to think this isn't enough food?

[Spiderhands]

DCs after school club was taken over by a new owner over the summer.

Apparently the old ways (copious beige food) have been abandoned, and I have DCs complaining of hunger at pick up.

I'm all for healthy eating but my youngest says she only had a single rice cake today. Fruit was also on offer but they are given a platter to share and other children got there first, so she didnt get any.

OBVIOUSLY I will speak to the provider first and get their input but if true this isn't enough is it? Even if she'd had her share of the fruit she says it would only have been a couple of pieces not e.g. a whole apple or banana, which still feels a bit measly to me.

They do eat when they get home, but that's not till 6pm.

My daughter has just started school so only just started at the after school.club but they seem to offer more of a meal. They had pasta the other day. And have seen them do chicken nuggets. The club is separate to the school and is open till half 6. It costs 8.50 do not cheap, but worth it if needed.
How much do you pay? I would be a bit annoyed at a rice cake if you are paying a bit for it.

Wow 8.50 til 6 is really cheap, esp including a meal. Ours is £14

Wow £14 is expensive. Would add up if needed every day or a few times a week. Good to know 8.50 is good value! New to this after school and morning club thing

Yep. I have 2 in it! Cheapest in area though, nearby nursery based one is £15 with just a snack. We can pay £6 if just an hour though which I can do once a week.

Ours was £11 a day, knowing someone who worked there I knew it was budgeted at 50p per child for snack. They did manage a decent snack but after wages, hall hire, not bad for £11 a day and it’s always a snack, dinner is at home.

Im still in awe at 8.50 including a meal and dont know how they do it! Even childminders are 4.50-5 an hour which for 3 hours would be 14-15£

I think Rice Cakes smell awful TBH!.Very unappetising .I would ask whether they vary it at all .The trouble is they probably dont want the children to "fill up " on snacks before Dinner, but not faint from hunger either!

Rice cakes are grim- I have never had one but the look like polystyrene

They taste like polystyrene too not that I regularly eat polystyrene

We used 3 ASC's over the years...

1 - one biscuit and as much fruit as wanted, welcome to send a packed tea if you didn't want to feed at home - £12 per day for 2.5 hours

2 - cake / couple of biscuits, fruit, toast, ditto re packed tea - £10 per day for up to 3 hours

3 - proper cooked dinner (lasagna, spag bol, nuggets, sausage casserole etc.) with pudding (yogurt and fruit, jelly, occasionally something and custard). Option for large or small depending on appetite and home arrangements, so they'd do beans on toast or similar if child didn't like the option that night - £6 per day for up to 3.5 hours

I honestly thought the prices at number 3 were wrong and have no idea how they made any money!

Just joining in the rice cake hatred.

Way too old to start liking them now. Are they even "healthy"?

I'm a childminder and we would have (not a rice cake) but maybe a crumpet and a piece of fruit for afternoon snack. That should really be enough to tide them over until their main meal when they get home

My own children don't snack at all and we have our tea once all the other children have gone home. Well, obv after I've had time to cook it so usually 630/7pm

Our after school club (attached to a nursery not the school) provides a light healthy tea at 4pm, snack at 5:30pm and a small amount of fruit.

Caveat - it is possibly the most expensive after school club in the area. £16 til 6pm.

I've never had a rice cake, don't even know what they look like, don't like the sound of them.