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?

And spam is worse than lamb in my eyes!

Butter costs more. They probably can't afford it.

No child is going to pick carrot sticks over jam sandwiches. Nor would I if that was the only choice - and I care about what I eat.

Your DD has a jam sandwich 4 evenings a week. The rest of the time she is eating healthy food so I doubt it makes much difference. Make sure she cleans her teeth about an hour after she comes home (to get rid of sugar but to avoid damaging the enamel which is softened by the fructose (a sugar) in fruit - whenever eating fruit it is best to avoid cleaning the teeth for about an hour for this reason).
Cake or fruit is ok for a pudding, though why they offer jam sandwiches in that case is a mystery!

Wrap around clubs are struggling to survive financially. Some are closing. @JBeanGarden has the option of nursery collection and hope for a better menu, or pack her own snacks.

Good luck with that!

How patronising! None of my three DC ever ate jam sandwiches because I was at the gates when school finished every day...

We really need to bring back the laugh reaction 😂

Butter is expensive.

I agree Ashersmom. If people don’t like the food their children are given in an after school club, perhaps they should pick them up after school themselves and feed them the food of their choice.

I've voted YABU as it's supposed to be a small after school snack but generally I agree with your sentiment.
Our schools after school clubs feeds kids with lidls cheese and onion crisps and a chocolate bar (twix or snickers style ones). In their website write up they say that they provide healthy snacks. I avoid using after school clubs as much as I can, but sometimes there's no other option.
I could complain but then I believe the clubs would become too full-time to accommodate my DCs

I know but serving bread and margarine was made to sound a good/healthy option. Sounds crap to me 😬

Heavens! How judgemental. Just because some people think jam sandwiches are ok and explain that healthier options will put up the price of WAC - which other parents won't thank you for and may mean some DC cannot attend anymore.
The British have a fairly relaxed attitude to food born of a wide ranging cuisine and good produce because we live on soggy islands that grows multitudinous amounts of grass on land that won't grow wheat. Jam sandwiches are TRADITIONAL, too - and maybe the WAC has access to someone who provides home-made jam or they buy good jam (not that matters that much because it is 4 small sandwiches a week). If I was subject to constant healthy eating at home I might well choose jam sandwiches - indeed, I am off to eat a low calorie bagel with some low fat cheese spread now - all this talk of jam sandwiches has made me feel hungry (but jam is so fattening and I don't think I have any - used to buy expensive stuff for late DH, who liked jam sandwiches (wholemeal bread, no butter - lactose intolerant) but it's all gone now...)
NB I brought my DC up on hot 'what the English insist on calling curries', and lasagne and pizza (all home made but not especially healthy, perhaps - DC all grown up and healthy).

What part of the country do you live in where it’s easy to cover monthly expenses without 2 working parents?! Also, what if OP is a single parent and has to work. Mumshame much!

OP is not a one-parent family. And moaners should put their money where there mouth is, I think. If you don't like the food provided at your relatively cheap childcare then do it yourself - that always works.😀

I’m genuinely at a loss to understand why you take issue with jam, but not with ham? Of the two, I’d take the jam any day.

We have a few who are non-dairy so its honestly just easier. But you'd be surprised, our toast is very popular!

The jam will be spread so thin I really wouldn’t worry about it.

My daughter is 4 aswell and has something similar at wraparound care.

The website says something like a sandwich, a biscuit and a drink plus one more thing I can't remember what it is. Also my daughter has come home saying at lunch time they get cake and ice cream for pudding. I'm assuming this is low sugar or homemade or something.

I normally offer my kids sweet treats on a Saturday, so this has been a transition for us. Instead of putting it on the school, I've discussed it with my daughter and said that I want her to make the decision on whether she feels its a good choice or not, i just want her to come home and tell me if she has had something sweet ( without any judgement or anything.) Also then if she has chosen sweet puddings then I can monitor how many sweet treats she gets on a Saturday.

I think it's just a matter of realising we are not going to be able to police what they eat 24/7 anymore and as they enter school things are just going to be different. Gonna have to loosen the reigns a little and learn to trust that we are there to advise so that they can make good choices in life.

The jam won’t fill her. That’ll be the bread…… same as the ham or cheese one.

Full from all the jam 🤣

Yes, Jam is just sugar. Kids should not be eating so much sugar.

Really, I despair about what we are feeding our poor kids these days.

Ham is a Group 1 carcinogen. I would rather feed my child jam.

Now start a thread on giving your small child jam on white bread every day and see the difference in replies.

Apparently it's ok if school does it though.

The equivalent comparison would be looking after someone else's child for 3 hours surely?

I might give them jam sandwiches if that was all they'd eat (especially if they were vegan).