Kids snacks at school - white carbs twice before lunch

[prettyflowersinthesky]

DD is in y4.

I seriously don't want to be "that" parent so am wondering on the consensus on this.

DD's school has started giving the whole school's kids stodgy white carbs with jam twice before lunchtime (bagels).

Once when they arrive in the morning, and then again at break time.

DD is coming home with most of her lunch uneaten.

I fully appreciate about food poverty and that giving the kids food in this blanket way is a way of addressing that without singling out or embarrassing hungry children or families.

But I question

1. Whether or not the white carbs plus jam is appropriate nutrition
2. Whether or not most kids really need this
3. Whether or not two snacks between breakfast and lunch is excessive

There is no requirement for the kids to take and eat the snacks but to say to my child not to take them when the other kids are seems unfair.

I'm a bit torn, and certainly don't want to deny hungry kids access to food. But also wonder if the school needs to give this twice and also maybe the nutritional content of the snacks could be improved (e.g. fruit, whole grain snacks or something instead). I do appreciate that kids need more carbs than adults.

What does everyone think? Is this appropriate? I feel for the vast majority of kids without food poverty issues this is not necessary, so by serving all the kids a snack it is enforcing bad snacking habits, poor food choices as well as encouraging childhood obesity.

In many very healthy countries no snacking is allowed although I appreciate for very young children it may be necessary.

I am wondering whether or not to speak to the school about my concerns about them finding a better way to address the issues for the hungry kids.

But I do not want to speak up if I am seriously misinformed about all of this, hence interested in your responses. Thanks.

Yanbu = this is not appropriate / YABU - give the kids the snacks

I'd be surprised if it was two full bagels each, simply from the cost side. More likely half a bagel at each sitting I'd have thought.

For the school to suddenly be providing this I would assume there must be a reason. It's unlikely they just decided to feed the children food with no trigger reasons.

If you don't want your child to eat them then you need to tell her not to have them. You could email school and request she is not offered either though that may be more difficult to sort, and school may not nave able to be the ones who say no.

It's not just that some parents can't afford to provide breakfast, some parents can but don't care/think that their children should have breakfast before school. Not all parents make the right decisions for their children.

Can anyone really not afford a value loaf of bread & jam or a box of value cornflakes to feed a child breakfast before school? I mean come on, any decent parent would go without so the child could have breakfast.

It’s astonishing that people are unaware of how bad food poverty really can be for some families. I’ve really had my eyes opened, through teaching, as to how desperately some families live in this country.

You need to parent your own child and teach her to say no thanks. Provide her with a lighter snack if you want her to have one. If she continues to eat the bagels, discipline her. You really have no right to deprive other children of much needed calories because of your own parenting issues. Or to burden teaching staff with your food hang ups.

If you don't like her having them either tell her not to, or thank the school but ask them not to give them to her (without criticism) as they fill her up too much before lunch.

no big deal.

@prettyflowersinthesky

I get that schools are busy. I just question how difficult it is to change from bagels to fruit, for example? Hardly rocket science and not exactly more expensive.

Fruit is full of sugar, sugar is pure carb.

Wow there are some big accusations here. 'selfish, ridgid, entitled'. How is having concern around obese kids nutritional intake any of those things? I don't in any way want to deny hungry children food, as I clearly said in my op, which people don't seem to have read or understand. I just question if there's a better way of managing the scheme to make it healthier. I know kids need carbs, again I noted in my op.

If she continues to eat the bagels, discipline her

Way to go to set her up with food issues for life!

But at least fruit has vitamins and good fibre.

@prettyflowersinthesky

I get that schools are busy. I just question how difficult it is to change from bagels to fruit, for example? Hardly rocket science and not exactly more expensive.

If I was hungry, I’d much rather have the bagel than the apple....

How difficult is it to tell your daughter that the bagel is for children who haven’t had breakfast and don’t have a snack packed for them?

I see your dd is quite fussy. Can you send your dd with a small packed lunch with things like cheese chunks, peperami sausage, fridge raiders, veg sticks, fruit, yoghurt? I know some of these aren’t the best protein sources but children seem to go for these more than cooked chicken pieces. If she will eat things like veg / hummus, great. I’m just presuming not.

@prettyflowersinthesky

How is having concern around obese kids nutritional intake any of those things?

It's not your business & not your job to tell the school you don't approve. Your job is your child. Fixing this for your child is easy.

Your in the lucky position to only have to worry about your child’s diet. You are in an easy position to be able to change your child’s diets.

Schools are looking at the whole school population and are responding to what is needed. As I posted earlier there is every chance that the food is being provided by a charity specifically set up to ensure no pupils go without breakfast and that it’s done in a no stigma way.

It is also possible that these bagels are being donated by an organisation, so the school might not have a choice about what they provide

Fruit is far more expensive than a bagel. The latter will fill a child up better. The school is looking at quick fixes to fuel hungry tummies.

@prettyflowersinthesky

But at least fruit has vitamins and good fibre.

Yes, BUT if you're going to try to change things, change them for the 'best' option, not a slightly better option.

I also think the way you're talking about this is somewhat strange too though.

No one in real life would refer to this as 'white carbs' ime. Normally people would just say the children were being offered a bagel, not a 'white carb.'

Carbs are fine and I think the carbs in bagels are more slow-release or something, although wholemeal would obviously be better, but jam? Twice before lunch??Setting up really bad food choices. Whole meal bagels with butter for breakfast then a piece of fruit at break would be infinitely better.

And I know schools have other priorities, but if this sort of initiative (which I think is brilliant in theory) is going to be implemented then why not go the extra tiny step to ensure decent nutrition rather than yet more sugar.

If you go to the school complaining, I hope they will ask you three things

1. Are you a nutritionist?
2. Are you an expert in child poverty

Before sending you off with a flea in your ear:

3. Why can't you control your own child's food intake? Does she take no notice of you whatsoever? If this is the case, are you incapable of monitoring the rest of her food intake?

Do you think that because of these failings on your part, other kids should go hungry because, believe me, most of those hungry kids won't be tempted by an apple!

Send her in with soup and a fruit salad...job done!

I agree with you OP that this is excessive. Even if some kids don’t have breakfast, that means one bagel, not two.

It sounds well-intentioned but misguided. I bet lots of kids won’t each their lunch and so would be nutritionally worse off.

@MJMG2015

If she continues to eat the bagels, discipline her

Way to go to set her up with food issues for life!

Well, since she's eating bagels when she is apparently not hungry, I would say she already has food issues. The food issue being that of being unable to say no and/or bowing to peer pressure and having something just because everyone else is having it.

What's unbelievable is the number of parents who just cannot bring themselves to say no to their own children. So expect the rest of the world to change the rules so that they - the parents - aren't coming across as unfair.

I'm surprised at this to be honest, I wouldn't be too happy about them not eating their lunch as it's not usually salvageable after being in their lunchboxes all day. And I'm relaxed about what my kids eat. In their school they are allowed to take in a piece of fruit to have at morning break but nothing else. The school doesn't say anything about their lunchbox contents though (thank god) as I know some schools are strict about what kids can take in. How can some schools be like that, yet others are allowed to feed them 2 bagels and jam before lunch??
I don't understand how someone can send their kids to school without breakfast either (unless it's the kids choice) surely that's neglect isn't it?!

"It's not your business & not your job to tell the school you don't approve. "

I disagree. If there is taxpayers' money being spent on this, it's everybody's business. Even if provided by a charity, school staff seem to be distributing it.

Your dd have a choice. She can choose not to eat them and have something else from home. Some children may not have a choice and have to go hungry if they don't provide them.
I really don't get your issue here. You say 80+ children had breakfast at home. How about rest of nearly 20% of children?
Fruits are good, but it won't provide energy like carbs to the children who needs it, do they?

So don't give her "carby" cereals in the morning, give her eggs and bacon and fruit to balance out the bagels.

Why's your immediate reaction to complain to the school instead of managing her diet yourself?