Presenting a menu...

Hello everyone!! Long time hope everyone is well. Finally all settled into my new house and have started intrviweing. I have never presented a menu plan to my parents before because I do not follow one. But in my new area the parents are a little more "involved" and want to know ever single aspect of what their child does and eats during the day.. Would you change your ways and start giving out a menu? Or not.. I don't know what to do. I don't want to loose potential clients over a menu. But I hate the feeling of being controlled by the parents... Any advice would be helpful.

Run your daycare the best way for you so that you are happy and confident that you are doing a great job. You can't please all the people so you will attract the kind of clients who like your methods. I started out with a menu but the parents didn't pay any attention to it anyway so I was stressing myself out trying to stick to a menu for no real reason. Now I give the info about what their children ate during the day to the parents who want to know at the end of the day and don't bother with the parents who trust me enough not to need that info.

I upload a weekly menu to my webpage. I do it mainly for me. Otherwise, I will just be wondering what to serve next day or what to buy in the supermarket. It makes my life easier. I've found that some parents read them, others do it occasionally and some others do not care... In your case, I would ask myself (If I don't want to do it), does it worth the trouble? would I be paid top dollar due to this extra? Will I attract more clients in a though area?... If I knew in the new area there is a shortage in daycare I would not bother, but if it is a though area to get clients or that will give me a plus to make more money I may consider it

You can do one as an example and then either continue to follow it once you're up and running or not. I had one in the beginning but found no one looked at it. I do feel though that parents in an interview like to see something but I think mostly when you are starting out as it shows you've thought things through. I explain my food philosophy e.g. no juice, I limit milk, no processed foods and sugar and I usually have a protein at every snack/meal. I also explain how food is prepared e.g. made the night before or use a slow cooker, just small prep e.g. chopping fruit before a meal so I am available to supervise the children etc.

I started out printing a weekly menu and giving it to the parents at the start of the week....then went to just posting it....but then, like you, I felt tied down and more stressed about it! So now I have a white board by the door and near the end of the day I write what we had for the day. I leave it up there so parents can see it the next morning as well and then erase it and start over! This way I can make whatever I want on that day, and parents still are in the know if pick up is crazy and I don't get a chance to talk to them...they can glance at it! The parents really like this!

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Originally Posted by DaycareLady

I started out printing a weekly menu and giving it to the parents at the start of the week....then went to just posting it....but then, like you, I felt tied down and more stressed about it! So now I have a white board by the door and near the end of the day I write what we had for the day. I leave it up there so parents can see it the next morning as well and then erase it and start over! This way I can make whatever I want on that day, and parents still are in the know if pick up is crazy and I don't get a chance to talk to them...they can glance at it! The parents really like this!

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I like your idea! I would do it your way if I didn't need my menu :)

I don't like having to follow a menu, so I have a handout I give parents at interviews that lists all the lunches and snacks that are typically offered. For the parents who are interested, I send home a slip of paper each day stating what we had for snacks and lunch, nap times, diapers, etc. I have been planning on doing something similar to the whiteboard idea mentioned above but since I use my main living area for daycare, I want to make something that I can hang by a string and flip over at the end of the day so it just looks like a picture on the wall. In the morning I'd flip it back over to the "business" side.

I present my parents a menu at interview time but I tell them it may differ as each child has likes and dislikes and you need to cater to the group as a whole. I think presenting a menu gives the parents a better understanding of your idea of nutrition.

If they see fruit loops, alphagetti , hotdogs etc...they will run in the opposite direction.

Nutrition is key!

Would they settle for a daily menu in the sense of I assume you will have an idea before you go to bed of what you will serve the next day. Could that be written on a whiteboard or fancy chalkboard near the entrance so parents can read it.

Also stress to them that the menu reflects the likes and dislikes of the kids so it isn't necessary for them to worry about having to have a meal their child will like for supper as you will make sure there is something served their child can eat.

For sure a sample menu of the kind of foods you serve to show but then remind them that the menu will vary according to left overs, weekly sales, how often you get to go shopping etc.

I have a journal for each dck, and part of what I write in it is what we ate that day. Parents love having the journal, and it's part of the reason why my current families chose me. I would highly recommend keeping a journal for each child.

I do reports too but have gone paperless! http://www.gocanvas.com/mobile-forms...e-Daily-Report

I post what we ate and did during the day on the bulletin board in the coat room every day AFTER lunch.

I used to pre-plan al my menus and activities but it seems that it isn't always easy to follow so strictly so I simply started going with the flow and recording the info AFTER we ate and then posted it for the parents to see at pick up. That way I am not repeating myself at each pick up and the parents can read what their kid ate and did for the day themselves.

I've never had a parent insist on knowing the menu ahead of time. It wouldn't change anything anyways, as I provide the meals and snacks and don't do substitutes so makes no difference in my opinion if the parents know before or after the meal.

I have a 4 week rotating menu. It helps when grocery shopping and also helps keep me streamlined and organized. I give it to parents at the start of the contract. Parents appreciate it so they are not trying to feed there kids sheppards pie for supper when they had that for lunch.

I have had parents interested and so I made the effort to post on my board what we ate. Nobody even looked! Lol. So I quit.

At interviews I have a list of snacks and lunches so they can see what we eat.

Why feel being controlled by parent - it would be your menu, not theirs?

Can always do example menu of what typically would be served?

I do have menu but I don't publish. I did find sometimes, parent would use my menu to plan their meals - so if I had chicken for lunch, they make sure not to have chicken for supper. But I did also find that sometimes, if I not feel like cooking that day's menu, I felt I couldn't switch Monday's with Tuesday's meals. It useful to have one for shopping.

I've never given out a menu in advance. I change my mind too much for that to happen lol. I used to write it on dry erase board but also found that no one looked or we were outside at pick up. Now I write it on my dc fb page and find the parents actually read it. Like Suzy, some plan their supper around what we had at lunch or know to expect how hungry their child will be (if it was a lunch they like they eat less at supper at vice versa) If I haven't posted it early enough, some will ask at pick up what we've had. Some say they get ideas from it too :)