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?

Yes. I'd also be looking at the big drop in activity levels. Far too many little ones spend their time sitting down looking at screens or being transported around in the back of a car instead of running around outside. I have no personal experience of after school and breakfast clubs, but from overlooking one once from my office I'd expect that the children are running around in the playground before and after their cheap carb-heavy snacks. Which is a good thing.

Dont be silly. It's about priorities. Children have to eat. Far more important things to tackle before trying to take bread out of their diets.

Off the top of my head

Pizza wrap - so a chewy, sweet wrap with puree (concentrated sugars, not bad but not exactly different) and a few shreds of cheese, about 3 kcal in the puree and around 0.1% of the RDA for calcium, plus about 40 kcal in cheese.

Cucumber sandwich - well, there's the nutrition in the slice of bread, I guess.

Soup - hot liquids and small children don't really go together in a communal environment.

Hummus - contains sesame. Not a wise choice.

Compared to a jam sandwich, with 20-40 kcal in the jam and the kids are actually likely to eat more than is left on the paper plate (unlike wraps), I'm not seeing any particular reason why a teaspoon of jam is such an awful thing to give a kid straight after school.

Oh cmon supermarkets aren't filling aisle after aisle of ready meals in the chiller section just for decoration. Open your eyes.

Yes, this is a huge factor. When I was a child, almost everyone walked/ cycled to school. Playing outside was the norm. Car use was much more limited than today.

Obviously bread is not OP’s issue, it’s the bread filling. If it were cheese at least it would have some nutritional value as at least it has protein and it’s not full of sugar. Yes, ideally the bread would be of higher quality but at the end of the day it’s not the main problem here.

However, white bread + jam becomes a UPF sugar bomb. Might as well give these kids cake instead - same thing essentially.

I agree 100% OP. What a joke that the school is happy to offer taht for their convenience but won't allow parents to offer it for their convenience. Jam sandwiches should not be an option. My DC's school lets the kids havd sugary cereal as their 'snack' and lets them freely access it. So they come home rammed full of sugar and no space for dinner.

People really have to start thinking about this from the providers point of view. Very limited budgets, very little prep time or equipment, avoidance of allergens, provision for specialist diets. Their hands are really tied.

If parents don't like that, then they can find other arrangements or provide the food themselves.

I don’t trust my eyes, I trust data and the data is clear on the amount of sugar kids in the UK consume.

Yet the cheese is available.

Her child just won't eat it.

I would love to see the data on what percentage of that sugar comes from jam.

Then parents need to cut their hours find a nursery or utilise someone else to collect their child

Then home school

My eldest was very nervous eating nursery lunches and would rather go hungry than eat things he was unfamiliar with (should add that he's on the spectrum).

His nursery were super practical about it and never forced it and just casually left small bits on a plate beside him alongside the 'approved' foods I'd packed. I didn't give a shit WHAT he ate,I just wanted him fed.

Picked him up one day to find his teacher absolutely beaming because he'd voluntarily eaten 3 bowls of roast potatoes 😁

This was his pattern for months.It only got better!

At 13,he now eats ANYTHING.Way less fussy than me and is super healthy,great teeth and a really good relationship with food. Only no go is mushrooms,but he'll demolish a seafood meze.Ick lol.

Months of roast potatoes did not cause damage.I don't think jam sandwiches will either.

Yes, because what 4yo would consciously make the choice to not eat the sweet food if they have been offered it?

You either have no experience with young kids or have forgotten what they are like - they always gravitate towards sweet foods, which is why at this age is important to not offer it very often so that it doesn’t create bad habits.

I can sort of see that consistency would be a better choice, as in ensuring that both, parents and school provide healthy options, regardless if it's wraparound or not, that's a red herring.

However, in practice I know my DS (similar age) eats healthy at home, does well with school dinners (which are sort of OK, but could be less processed for my liking and I don't see why they should be having pudding daily, personally, but hey ho). He occasionally has a lunchbox which is healthy food and does very well. I don't put treats in his lunchbox at all and it's totally fine with him.

His wraparound is also in school and the snacks they give them aren't healthy. Not even talking jam! Worse. I haven't kicked up a fuss about it predominantly because it's a very small part of my child's otherwise healthy diet - he eats dinner at home, made fresh from scratch, always. But I am a bit annoyed with the fact he eats this sort of food at wraparound and pudding in school, it's just not needed. I think if I were you, I'd have an open chat with wraparound staff.

I was going to say that other allergies, dietary needs etc would need to be considered too.

My son has a limited diet due to medical needs and he can eat ham, jam (as long as it's smooth), cheese & white bread but he can't eat hummus, peanut butter or anything wholemeal.

You think wraparound staff have any power or a magic money tree. OK.

You can but I doubt it would change. To offer meals they would have to increase the price . I would say you would like to provide your own food

You’re mixing things up - it’s OP that has a problem, not me.

I have found a solution to this problem for my own DC, and I fully support OP in kicking up a fuss about this as it is unacceptable.

Yes! I've only seen one post on this thread from someone who said she ran an after school club and she said they provided toast, spread and a plate of cut up fruit and veg. Nothing else. That came within budget, was quick to prepare and clear away afterwards, and every child could eat it. Toast was very popular, as I wold expect. If people want more, they will have to pay more, and as many parents are struggling to pay the existing charge that will spell the end of the after school club for everybody.

If it's UPFs you're worried about the ham and cheese are likely more processed than the jam.

I've always been odd. I'd have homed in on the ham and cheese and saved the jam for afters, if possible. Always loved sandwiches.

Exactly. Clubs are collapsing because of the overheads, salary, NI, pensions, heating etc p Then food costs. They're caring for children that parents deem the centre of their existence every day so they can work.

Well then the OP needs to be clear her child doesn't get a choice. It's really not difficult.