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?

😂Jesus

It isn’t that different. Being in nursery 8-6 or whatever is also terrible.

There’s no shame in that - but it’s not the best thing for the child, even if it is when weighed against everything else (like being able to afford housing and food) or even happiness/fulfilment of parents.

Likewise, there’s no shame in only being able to afford childcare that can provide the cheapest snack possible rather than organic homemade sugar free snacks which would obviously be better.

Noone is arguing that a jam sandwich is great, just realistic given the constraints.

But parents are much more likely to fret about school not meeting their physical/nutritional needs, than parents not meeting their emotional ones.

Many kids don’t like after school club and the jam is probably the best bit.

Why are savoury options better ? Do you think the an after school club can afford to serve these acceptable savoury options, not all kids will be munching on carrot sticks on mass for an afternoon snack they would probably rather not eat anything then you have grouchy irritable hungry children and how does that help anybody? this just ,looks about your personal aversion to sugar.

For people who were taking the p out of me by suggesting chia jam. I’m not British nor do I live there, and don’t know the economic reality of ‘wraparound’ costs. Nor do I shop in British stores.
I make my own chia jam. It costs flip all because I buy the chia seeds in Lidl or Aldi. Nor am I privileged- I’m a single mum with limited means. I’m not suggesting staff make their own chia jam, obviously, but I would’ve thought they would have some duty of care to the children.
i agree with the OP - it’s despairing how people just accept bad nutrition.

even if they did make their own chia jam, Aldi chia seeds alone are 74p per 100g even before you add the fruit.

and if you’re not suggesting staff spend their evenings making chia jam, what are you suggesting?

Yes, what would this duty of care look like?

I think people are suggesting that chia jam sounds and tastes like utter despair not that it's difficult to make.

Remember Snack-a-Jacks ? They were just as bad. Salt and vinegar or cheese and onion flavoured polystyrene discs !!

When my children were little, I had a great book called Toddler Taming, written by a paediatrician originally from Northern Ireland. He mentioned once the horror of a new dietitian at the extremely monotonous diet served on the children's ward - mince one day, sausages the next. She devised a new menu, packed with nutrients, far more varied, and most of it went into the bin because the children refused to eat it. The hospital couldn't afford waste like that and the children needed to be fed. So they went back to the mince and sausages.

This is the problem. The After School Club is catering for children from a wide range of backgrounds, some of whom can't have certain foods because of medical conditions or parental instructions. They are there for a maximum of 2 and half hours a day and most of that time will be spent on play or sitting quietly reading. The snack they provide is just a small thing to keep the children going till home time.

Some of their children will go home to a lovingly prepared bowl of roasted organic vegetables and wild salmon with quinoa and toasted seeds. Some will get the cheapest available chicken nuggets and chips. Some will go home to another jam sandwich. The ASC can't solve all the problems of the world on its own. The inadequate diet some children have is mostly the responsibility of parents. There are lots of reasons why it's very difficult for some families to provide varied, nutritious food including lots of vegetables, and to get their children to eat it. It would be great if we made it a priority as a society to change this, but we don't. I can't see it changing for now, but as the NHS buckles under the challenge of dealing with preventable conditions linked to obesity, maybe things will change.

I love a dead processed pig sandwich on a Sunday morning with a hot cup of coffee !! Has to be smoked dead processed pig though, and on white bread with brown sauce.

This. If the home diet is healthy, a jam sandwich is hardly the end of the world.

Oh the cheese and onion smelled like vomit they were awful. Dds liked the Salt and vinegar but they were like those packaging beans tbh thats probably what they were 😀

Yep.

My son was in hospital for a period of time last year and the children's menu was what you described though jacket potatoes and sandwiches were available for lunch too but it was mainly pizza, chicken nuggets, fish fingers etc because when children are unwell enough to be in hospital, you just want them to eat.

I’ll tell you now, this is not the hill you want to die on with the school. Especially when in your child is in reception.

if you don’t like it then find alternative care, which will probably cost more than the after school club.

Hmm. And yet my child has grown up to be a healthy weight and height. If it's supposed to be a snack, they don't need more than that. I also included fruit in that.

Mine certainly wasn't given a full meal when they got home from school. Ever. They waited until the evening meal. Otherwise, as OP is exasperated by, they were too full to eat the nutritious dinner.

I'm not completely evil. We did have sweets and packets of crisps from the shop as well as homemade cakes and biscuits. But actually fruit, bread sticks and cheese were the most popular snack option because you can eat it whilst doing homework or reading etc.

Individual ones. Not shared! 🙄🙄

Dear god. Can you imagine how much waste there would be in 50 dippy bowls? And who is washing the buggers up!

The difference between those two options would not be worth arguing over & certainly doesn't merit having to use a toaster etc

Well said @AlenaMacc 👏🏻

Well, they're hardly difficult to wash up. IKEA style plastic bowls veg & a dollop of hummus. I'd happily shove them in a bag & take them home to wash (whether that's permitted or not, I don't know). How are they serving the ham sandwiches?

how much waste? Well if theryte all kids whose parents think ham sandwiches are a suitable tea 4 days a week, maybe quite a bit initially (lucky neighbourhood rabbits) but most kids will get used to it.

I’m thinking less of the veg and more of the dip left in the pot. Even if it’s a teaspoon in each pot that’s huge.

I don’t believe every parent would be happy to take them home, wash them and return them every day.

Just maybe, the ASC provider doesn't want yet another chore to add to the
long list of things they have to do, for not much reward.

And the sandwiches are a snack, not tea.

and the children who have allergies/medical reasons/dietary needs where jam sandwiches will be an easy, quick and cheap alternative?

For example, my child has a limited diet due to medical reasons and raw veggies & hummus would be unsuitable for him to eat but you know what he could eat? jam sandwiches.

A jam sandwich with white bread is no different from giving her a cake every day after school - and then giving her more cake for pudding. What a lot of processed, sugary crap for a very young kid.

I'm amazed people think eating that every day is fine, no wonder we have an obesity crisis!

I would send her with her own food OP and tell the staff you don't want her having any of their crap food.