Staff eating with children at lunchtime.

[Bauble99]

We have always encouraged our staff to eat at the tables with the children. The idea was to encourage conversation, trying new foods and to provide a homely setting for mealtimes.
We provide a free lunch (and tea) for our staff and also an hour's paid break.

I have noticed that, as the nursery has got busier, there has been less chat and that the staff have seemed to be using this time more as an extension of their lunchbreak - rather than child-centred work time.

A couple of weeks ago I asked the manager to remind staff that mealtimes were still time on duty. Two of our staff have always put meals aside as they say that they get indigestion if they keep getting up and down while eating.

The others seem not to have understood or are maybe untroubled by indigestion as they don't get up and down while eating!

As a result I today asked our manager to inform the staff that meals are to be put-aside to be eaten during lunch-breaks (we have a microwave in the staff-room)
The staff are then still with the children but not distracted by eating.

I know this makes sense as the children today were served seconds when they were individually ready for them, rather than in a 'wave.' And the dishes came back to the kitchen (my job) a lot quicker after the children had finished. Also, a lot of the jobs that seemed to be done in a rush straight after lunch (getting sleepers teddies, blankets etc) were done ready for when the children needed them.

But I now feel bad for the few who were still working during the children's lunchtime, even though they were also eating. I have to introduce this across the whole nursery or it will mean that some staff get to eat on company time and still get a full hour's break afterwards, while others have to eat during that hour.

Not sure where I'm going with this, TBH. And I hope I'm not sounding petty.

What happens at your nursery?

Yes anything with custard, love it but never make it at home.

Katy I like your thinking, come up with idea let others try it out first before you do it. Could be a disaster, have visions of a 3 yr old nicking grannys false teeth and trying them out them selves, while other children cover granny's dinner in something while she is distracted looking for her teeth. LOL sorry I sure it would be fine.

Will do, Katy.

Krimble. I'll be waiting for the 'why is your face so crinkly?' comments.

My DD introduced my MIL (who volunteered to hel at school)
as my granny 59 going on 60, and she has false teeth. .

Katy that's a brill idea!!Don't know whether th OAP's wouls cope with the low chairs & tables though..I struggle to get my knees under!!

Bauble is is nice to have other owners to sound off to isn't it??!

Maybe we could start an owner/managers thread then all the NN's on here might see what our gripes are!!

Back later!

PS anything with custard a fav with us too!!

Our children serve themselves all their meals, even the toddler age children, but obviously they are closely supervised. Same with drinks. Staff get royally told off if we are seen to be doing it for the children, although there are the odd few who need that bit of role modelling and support.

We are offered meals at the same time as the children on top of our paid lunch break times, but we hardly ever get to finish what we have started because we are tending to the children. Saying that, it doesn't take too long to serve the children seconds or puddings etc because they do it themselves anyway. It's just a matter of supervising them and encouraging their independence skills. I think this is something you should really be drumming into the staff. I have found that when the children are (effectively) running their own lunchtimes, it runs quite smoothly and staff can still eat with them, role modelling social skills etc but whilst making sure they are supported.

Hope this helps. I also like the outreach idea and agree that Ofsted would love the links with the community angle! Hope it works out well for you. Sometimes rotas are the way forward. My boss doesn't 'do' rotas as we should all know what needs doing and just do it. But for some staff members, a little bit of guidance (or a kick up the bum in the right direction) is what's needed. Good luck!

I love this thread.

LL. Would you mind talking me through how your self-service meals work? I would like to trial this in the pre-school room to begin with.

Do you have one table with (cool) serving dishes of food, spoons and plates for all of the children to come to, cafeteria style? Or are there serving dishes etc on each table?

At present, for snack times, we have a table with jugs of milk and water, fruit, rice cakes etc and each pre-schooler washes hands and then comes to take what they want. We currently have 20 pre-schoolers for morning sessions, which will be rising to 24 in the new year. Do you think dishes on each table of 8 would work better for this amount of children?

Thankyou so much for your advice. As bb says, it is great to be able to talk to other nursery peeps!

Awaiting LL's way of doing it....

We put out pots of cutlery & piles of plates & encourage the children to choose their own. They then come & sit at tables of 6-8 & the main course is served to them but they serve their own veggies taken from a dish that comes round (or garlic bread/rice/extras) & pour their own water. We found they drink & eat better that way as there is an element of choice.

We did try self-service at snack time but found it wasn't working.So now we have a tray of snacks & pass round a plate or biscuit jar & they serve themselves. We always have fresh fruit for pudding at either lunch /tea/snacktime so they get at least one portion a day.

We put big bowls of food with spoons, tongs etc and all our children serve themselves,. they do need encouragement and help.

They also serve their own drinks.

They take it in turns to clear the table, give puddings out etc

They love it too don't they NV? Once you've got over the "oops never mind" first few times when things get dropped or water knocked over.

One of our 4-yr olds knocked a (very) full tumbler of water over a baby (22 months) the other day....there was a collective intake of breath then the baby started roaring.....with laughter thankfully which made the big boy smile as he'd been about to burst into tears!

Lesson learnt? He'll not fill it as full again!! (& he was very helpful at mopping up the poor drenched little 'un!!)

Thanks.

BTW. We are being slated on a 'nursery V CM' thread over in chat.

Ooh where???

& which side am I on?

Katy. You can be Switzerland.

Does that mean extra chocolate....or only clocks?

Or possibly some toned and tanned ski-instructors..

Promises,promises

I think I'll sit on the fence

I think the nurseries have come off quite well really!!

Katymac you are DEFINATELY Switzerland!!

Reporting back with thanks for all of your advice.

Lunchtimes are working really well. I now serve vegetables, finger veg ( cucumber, carrot, pepper sticks etc) in a bowl for each table. There is a place left at each table for a staff member to sit at and the children (with some supervision, especially the younger toddlers ) serve themselves veg, bread etc.

It has made such a difference and the children have been eating more of the self-served veg as a result. Lots more chat, too, at the tables and lunchtime has become more of an 'event.'

Thanks again.

Oh Bubble I AM glad, it is important isn't it that the whole event becomes a nice sociable occasion/ritual.

Aw no grannies??