Jam sandwiches at wraparound care

[JBeanGarden]

My reception age DD goes to a really well arranged breakfast club and after school club 4 days a week. It works very well with 2 commuting parents. I only have one gripe and that is with the food they offer. Technically the food should align with the school’s healthy eating policy, as it’s run by the school not an external provider. The school has asked parents not to provide sweet treats in lunch boxes and it’s quite strict about sandwiches.

HOWEVER the school is not transparent about the wraparound food offer and I had to email three times to get them to tell me what they provide. Once they did, they disclosed that the after school options include a range of sandwiches, including jam, plus a pudding of cake and fruit. Of course, my four-year-old always goes for a jam sandwich and ends up with a very sweet tea 4 days a week. The school says they offer carrot sticks etc, however, not one single parent has ever mentioned this in conversation and so I just think it’s something they say but don’t provide.

We do talk at home about the importance of a balanced diet, but she’s still only four and temptation is there! She’s offered something a bit more nutritionally balanced she gets home, but she’s usually just full of jam sandwich!

I emailed the school to ask them if they are able to comment on this or if they ever review the food that they provide at wraparound care, but I haven’t received a reply. AIBU to push this further?

Ask if you send her with a packed tea if you don't like the food on offer?

They will need to make something quickly and cheaply.

It's Jam? Not the end of the world. What would you rather she had in her sandwich?
Ask the school if you can provide your own sandwich for her or else tell them she's developed a new intolerance to strawberries if it's bothered you that much.

Surely food at wrap is just a snack. If she’s having a proper tea at home I wouldn’t worry too much. Maybe just ask them to make she DD doesn’t eat too much of the snacks.

Ideally one of the cheese or ham ones they offer. Plus the cake. Jam is not in the same category in my eyes. It’s also a direct contradiction of their own policy!

I think you’re overrating - it’s a little jam sandwich.
She’s not being given a Big Mac & Fries everyday!! And if you don’t like the options provided… then make her own snack box?
The school are not going to say they have carrot sticks and then ‘not provide’ them - but the children will be given a choice, and your child chooses jam sandwiches.

You could talk to your child and tell her to choose something other than jam every day.

I buy my kids the sugar free diabetic Jam. Maybe they're buying a low sugar one.

Tbh I don’t think it’s majorly different from processed ham or cheese they likely offer but the ‘snack’ thing used to bother me generally when I used after school club, it was never enough / nutritionally balanced enough to be considered dinner but they kids were too full on it to actually eat dinner. We eventually moved to a childminder that offered an actual dinner (for a few reasons not just this one, but it definitely helped with the food problem).

Is this your first child? You should see what high school kids eat! In 10 years time you’ll be looking back fondly on jam sandwiches

With wrap around being not part of the school day, it's not subject to policies I don't think.

I do know how you feel but think you would be charged a lot more and food would be wasted if they made the offering more virtuous. And then the wraparound might collapse.

So I guess be careful what you wish for.

This. ^

She's having a sweet snack at ASC

When she gets home you make sure she has a healthy savoury dinner/tea/supper with no sweet treat. Its not rocket science !

Good grief, you emailed three times about this? 🫠

Ham every day isn't healthy either - its a known carcinogen.

You’re not wrong in a way. I have been fairly unimpressed by the food on offer as ‘tea’ at the after school club where I work. The girls running it are absolutely lovely and the kids are well cared for and happy but the food is crap.
In the grand scheme of things though I would let this one slide. Your child is very little. I’d be glad they’re eating anything at all at school as 4 year olds often don’t. Encourage your child to make better choices but I would just be letting this one go. It’s probably only going to be the case for a short while anyway. She will probably change her preferences as she becomes older and more comfortable.

Except she’s full from all the jam!
Those talking about what she will eat later in her school life, is not really my issue now. She is 4 and setting the foundations for healthy eating in later life. I did not eat badly at secondary school and we are very consciously educating about real food and do not eat UPF at home, so are willing to bend on this for ease of school.

Because it’s the only school in the area that doesn’t just tell you what food they provide.

Although it’s within the school it will be seperate from the school, ie food and staffing etc.
Ours has a wraparound care and to be honest I’ve never put a thought into what they eat, I’ll ask my kids what they’ve had , as I do with schools dinners. It’s always varied and random (mine hate jam sandwiches!) but sometimes they’ve had nothing to eat as they didn’t want too.
They don’t use school facilities for cooking they buy a Tesco shop in (according to my eldest) and everything is cold. Mine always have a proper dinner when they get home.
Personally a jam sandwich at WAC isn’t a big deal, it’s a fuss over nothing. If you’re not happy go to another provider , if there isn’t one, then honestly pick your battles. School is going to be a long slog if you worry about this type of stuff.

I'm guessing the jam is the "vegan" option. (And many other allergens except wheat and gluten)

My youngest dc also attend a school ran before / after school club that offer jam toast / sandwiches - they only offer a small amount though as a snack to tide DC over to their evening meal at home

Honestly, I dont think its the end of the world but maybe you could request she isn't able to eat a large amount if it prevents her from eating at home

Well I agree with OP. There is enough crap food around and diabetes is a dreadful thing so why give young kids jam of all things. Bet it's white bread too.

I’m going to close the thread. I suppose it confirmed my own opinions that the British population has an incredibly low bar with nutrition expectations for growing children.

When mine were little I was getting worked up over the lunch box he would eat - this was 20 odd years ago so lunch boxes weren’t policed so much then but I wanted him to eat well.

he would only eat jam sandwiches everyday 5 days a week, my dad pointed out to me, he has a good breakfast and a nice healthy dinner what harm does a little jam at lunch do.

When I was little we lived just up the road for school and we went home for lunch every day for a year or so. We had sugar 70’s cereal for breakfast, cooked lunch sausage and mash stew shepherds pie etc then tea was jam on bread and butter and a slice of cake. 7 of us, and we all grew up healthy and well balanced did t harm us at all

I make Jam for my kids and it’s not full of ultra processed nonsense so maybe they make the jam too or buy the healthier ones in the store. It may be run by the school but it’s not school, it’s after school club, the school is not forcing you to use it so I feel you’re unreasonable to email thrice about this. You either pack an after school snack for your child or you find an alternative. If they have to start providing healthier snacks, they’ll need to put up the fees which many parents will find harder to pay and those parents are already happy with the current set up just cos of you.

Wrapcare programmes don’t usually have access to school kitchens, so what you’re describing here is pretty standard, even at private schools.

Eating a jam sandwich is not the end of the world. You are very lucky she has a asc to attend so many never opened after covid or are full or don't take year r children. Take the rough with the smooth.