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?

From the portions I have seen at other wrap around settings its a small snack to keep your child going..I find it.hard to believe a child getting a sandwich at 3.30ish is too full to eat dinner at what 6 or 7? Cheese and jam are the staple foods I've seen offered at these settings - they dont make alot if any money and have to cater for so many dietary requirements there are limited quick choices

It isn’t bedtime, its 3-315 in the afternoon and the child has another meal before bed time. It is entirely normal to have something like cake or a biscuit or bread and jam as a post school snack, followed by a later dinner and always has been - long before the advent of mass advertising or the hysteria over the latest food fads or widespread weight issues.

The school is not “concealing” what they are offering. The OP knows the offering, she described it in her own posts. The school has not responded to agree to the OP demands that they change the offering. I would imagine the only way to change it is to significantly increase costs - more staff and more expensive snacks which may put the service out of reach for many parents.

If the afternoon snack is a major problem then the most sensible thing to do is to send in an alternative from home.

Its sad that so many pps dont understand, OP. But so many having a go at you is even worse.

I| think you need to appreciate that they're likely to have kids who are vegetarian/vegan/allergic/intolerant/Muslim/Jewish etc and jam is a cheap alternative that covers all bases.

It's not their fault your child makes that choice every day and they're not doing it to tempt her!

I'd argue jam is as healthy an option as cheese and ham is an officially recognised grade 1 carcinogen so what would you rather her have?

@JBeanGarden I agree with you, it's not ok to eat jam sandwiches everyday.

To all the people telling you that you are overacting: no wonder the majority of UK population is overweight if you think this is ok!

IME they often get the kids to make the sandwiches themselves, which can be a fun activity and I imagine much easier and safer for a 4yo to spread jam than slice or grate cheese

Yes this reminds me of the pack lunch pupils who swapped their dainty cottage cheese and cucumber sandwiches made with energen rolls for jam or cheese doorsteps as soon as they reached school. 😂

I’m laughing at the fact you seem to think cheese (a processed animal by-product, and likely the cheapest brand for cost efficiency) and ham (another processed animal by product, and again, likely not ‘quality’ ham) is any healthier than jam!

I get teaching about healthy eating but it’s a jam sandwich. You sound like you’re the sort of person that demonises food into good and bad, which creates really poor food dynamics.

Your poor children.

At four years old you are regularly lecturing them on “good” food and “bad” food? Instead of simply setting a good example for them to follow and learn by practice?

And we wonder why children grow up with food issues.

I'm not surprised at most of these comments. I got the same reaction from Mumsnet when I posted about my DCs getting jam sandwiches at nursery. The British seem to think jam is healthy just because it's got ruit in it, forgetting that it's usually mostly sugar and that combined with what is probably UPF white sliced bread ( I don't think they'll be using made from scratch sourdough)it's not acceptable in a nursery or school setting imo. No different to a chocolate bar.

I wish my biggest problem in life was my child having a jam sandwich

What a ridiculous fuss
Why not tell your child she isn't to have jam if you're that bothered
Be grateful you have access to wraparound care

Very cheap block cheese will contain, guess what, cheese. That's all. Kraft cheese slices are not cheap so they won't be using those.

Feed her yourself if it’s that much of an issue.

You should book her into an after school nursery with the food options you prefer. There is one near here. The ASC is £7 per session, the nursery club £23.50 but they have healthy food and do educational activities.

🙄🙄🙄

OP has already said

she's too full of jam sandwich to eat dinner

It’s just meant to be a tide you over snack. Either tell her she can only choose jam on Monday, cheese in Tuesday etc or grin and bear it! If she’s happy and care is good and fun, you’re winning.

That should be a snack. You should be cooking her a healthy dinner for when she returns home.

I highly doubt a small jam sandwich would fill up most 4 year olds. It certainly wouldn’t my 4 year old.
If OP is so bothered she can pack her child a healthy snack.

YANBU there are very few nutrients in a jam sandwich made with white bread, I think of them akin to a pudding — ok as an occasional treat not as a regular meal.

My child is the same and if they had a whole jam sandwich after school they’d be too full up to eat a proper dinner. I definitely wouldn’t be happy for my child to essentially have a jam sandwich for dinner 4 evenings a week.

Hilarious that others are trying to make you out to be unreasonable for requesting this information. Ofc YANBU for wanting to know what your child is having as a meal 4x/week and it’s absurd this information wasn’t more forthcoming.

I agree with you these responses are making me feel the standards in this country for both childcare and child nutrition are dire!!

I am thinking of 'Jam Sandwiches' in the context of the Enid Blyton boarding school ones, a sponge cake full of jam and cream.

How about feed your own kid? Breakfast club and ASC four times a week for a 4year old. Poor kid. Not to mention giving her a lifetime of eating problems by discussing this with her at such a young age. Completely unnecessary.

There nothing ‘poor kid’ about ASC.