What should I do?

[cmoma]

Hi all

I have a 3 yr old in a preschool 2 mornings a week and we signed him up for next year for 3 morning a week. He likes it and so do I for the most part, however I have two concerns that are hard to handle because I previously worked there. 1. the serve a snack midmorning, which consist of some sort of cracker, cookie or chip with milk or juice. There are also numerous holiday parties which they put a sign up sheet for parents to bring in "crap" for the kids to eat. Cupcakes, munchkins, candy and such. My son does not eat this stuff at home except on rare occasions and it is usually a healthy version. At first I thought well I guess it'll be Ok its only a couple mornings a week, but as the year moves on I am starting to think that I don't want my kid to eat this stuf soooooo, is the snack party food enough of an issue to not send him their for preschool in the fall? I guess any reason you are uncomfortable with is a reason but... The other issue is that my son has been sick all season long and I am sooo sick (haha) of it. I don't think that they do much cleaning of the classroom and toys. This is where I feel uncomfortable asking. I am now seriously debating whether to send him here next year or not but if I pull him then I think we lose out on some money UGh! If only I had thought more b4 I signed him up.

What do you guys think, I try to provide heathly nourishing foods to my kids and limit there sugar intake it really affects my son, He has not yet started asking for any of the stuff he eats at school at home thankfully.

OK sorry that was a long post, but I'd appreciate any comments.

[blsilva]

Well, I think that whether you pull him or not depends on how important it is to you, compared with the rest of his preschool experience. For me, it was so hard to find a preschool that my son was comfortable in, I would tend to overlook a snack, even an unhealthy one, in a preschool where he was happy, and just make sure he eats well the rest of the time, simply because it would be so difficult to find another preschool he likes. But your ds may adjust more easily, so this may not be a problem for you.
As for being sick all the time, I have heard that that is common when young children are all together in school. The way our preschool handles this is to encourage handwashing frequently, but they are young, and still pass germs around.

[bdavis337]

Truly, if the school overall is one that you're quite happy with, I'd be inclined to overlook the snack/food issue. Unless your child has a food allergy or health/medical condition that makes this a serious problem, my opinion is that it's not a big deal. When it's YOUR turn to bring things in, bring in healthier alternatives. I bring home made food to my son's K class in public school now, but was unable to do that at his preschool due to their food prep regulations. I could have used the school's state-licensed kitchen if I'd been truly ambitious.

You just can't avoid the germs in a social setting, especially in the winter when they aren't outside as much, and things are all shared in a closed environment. If you're concerned, you might ask how often they disinfect the toys and materials, but keep in mind that they probably use bleach and other harsh cleaners that you might not want to know about!