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.

@StatisticallyChallenged

Effectively your ASC is heavily subsidised compared to many others by virtue of it being incorporated in to the school setup so comprehensively. That's just not done here really - even the on site non profits are essentially independent operations which rent space (albeit sometimes for a nil cost). There's no backup from the school, no admin support, no catering, etc etc.

That’s how we are.

We rent the space in the school building, but nothing else comes from the school. No staff, equipment, catering, insurance or training. All completely independent.

That is a light tea, our ASC has a lot of restrictions on what can be prepared currently. It’s normally cold food and fruit.

Light tea I would take to be toast and snacks, not a cooked meal. It's similar to what my DC gets and what it costs. I think it's pretty standard. Not all after school clubs have cooking facilities or good enough staff ratios to make anything else.

@GreyhoundG1rl

Who mentioned crisps and biscuits?

I didn't but now you have mentioned them, I fancy some.

@ZoeMaye

Light tea I would take to be toast and snacks, not a cooked meal. It's similar to what my DC gets and what it costs. I think it's pretty standard. Not all after school clubs have cooking facilities or good enough staff ratios to make anything else.

It sounds OK to me too (though I dislike the 'light tea' label, just 'tea; would suffice).

It's not like the kids are living on toast and jam but there is nothing wrong with toast and jam, or the odd jam tart come to that. I wouldn't call head stands, or any type of gymnastics, hyperactivity, all children do that or similar. It's just lively.

It doesn't take long for active people, and most children are pretty active, to burn off a bit of sugar. That's why the continental breakfast is so popular in some countries; a croissant, a pastry and some fruit is a good way to start the day with energy.

I didn't but now you have mentioned them, I fancy some.
Save me a hobnob. Or two.

We have an after school club at our school. Children are offered rolls, sandwiches, fruit , yoghurt.
They are not offered a warm meal because it's assumed they'll get a warm meal at home. It's basically a light tea, to keep them going. Also, kitchen staff are not on the premises at that time. School staff will not be allowed to use the kitchens.. the rules are very very strict on that.

Don't forget that you're not just paying for a jam sandwich, you're paying for supervision for which , the staff, don't get paid very much at all.

If you want better quality care , then a nanny /au pair might be better suited to your needs.

You're lucky. Our afterschool club offers nothing.

The use of kitchens / availability of kitchen staff in the current climate is a very good point.

I think £15 for three hours child care and something to eat is good value.

They shouldn't be giving sugary rubbish like jam. I worry more though about kids having food after school then a dinner when they get home. Surely veg sticks, hummus and rice cakes or some fruit would do to bridge the gap until they are picked up.

What to feed the kids, and how much to feed them, is very polarising! We send out regular surveys to the parents and the snack question is always the most varied both in terms of the score and the written answers. You genuinely can't win, we get "too healthy", "not healthy enough", "too much food, won't eat dinner" and "not enough, always starving" as feedback on the same snacks.

God some people are so uptight about kids diet!

What do you think will happen to your kids if they eat a slice of toast??

Mine have sandwiches, crisps, normally a penguin or a jelly pouch. It's £7 an hour.

What do you think will happen to your kids if they eat a slice of toast??
All sorts. Apparently. It's a sore subject for some people 😂

Mine get toast. Sometimes they get beans, but usually jam/ choc spread/ butter. We pay £6.50

Jam on toast? Crumpets? All that sugar. All those nasty evil carbs .

[quote Mallowmarshmallow]@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.[/quote]
Light tea is a sweets-centric meal. You will find more cakes, scones, and sweet fruit treats in these. So in that sense jam on toast is not out of place.

I don't think, tbh, that for the money it's "that bad". However, I'd have a child who wouldn't eat any of that offering so would be requesting to know what's available on a daily basis in case there are other options that your children are unaware of. It may also then lead to a conversation about the disparity between the meals previously offered and now.

If this is their offerings moving forward, you really only have 3 options :
1 provide a tea for them
2 put up with it and provide another meal at home
3 move them which doesn't sound an option

@Countrygirl2021

They shouldn't be giving sugary rubbish like jam. I worry more though about kids having food after school then a dinner when they get home. Surely veg sticks, hummus and rice cakes or some fruit would do to bridge the gap until they are picked up.

That would have been a hell of a gap for my kids!

School lunch at 12, school ended at 3.15, and I picked them up from the after school club at 6pm after work. Supper around 6.30-7pm.

They really needed something at 3.30/4pm to eat. Toast was better in our eyes than a rice cake and a stick of celery, especially when they'd been running round in the playground.

They could also eat any left over packed lunch so I used to put in a bit extra on 'club' days anyway.

It was far too long a day for young children but what's a single working parent to do? I tried childminders, babysitters, various YMCA-type clubs, friends & family (their absent father refused point blank to help 'because of his shifts', hollow laughter) - and the school-based after school club was always the most reliable even if it did give them toast.

Maybe put in a request for a banquet and a red carpet while you're at it. YABU

Holy moley, I pay £12 for a cat sitter to come and feed and entertain my cat when I'm away. I provide the food and if the cat isn't in the house, it doesn't get the entertainment. This thread is bonkers to me.

@StatisticallyChallenged

What to feed the kids, and how much to feed them, is very polarising! We send out regular surveys to the parents and the snack question is always the most varied both in terms of the score and the written answers. You genuinely can't win, we get "too healthy", "not healthy enough", "too much food, won't eat dinner" and "not enough, always starving" as feedback on the same snacks.

We get the same.

“It’s supposed to be fun, give them fun snacky food”
“The food needs to be more healthy”

Also “We’d prefer more organic, locally sourced expensive food choices” alongside “We’d have had rather cheaper food and snacks than a price increase”.

Oh yes, there's always a "locally sourced seasonal organic produce please" along with a "fruit is too sugary" and a "wholegrains only". And the parent who told us their kid had a gluten allergy (so we of course bought gluten free products for them) then complained their snack was different and could they just have the same as everyone else cos they're not actually allergic.

You cannot win with food!

And the parent who told us their kid had a gluten allergy (so we of course bought gluten free products for them) then complained their snack was different and could they just have the same as everyone else cos they're not actually allergic.
That's disgraceful
I'd have insisted they sent their own food, on the grounds that they seemed unsure about potential allergies and you were unwilling to take the risk.

The anti carb/sugar posters are in the tread I noticed. A slice of jam and toast is not bad, no food is bad. Bread and jam will give a child energy after a busy school day. It’s not the only thing they eat all day. No food is bad food : all food groups in moderation is the key for a healthy diet.

@GreyhoundG1rl

And the parent who told us their kid had a gluten allergy (so we of course bought gluten free products for them) then complained their snack was different and could they just have the same as everyone else cos they're not actually allergic. That's disgraceful I'd have insisted they sent their own food, on the grounds that they seemed unsure about potential allergies and you were unwilling to take the risk.

You have to be careful with that as well though. We had a child who apparently allergic to everything so when we went on a whole day trip in tbt summer I discussed with the parents what kind of lunch we should sort and asked if they’d feel more comfortable sending their own given we were going to have lunch and snacks as we were going 8am-6pm.

So they did. One tuna Mayo sandwich, one iced bun, and strawberry milkshake that burst in the bag.