Coffee machine in childcare setting

[Wibblypiglikesbananas]

Hi - bit of a random one but I'd welcome opinions.

DD (3yo) attends a nursery 9-12, Mon-Fri. It's run as a coop and so there is a teacher and a couple of parents help each day. We have been relatively happy with it so far, though there are a few issues that I think are cultural rather than anything else, namely snack is more like a meal and not the healthiest (supplied by parents on a rota, I guess everyone's definition of healthy is different!).

Anyway, onto the WWYD. All parents have paid into a kitty for supplies, trips etc throughout the course of the year. Yesterday a parent suggested buying a coffee machine for the facility - which I think is ridiculous! Surely hot drinks and toddlers don't mix?!

I seem to be the only person who doesn't agree and I feel we have a genuine safety concern. So as not to drip feed, we are British but in the USA so it seems people's views on the need for a caffeine fix are somewhat different from ours!

Well unless they are planning on tipping coffee on the kids or allowing the kids to use it I don't see the issue

I think as long as the drinks are kept well away from the children then it's no problem , after all, don't we all have hot drinks at home?
I think a coffee machine would be a nice perk for all those volunteer parent helpers

I'm a cm and manage perfectly well to have a hot drink and even cook an evening meal without injuring a small child.

Lots of things and toddlers don't mix but inevitably the facility will have them. Rather than worrying about the coffee machine what about suggesting its only served in insulated lidded mugs to minimise spills or only drunk when on rotational break away from the children?

At my eldests toddler group we had hot drinks open in mugs - some did spill and fortunately no one in my knowledge got burnt but one child did slip and there was always cleaning up to be done after open drinks were served. My third childs nursery recently had an open day for charity and decided to serve tea and cakes. Tea was in lidded cups and only to be drunk when sitting on a toddler seat in one particular room. They served it at 40 to minimise risk of burns (it was awful), lovely event otherwise. They shouldn't have bothered with tea.

Thanks for the views so far. I think the idea was that it would be a nice perk for the volunteer parents (I'm one too, all parents are). This was all communicated via email last night and most people seemed supportive. I was quite surprised that safety didn't seem to feature in anyone else's mind. There was mention at one point of keeping the machine in a separate room, but that then means volunteers have to go there for coffee and given the group, I think it's fair to say that that would turn into a certain group holing up there for a chat, and hence cutting down on the number of adults who are meant to be supervising the children.

I'm beginning to wonder if there are too many cultural differences with the group - maybe I should put DD into the local British school (was planning to from next September anyway). I know it's not the end of the world, but seriously, snack yesterday was chocolate chip cookies and today it was muffins. Fruit seems to make an appearance rarely - well, it does when it's my turn to provide it but the kids turn their noses up. I tried to ask for guidance to be given on healthy snacks back in September but was told we had to provide a 'variety' - the list issued was full of junk food.