To expect my children not to be given cereal and jam on toast for tea at (£15) after school club?

[Mallowmarshmallow]

My children have come home this week saying the above was all that was on offer at the after school club they attend.

AIBU for suggesting to them that this is not an appropriate tea for children. 'A light tea' is apparently offered during the session.

Does anyone know of any government guidance for healthy eating in childcare settings? I can only find early years guidance in my searches.

For full information, the after school club is local to, but not run by, the school the children attend. It is the only local option available which works with their school.

Surely your first step is just speaking to the club about what the menu is?

In my limited experience, after school clubs provide a snack to tide them over. I would call this a snack and not a light tea.

In my mind that’s definitely not a ‘light tea”, I would expect beans on toast, soup, scrambled egg etc at least. Jam on toast has no nutritional value whatsoever. Personally I would politely question this and ask to see the menu.

It’s just a snack, my DC school offered toast only, and they were hungry so gratefully ate it.

£15 is to cover staff, overheads and many other things not just ‘jam on toast’
And I think that’s an ok as a snack in between school and dinner. What did you expect?

Ours get toast, crisps and fruit. Im fine with that, keeps them going till I pick them up.

I think the £15 is to make a profit , not to cover overheads . If it's a school run club then there are minimal overheads apart from staff , which certainly doesn't equal £15 per child.

Same here at my childs school. But it's just jam and toast! They dont have access to the kitchen/fridge, so toast and squash is made in the hall, with the children. I'm not too fussed about it, it's just a snack to tide them over til collection time. You could pack them cheese&crackers? Our club is outsourced so they have to pay rent to the school and wages for 2 members of staff.

@Wowwe, I stated the price to give people an idea of what I pay. I am fully aware it doesn't just pay for jam on toast and never suggested that.

I don't consider sugar filled cereals and jam on toast a 'light tea', rather a snack ( and not a nutritionally sound snack at that...). The literature suggests a 'light tea' is offered.

In the past, offerings have been more along the lines of those mentioned above: beans on toast, soups, jacket potatoes, stews etc...

This sounds similar (slightly worse) to what is offered at my DC's after school club. Yours is cheaper (I'm assuming the £15 is a daily rate for approx three hours 3.15-6.15) so it seems reasonable to me.

I do agree they should call it a snack rather than a light tea.

[quote Mallowmarshmallow]@Wowwe, I stated the price to give people an idea of what I pay. I am fully aware it doesn't just pay for jam on toast and never suggested that.

I don't consider sugar filled cereals and jam on toast a 'light tea', rather a snack ( and not a nutritionally sound snack at that...). The literature suggests a 'light tea' is offered.

In the past, offerings have been more along the lines of those mentioned above: beans on toast, soups, jacket potatoes, stews etc...[/quote]
Ok so it was a one off?

Toast and squash was generally what our afterschool club on school premises offered as well. They don't have the facilities or money to offer more.

The other afterschool clubs available in local creches did offer a slightly more substantial snack most days (dinner in 1 on arrival, but mostly scrambled eggs or beans on toast levels of snack which did vary during the week, and usually had fruit available as well). But you could not avail of extra curriculars in school with those options as they only collected from school at the end of the school day, and they were a lot more expensive.

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion, no not a one off. A fairly regular dip in offerings which have previously lasted for several weeks.

Are you paying £15 per child or £15 for both?

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion £15 per child

You consider stew a light tea? That would be a large dinner.
£15 for 2-3 of hrs child care and a snack sounds rather reasonable. They should probably just change their wording from light tea to snack. Unless they also offer fruit to go alongside the toast

Ours offers something like crumpets, toast, scotch pancakes, and bread sticks, all with jam, honey or butter.

But it closes at 5.30 so it's just intended as a snack, with parents expected to provide tea once they're at home. We pay £10 a day. I'm happy with the selection.

Is this £15 per child per day?
I had no idea these things were so expensive

I won't get too worked up about it if they have given things like stews and baked potatoes previously.

@user1471457751, I didn't state what I considered, just explained that was a previous offering.

A stew is a full meal. Jam and bread is a light meal.

Cereal is a bit odd, but in after school club I've only ever known the snack to be toast/biscuits/fruit as it is only to keep them going until collection and dinner at home, and most parents won't want them to have too much

@CMOTDibbler

Cereal is a bit odd, but in after school club I've only ever known the snack to be toast/biscuits/fruit as it is only to keep them going until collection and dinner at home, and most parents won't want them to have too much

I agree with this all the local after school clubs around here do similar food such as crumpets, toast, hotdogs, bagels etc with a pudding of fruit. The purpose is solely to stop the children 'withering away from hunger' before their parents collect them and take them home for tea. For £15 I wouldn't expect anything more substantial.

I think it's OK as a "light tea" by which I'd have in mind an afternoon tea/goutier with the children having a proper dinner/supper at home.

My daughter has a sandwich and crudités at her childminder after school at 4pm. She's definitely ready for another meal after getting home (6.30-7pm) so I'd describe what she has there as a light tea.

She goes to a holiday club that serves "hot dinner" and pudding at 5pm. On those days we do the reverse so she just has toast/fruit at 7pm if she wants something else before bed.

She is very fussy though and I'd expect she'd be delighted with cereal and toast and jam for lunch, tea, dinner and supper!