5 day old sandwich! WWYD?

[AmandaKDT]

A dcg came today with the same lunch she had last Thursday - including the 5 day old half eaten ham sandwich and a bag of moldy fuit.

Would you still serve her the sandwich, I smelled it and it doesn't smell bad but the wrap bread is kinda mushy.

I am so not impressed, but don't know if I should call if the food is technically edible. I feel bad for the girl!

[mickyc]

OMG!! I would not feed it to her. Just because it doesn't smell bad doesn't mean it wont make her sick.

I would talk to the parent and ask that all lunches be fresh

[5 Little Monkeys]

Has she been there since last Thursday? I'm wondering if they forgot to garbage it and sent it today thinking the other parent packed the lunch already for today.

I wouldn't give it to her. I'd phone the parents and make her lunch for today

[AmandaKDT]

Called the dad and he is bringing her a new lunch, sounds like it was a mistake because he wasn't happy to hear she had old food in her lunch bag.

Thanks ladies for your quick advice. I don't think I would have given her the sandwich in the end, but I hestitate sometimes with doubts about whether what I consider to be a big deal may not be an issue for my daycare families.

[Rachael]

I wouldn't give it to her. Poor child.

Although I don't offer substitutes, that's because I provide the meals here. I think in this situation, I would make the child a fresh sandwich but be speaking with the parent at pick up time tonight.

Is it possible that the lunch was a misunderstanding? Could it be that it was left in the bag in error last week and then one parent, feeling the weight of the bag this morning, thought the other parent had made her fresh lunch and so just grabbed it as they left? Is there perhaps something else going on at home - maybe a sick parent or a hospitalized parent leaving one over stretched and dropping the ball?

Speak to the parent and get a feel if this was a real and genuine mix up or an intentional action. You know your clients so you should be able to judge it once you are speaking with them.

If it was a known action, find out why. Is there a financial issue going on at home and they are struggling to put food into their children? If so, is there a way you can help - perhaps a small fee to provide a fresh meal if that's a service you offer for other children or perhaps a short term agreement can be offered whilst they sort out their issue?

Or has the child become a picky eater and the parent is making a point? If so, a 5 day old food item isn't acceptable in your home and although today you bailed them out and provided an alternative meal, I be clear that this wasn't going to be an on-going resolution and that food fit for consumption must be provided. Any future instances of this foolishness would result in you calling them to provide a suitable meal for their child as per the arrangement.

Find out a bit more first rather than jump to conclusions, just in case there's something more going on. Then once you have the facts, you can determine your response in the future.


I used to work in an Elementary school which didn't have a canteen and so all students needed a lunch brought from home. It was fairly frequent that a child wouldn't have a lunch or something was off with the food they did have. Sure, there were some parents who were lazy and not fulfilling their duties but sometimes, there was genuine hardship or a real reason for the issue. You just never know what's going on sometimes.

[AmandaKDT]

I wouldn't give it to her. Poor child.

Although I don't offer substitutes, that's because I provide the meals here. I think in this situation, I would make the child a fresh sandwich but be speaking with the parent at pick up time tonight.

Is it possible that the lunch was a misunderstanding? Could it be that it was left in the bag in error last week and then one parent, feeling the weight of the bag this morning, thought the other parent had made her fresh lunch and so just grabbed it as they left? Is there perhaps something else going on at home - maybe a sick parent or a hospitalized parent leaving one over stretched and dropping the ball?

Speak to the parent and get a feel if this was a real and genuine mix up or an intentional action. You know your clients so you should be able to judge it once you are speaking with them.

If it was a known action, find out why. Is there a financial issue going on at home and they are struggling to put food into their children? If so, is there a way you can help - perhaps a small fee to provide a fresh meal if that's a service you offer for other children or perhaps a short term agreement can be offered whilst they sort out their issue?

Or has the child become a picky eater and the parent is making a point? If so, a 5 day old food item isn't acceptable in your home and although today you bailed them out and provided an alternative meal, I be clear that this wasn't going to be an on-going resolution and that food fit for consumption must be provided. Any future instances of this foolishness would result in you calling them to provide a suitable meal for their child as per the arrangement.

Find out a bit more first rather than jump to conclusions, just in case there's something more going on. Then once you have the facts, you can determine your response in the future.


I used to work in an Elementary school which didn't have a canteen and so all students needed a lunch brought from home. It was fairly frequent that a child wouldn't have a lunch or something was off with the food they did have. Sure, there were some parents who were lazy and not fulfilling their duties but sometimes, there was genuine hardship or a real reason for the issue. You just never know what's going on sometimes.

The dad came with the new lunch and appologized, he was embarassed about her being sent with an old lunch. I have had this family for over a year and this is the first time this has happened, and I am sure it won't happen again. I don't know the reason for it happening, but I won't make a big deal about it. Who knows what was going on at home.

It doesn't have anything to do with being a picky eater, the girl always eats what she is given here even if she doesn't really like it.

I don't provide food, and am not interested in providing it. With being licensed I can't charge any more than the rates set by the government, so I don't provide food as I could not afford to do so.

I wasn't really jumping to conclusions about anything, just wasn't sure what to do.

[superfun]

I don't provide food, and am not interested in providing it. With being licensed I can't charge any more than the rates set by the government, so I don't provide food as I could not afford to do so.

Hi,
I didn't want to get off topic, and you may already know this, but just in case you ever want to change things...
I provide all the food here, to keep any gluten crumbs away from my daughter. It keeps my stress level down if I don't have to worry about crumbs/gluten. Anyways, during the process of getting licensed, I had to submit a sample menu for approval. After that was approved, my coordinator mentioned that I'm allowed to charge for meals, as long as the parents have the option of sending their own food. So in my policy, I explain that I provide the meals for $x, or parents can send their own food, as long as it's gluten free, meets the canada food guide standards, and doesn't contain any other foods that my regular daycare kids are allergic too.
I mentioned this to my accountant, and she's got her kids in a licensed home daycare as well. Her daycare charges almost $5 per day for food.

[AmandaKDT]

Hi,
I didn't want to get off topic, and you may already know this, but just in case you ever want to change things...
I provide all the food here, to keep any gluten crumbs away from my daughter. It keeps my stress level down if I don't have to worry about crumbs/gluten. Anyways, during the process of getting licensed, I had to submit a sample menu for approval. After that was approved, my coordinator mentioned that I'm allowed to charge for meals, as long as the parents have the option of sending their own food. So in my policy, I explain that I provide the meals for $x, or parents can send their own food, as long as it's gluten free, meets the canada food guide standards, and doesn't contain any other foods that my regular daycare kids are allergic too.
I mentioned this to my accountant, and she's got her kids in a licensed home daycare as well. Her daycare charges almost $5 per day for food.

Are you funded and accept subsidy? I could clarify the rules of it again with my coordinator, but I was never really interested in providing food anyway so I just decided to have parents provide it.

[Rachael]

I don't provide food, and am not interested in providing it. With being licensed I can't charge any more than the rates set by the government, so I don't provide food as I could not afford to do so.

Yes, I saw your comment after posting mine. I'm on leave today so got interrupted mid-reply and so had paused after beginning my response.

Interesting to read the quoted comment. Interesting in the sense of the differences across the provinces. Licensed day cares or those registered/approved by an agency here in Nova Scotia are mandated to provide food and milk as per Canada's food guide. Children must be fed morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack. We have to have at least one fresh fruit/veg every time food is presented. Lunch must include a protein, a starch, and veggies. If not offering milk with lunch, then a dairy product must be substituted.

Only unregistered providers in NS have the option of requesting food from home.


Also different - our rates aren't set by the government but by demand/the individual carer. I'm just outside Halifax which is the main city. Day care fees here, including food, are between $30 and $36 a day for in-home providers. They might go up to $45 for those in the heart of down-town. We determine our rates. Obviously if we over price, then we don't get clients. LOL Lots under-price and work for cash/no receipt sadly.

[superfun]

Are you funded and accept subsidy? I could clarify the rules of it again with my coordinator, but I was never really interested in providing food anyway so I just decided to have parents provide it.

Yes, I am funded. I had never thought of charging for food, until my coordinator suggested it. I don't think it came easily for her, suggesting I charge for food. It seemed like something they shouldn't tell us about, but wait for us to suggest it. Does that make sense? I can't think of the right way to describe it. She was very careful with her words. She never actually said "you should charge for food" She said other daycares did it, and as long as the food is healthy the parents are happy to pay it. And it was totally allowed, as long as I also give them the option to send their own food instead. And I'm allowed to say that I don't allow gluten, etc during daycare hours.