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Hi everyone, just wanted to see if providing breakfast for your daycare kids is the norm? I currently do breakfast, am snack, lunch, pm snack.....hubby suggested this may be overdoing it and that the kids that arrive early should maybe have breakie at home before the arrive...any thoughts?
I was providing break but I do not anymore. I just like it when they come to be able to start the day. Some of my dck where taking a really long time to eat and it was interfering with our routine. It's a lot easier with them arriving ready for the day :)
I serve a parent provided breakfast to any child arriving before 7:30. After 730 they must have been fed and ready to go.
I just do an AM snack, Lunch and PM snack. the kids need to show up feed and ready for the day. I am not their parent and the agencies don't pay me enough to serve breakfast.
If you want to sever breakfast and its not the norm. in your area I would charge a little extra for it, to help cover the cost.
I serve breakfast at 8:30 but no AM snack. We eat lunch at 11, so I think a snack would ruin everyone's appetites. Kids who come late in the mornings have usually just had breakfast anyway.
I open at 7:30 and everyone must come fed, dressed and ready for the day!!!
I serve Breakfast but they must be here by no later than 7:55am.
I don't serve breakfast. I serve snack at 9:30, earlier in the summer when we can get outside earlier.
I think it's really important for children to eat when they wake up and I don't think it sets the right tone for the day if parents yank them out of bed and into the car.
I found offering breakfast made parents lazy but also was bad for the kids because they woke up hungry and parents gave them a granola bar or something to tide them over to breakfast but what it did was spoil their appetite so that they wasted food.
I also found once the kids got here they were more interested in playing with their friends than eating. And depending on arrival some were waiting and starving so it was crazy and cranky people everywhere.
Once I stopped and expected kids to come fed it was actually much better. Morning snack is served early and designed to top up those that ate early or poorly.
I serve breakfast at 8:30 after all of the children arrive because we head outside as many days as possible shortly after 9am until 11am. I'd rather serve a nutritious breakfast to the children than to have them arrive sugared up from quickie breakfast foods like poptarts, ew!
I serve lunch 3 hours later at 11:30 and afternoon snack after nap at about 3pm.
I open at 7:30 and everyone must come fed, dressed and ready for the day. I found breakfast far too disruptive!
I do include breakfast but they dont all eat breakfast here. If kids already had breakfast they just play.
The day really starts around 9am... thats when I'm more awake lol !!
Pattycake, what have you decided to do? I was wondering since we mostly agreed with your husband that you are providing too much food, hehe, sorry to say that the man was right, eeek!
I have decided to eliminate breakie moving forward. I'm in the process of changing my policies and that is definitely one that I'm editing. My earliest get here at 7am so I'm sorta worried about how they are going to take to the changes, but I feel they should be eating at home before they leave, rather than arrive here with empty bellies! Thanks everyone for their input! I guess hubby was right, that's okay though cause that doesn't happen often! Just kidding!! HahaQuote:
Originally Posted by Momof4
I addition, my early arrivals who eat breakie now, also drink 6 bottles of homo milk a day between the 2 of them (5 days/week) and I'm spending so much on homo milk every week just for them, so eliminating breakie will help with food costs for sure!Quote:
Originally Posted by PattyCake
Good call! I would consider giving them a compromise. Advise that you will be serving a snack at an earlier time... maybe 8:30 or 9am. But let them know that their children will need to eat breakffast before they come. This was it doesn't look like you're cutting out a meal, but pushing it back. My morning snacks look like smaller breakfasts anyways. Then start to phase it back to normal snack time.
Also, make them bring Homo milk! Or at least add an additional monthly charge to help with the cost. If a bag of milk costs 5.00 you could always ask them to add 10.00 onto their monthly fee for providing homo milk. That way, they are covering the majority of the costs and you can still write it off.
My problem with homo is it takes up too much room in my fridge. So, I offer 2% included but homo they have to pay for. It usually pushes the clients to 2% a little earlier. LOL
Thank you apples and bananas! Going to do both of those suggestions for sure!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by apples and bananas
Yes I don't provide homo either if the parents want their child to have homo them they bring it. Most of my dcks drink water and only two bring milk.
My contract says anything - milk, juice, water in a bottle is supplied by the parent. That eliminates the extra cost there. Once they are using a cup that is supplied by me so the maximum I provide per day is 3 sesrvings of 4-6 ounces and that is it. That is more than they need in the hours they are with me. If they are still thirsty there is water. That will save you even more money. Let them know that you are only responsible for a serving size - 4 oz. If they want the child to have more they can provide it even after they are off the bottle but they should be replacing the liquid with the food you are providing instead. Almost all providers expect parents to provide bottles and infant foods.
Ditto to the above wise ladies. I serve 2% milk only and if anybody wants their child to have homo milk or any other kind of milk for that matter they have to provide it daily.