat much :(

[raksmama]

For school I usually make my son sandwiches with a good whole grain sourdough bread and hormone antibiotic and nitrate free luncheon meat. Because there are so many kids in my son’s class that bring in really junky things like candy and donuts, I have compromised. I let him choose his own cookies to bring to school. They can have white flour and sugar, but otherwise they can’t have any chemicals, food dyes  or other really awful things in them. At home we still eat healthy. This helps ease the conflicts for us.