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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think breakfast club should offer more than item?

193 replies

Ellieboolou27 · 21/09/2016 19:58

DD 4 has started reception, I booked her in breakfast club.

They offer either toast (with jam/marmalade) orcereal.
The cereal is multi grain shapes, weetabix, cookie crisp, chocolate boulders, Frosties.
I'm not too impressed by choices of cereal but hey ho, however my dd asked for toast and cereal and they said it's either / or!

Now, I'm not a fuss pot helicopter mum by any means, however I was a bit miffed as it seems quite poor.

My mum runs a breakfast and after school club, she's been doing it for 18 years and she agreed with me that this was poor offerings.

So, would I BU to take it up with the school? They are a "healthy eating" accredited school btw.
My mums clubs offer, fruit, yoghurt, cereal and toast, cereals such as porridge, fruit n fibre, etc, kids also get 2 or 3 choices.

OP posts:

SanityAssassin · 21/09/2016 22:13

Mine don't do breakfast club often but when they do the have breakfast before they leave home as they are far to interested in playing to actually eat breakfast at breakfast club!

selly24 · 21/09/2016 22:58

OP is it £4 per day or week?

LineyReborn · 21/09/2016 23:01

I imagine it's four quid a week but a piece of toast is pennies.

leccybill · 21/09/2016 23:11

Ours is £4.50 a day.
£6 a day for after school club til 5pm.

I'm jealous of the free provision some of you mention! How do schools afford it?!

Original poster

Ellieboolou27 · 21/09/2016 23:21

It's £4 per day
The cereal portions are tiny and by that, I mean child size tiny, toast is white, not that I mind but dd does actually love brown.

My mums school does yogurt, fruit, scrambled eggs once a week and has white and brown bread with a good choice of healthier cereals, and, within reason kids get what they ask for, be it toast and fruit etc.

I'm not working tomorrow so she can have her toast and cereal without anyone thinking she's greedy , and I will have time to think of how I approach the school

OP posts:

Toffeelatteplease · 21/09/2016 23:35

Of course a child is not greedy for having cereal and toast at breakfast.

Everyone has a certain amount of calories they should eat over the couse of the day. Doesn't matter if they eat more of them in the morning lunch or evening as long as they are burning as many as they are consuming.

Breakfast for mine currently is cereal and scrambled egg Wrap. Cereal, egg and toast as been the norm for almost as long as i can remember. They are perfect height weight ratio (despite it not being unusual for DS to spend a proportion of the Day in a wheelchair).

I be kicking up a right stink if a breakfast club had such a rubbish offering.

IMissGrannyW · 21/09/2016 23:37

I could be wrong, but guessing school might have told her to pick one FIRST and could then maybe have the option of the other if she was still hungry, but didn't want to potentially waste food? She is v little, so they might have assume (a) she wouldn't be able to finish both but (b) couldn't choose between them.

as to Well I am imagining OP works, otherwise why would you send your child to breakfast club!

Breakfast clubs started because the government put pressure on schools to provide wrap-around care (for working parents) but they usually offer breakfast club for free to the PP (= old free school meal) parents (not to be confused by the free dinners for KS1 brought in by the last coalition government) because schools know that some parents struggle to afford or organise breakfast and they want to make sure children coming to school are ready to learn, and that includes having had breakfast.

LineyReborn · 21/09/2016 23:42

Four quid for a bit of toast?

paxillin · 21/09/2016 23:43

I think the money is for the extra staff to supervise, not so much for the food.

BackforGood · 21/09/2016 23:50

Four quid for a bit of toast?

No, £4 for childcare before school - not bad deal at all if it included a better breakfast.

eightbluebirds · 21/09/2016 23:58

Er, no I don't think it's greedy actually. My 3 year old is ravenous at breakfast time and it is by far his biggest meal of the day. It isn't the way I eat but i have no problems with DS eating a big breakfast.

leccybill · 22/09/2016 00:00

Thanks heavens for wrap around care- otherwise I wouldn't be able to work!
Ours is pretty decent, staffed by an ex teacher and two TAs from the school. DD loves going.

LineyReborn · 22/09/2016 00:10

If the money is for the care element, why are they so tight on the bits of cheap food, though? That's the OP's question.

EveOnline2016 · 22/09/2016 00:13

In hospital toast and cereal are served for breakfast even on children wards, so I don't see the problem with having both.

selly24 · 22/09/2016 01:00

I think £4 is a rip off for what is on offer...

Estilou · 22/09/2016 11:31

I think to expect a child to last from 8am until lunch at approx 12:30 with only cereal OR toast is wrong. At our school they just get a piece of fruit on first play and unless it's a banana which is more filling that won't keep them going much.

A bowl of those suger laden cereals you mention and they will be hungry in half an hour they are not filling at all. I would tell dc to pick toast.

Our breakfast club isn't great either. The cereals are not healthy and there is no fruit. They can however have cereal and toast and as much toast as they want.

Original poster

Ellieboolou27 · 22/09/2016 12:11

Update! Spoke to the breakfast club leader this morning, she agreed that dd could have both, I told her I don't give my dd breakfast before "breakfast" club and one slice toast isn't cutting it. Although she agreed I waa made to feel a bit like Oliver Twist.
I've sent an email, all very polite and humble to the head to ask if more healthier options at bc would be possible.
I'm glad I gave dd egg on toast this morning as the morning snack was tomatoes again!

OP posts:

Cheby · 22/09/2016 12:16

Glad you're moving in the right direction OP! My 3yo quite often has a weetabix, piece of toast, yoghurt and a banana for breakfast at home. At nursery she usually has weetabix followed by cornflakes or weetabix and toast, then some fruit, and they have a fruit snack by 10am as well.

She's 91st centile for height, just above 50th for weight and 25th centile for BMI. Perfectly healthy. Just needs a lot of energy to get going in the mornings!

IceRoadDucker · 22/09/2016 12:32

I love all the judgemental idiots calling a 4-year-old greedy when they have no idea of the portion sizes.

AuntieStella · 22/09/2016 13:00

I realise the thread has moved on, but in light of "Well I am imagining OP works, otherwise why would you send your child to breakfast club!" I just wanted to pointout that there are roles other than being present and serving up (ie all the admin, including the procurement, which can make quite a difference to what can be provided).

In light of OP's update, it sounds as if the leader could be on top of things assuming of course there is an affordable plan to make a more extensive choice available. If not, the perhaps that's something OP could help with (shamelessly nicking her DM's experience)

Sparklesilverglitter · 22/09/2016 13:09

How can it be greedy for a growing 4 year old to want a bowl of cereal and 1 slice of toast, really ??

It doesn't sound great op Sugar laden cereals or 1 slice of white toast with sugar jam. I thought nursery/ schools and places like breakfast clubs were meant to encourage the healthy choices

BodsAuntieFlo · 22/09/2016 19:20

£4 a day? Our breakfast club is 75p a day. I'm gobsmacked at breakfast clubs charging £4 a day!

selly24 · 22/09/2016 19:41

Hi I spoke to a friend who used to work in a breakfast club. She said in hers the children had a choice of shreddies, rice crispies, corn/bran flakes milk fruit (eh strawberries, grapes, toast, butter, a little jam. Each gets own bowl of cereal, then roared is topped and cut into quarters and offered around. Children can take as much as they like, but most need to be encouraged to eat something/ a little more! No indulgers/overeaters she says...

BackforGood · 22/09/2016 19:57

Bods - as said above, there are lots of different types of breakfast club set up for different reasons. If you are paying for childcare because you need to get to work, then £4 is pretty reasonable for what is likely to be an hour - 1 1/4 hrs childcare plus breakfast.

Sounds like yours is just covering the cost of food eaten ?

Willow2016 · 22/09/2016 20:00

Crikey ! I dont use ours but they get cereal and toast and juice or milk or hot chocolate (think the hot choc is the reason why so many kids go )

It costs 20p per day!

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