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.

Calm down, Mrs Sproget. I did post afterwards when I realised the £15 covered a couple of hours child care. Initially I thought the £15 was just for the toast!

It isn't extortionate for the child being looked after and I would have thought a couple of rounds of toast with jam was quite adequate for tea. Fills them up for a while but not so much that they won't eat their dinner at home.

If it’s open 3pm-6pm then £15 is £5 an hour. That’s not remotely extortionate for childcare.

It's not extortionate for a child minder who has 8 kids, but an after school club where they have 30 kids, it is, in my experience, extortionate - the most expensive around here is £3.50 per hour (though you pay for whole sessions here whether they stay 30minutes or 3 hours), and child minders are £4.50 - £6 ph.

@dotdashdashdash

How can you possibly label it extortionate when you don’t even know how long the kids are there for?

Because it is considerably more expensive than the most expensive option where we are, so unless they are there until 8pm (which is very unlikely), the hourly rate - assuming a 3pm finish, is extortionate.

What? An hourly rate of around £5, less actually after food is taken into account, is extortionate?

I think I'd expect a 'light tea' to be, in nutritional terms, something akin to 'afternoon tea' rather than 'high tea'. In which case, cereal with milk is probably more nutritious than cakes.
It's just for a bit of energy for active kids between proper meals isn't it?

Mallowmarshmallow

any chance you clarify what that "£15 per child" covers?

Is it the snack?
Childcare for 1 hour?
Childcare for 3 hours?

@dotdashdashdash

If it’s open 3pm-6pm then £15 is £5 an hour. That’s not remotely extortionate for childcare.

It's not extortionate for a child minder who has 8 kids, but an after school club where they have 30 kids, it is, in my experience, extortionate - the most expensive around here is £3.50 per hour (though you pay for whole sessions here whether they stay 30minutes or 3 hours), and child minders are £4.50 - £6 ph.

It's not at all extortionate.

An after school club with 30 children requires more staff than a childminder. Many after school clubs are also run by outside agencies who also pay for use of the premises on top of staffing, food etc.

Why do all the children need to have food for after school stuff, when they have had their lunch earlier, and then soon, they will go home,for a proper cooked dinner ay home.

@1forAll74

Why do all the children need to have food for after school stuff, when they have had their lunch earlier, and then soon, they will go home,for a proper cooked dinner ay home.

So you'd leave a child from 12pm (lunch) until 6pm (longer if they then have to get home and the food then be cooked?) without food?

Sounds like what is on offer has changed for the worse but you are still paying the same. I would complain.

Ours gets sandwiches and fruit. Yours gets a second breakfast!

@apooagnuandyou, I thought I had already been clear, perhaps people haven't RTFT but it is £15 per child for up to 2.5 hours childcare including a 'light tea' (as per their literature, not a 'snack' as PPs are referring). After school club is run nearby, not at, the school by a company with it's own premises and fully functioning kitchen.

Incidentally, I didn't raise the fee as an issue (others have seemingly done that on my behalf). I provided the fee to give the sense of how much was being paid.

My children are in reception and year two.

The cost is not extortionate. I think it is OK.

To me "light tea" would suggest just a snack and what your club is providing would be fine by me.

I would disagree that cereal / toast and jam have no nutritional value. Many cereals are fortified with vitamins and if sugar is not added when they are being eaten then they are OK in controlled portions. Both types of food provide a quick boost of energy, which young children are often flagging in at the very end of the school day.

If you are planning on providing a good meal later on in the evening then I don't see the issue so I would do nothing about it. These clubs must operate on a shoestring because of the ratios of staff to children that are required to operate.

@1forAll74

Why do all the children need to have food for after school stuff, when they have had their lunch earlier, and then soon, they will go home,for a proper cooked dinner ay home.

Because a small school dinner at 12pm is very, very long gone before a 6pm last pick-up and earliest dinner at 6:30 or towards 7pm for children who play actively. Mine always came home ravenous from school/ nursery despite the "light tea" and still need it prior to sports/ scouting to tide them over until dinner.

@dropthedeadhorse

If it was once a week I would leave it but I wouldn’t want my child having jam and sugary cereal before dinner. Why not some chopped up veg, peanut butter on wholemeal toast etc?

I doubt that any facility within a school would be allowed to serve anything containing nuts.

@1forAll74

Why do all the children need to have food for after school stuff, when they have had their lunch earlier, and then soon, they will go home,for a proper cooked dinner ay home.

because they are hungry? It's a long time when you have a quick lunch at 12 or 12:30 to wait until diner at home at 7pm!

I always had an afternoon snack after school, didn't you? Smaller portions and a quick snack are healthier than a stuffy lunch anyway.

@1forAll74, because the literature offers it, and because otherwise the children would have nothing to eat between 11.30 (school lunch time) and 6pm when they are collected. That is a long time for small children not to eat.

It is quite common in private schools for the children to be offered jam and bread for afterschool food. Something about this being very English! In terms of the value of £15 - its really depends on how long they are there as its the staff salaries that count for this more than the food.

including a 'light tea' (as per their literature, not a 'snack' as PPs are referring)

I think the problem has arisen because what they previously provided (stews and jacket spuds) wasn't actually a light tea and now what they are providing is more in line with what most would consider a light tea it looks stingy in comparison.

I suspect the change has actually come about because most parents probably don't want their child eating what is effectively their main evening meal and instead want what was advertised, a light tea.

I would call that a snack. In light of current world events, I would also just accept it and serve a meal at home too, but our schedule and budget would allow for that. I know not everyone has that flexibility.

We just got notice from our summer program that kids are now required to pack a meal and snacks because they are closing the kitchen due to Covid. They are refunding meal fees. Can’t really blame them. They are trying to work in difficult circumstances.

Thank you Mallowmarshmallow
I did RFT but I missed that bit 🤷

My original reply still stands, yes YABU to expect more or different but if it's such a big change from what was previously offered and you disagree, nothing stops you from making a comment to the childcare provider.

I see nothing wrong with cereal or jam on toast, ideally with milk involved.

I think if they’re only there for 2.5 hours then what they are offering is perfectly appropriate as they will have dinner when they get home. It just looks a bit rubbish in comparison to what was previously offered.

@dotdashdashdash

If it’s open 3pm-6pm then £15 is £5 an hour. That’s not remotely extortionate for childcare.

It's not extortionate for a child minder who has 8 kids, but an after school club where they have 30 kids, it is, in my experience, extortionate - the most expensive around here is £3.50 per hour (though you pay for whole sessions here whether they stay 30minutes or 3 hours), and child minders are £4.50 - £6 ph.

It's not remotely extortionate.

A place that's charging £3.50 an hour is likely being subsidised in some way because between staff wages, hiring the venue, supplies and equipment, training, insurance etc then making £315 for the session is not going to go very far at all.

The issue is that they've changed the offering without any detail of that change being given to parents.

We're opening up again shortly and our offerings are having to change as we have limited access to facilities, but it's all been detailed to parents so they know what to expect and if they still want to use us.

The cost of the club is irrelevant, though? How much do you imagine the cost would drop if they stopped providing the tea altogether?
I doubt it would be a significant amount.

I'm a childminder and only offer a similar snack when the children are with me after school. Usually toast/crumpets/brioche with some sort of fruit to eat. Obv the children will be eating with their family anyway so they don't need a large tea after school.