Do You Serve Dinner?

[Provider_Manda]

Those of you who are on the food program, do you serve dinner? I have for a year now and I am getting tired! My late kids (till 6) well their last days is tomorrow, they are moving. So I have been doing a late snack at 4 and then most kids are picked up by 5:30.

I am just wondering if the parents will have an issue with it. The kids that stay late, for 2 weeks now while making this transition have not been too happy, and have even made remarks to me kind of implying that I am not feeding their kids. Trust me they are being fed, and their portions are more then that is required by the program.

I don't want to seem lazy, but most of the time they don't eat or just want something like ramen noodles or something like that. I do breakfast if someone is hungrey, lunch and the a pm snack..is that too little?

[Angelsj]

Not quite sure I am following you, but I serve supper at 5:30. If a kid is here, they eat. Generally due to my hubby that must be at work @ 7 pm, I have no problem with kids being here, but we eat when we eat and I am not going to ignore a kid while we do so.

Fix "dinner" when you want and don't worry about the parents or the food program. If the kid is there, feed them. If not, oh well.

[Scout]

As a parent I would feel bad IF you WERE feeding my kids & I wasn't. I dont get why parents dont want to eat dinner with their kids, no matter if its not until 7:30? Dinner time should be quality family time.

[Provider_Manda]

Well I serve dinner at 5 just for them, I ate later in the evening. But with the kids wanting to eat snack later I see no need to make a big dinner. They are getting something in tummy's.

They are eating, its just not as late and its not a 4 course meal.

[Provider_Manda]

As a parent I would feel bad IF you WERE feeding my kids & I wasn't. I dont get why parents dont want to eat dinner with their kids, no matter if its not until 7:30? Dinner time should be quality family time.

See that is how I feel!! I had one (the ones that are moving) not pick up the bcb he is 1 till late cause they wanted me to feed him dinner cause he won't eat for dad..But he picked up big sister and fed her ? I don't understand your child is here 9 hours, shouldn't you want to spend atleast one meal with them!

[kitykids3]

I have kids from 7:30/7:45am til 6pm.
I do not feed dinner to the kids. I don't even usually eat 'dinner' myself.
I feed them breakfast at 8:30, lunch at 11:30 and snack at 2:30 or whenever they get up. If they have snack at 2:30 and still here at 5:30, then I'll give them another small snack to hold them over til parents pick them up.
However, they usually sleep til 3 or so, and are good until they leave.

[Sunshine74]

We are open until 6, but do not feed dinner. They have breakfast upon arrival, lunch at 11, and snack after they wake up from nap- around 2:30. On a rare occasion, a parent will ask if we can give them something for dinner, and we will do something simple like a sandwich- but those times are few and far between.

[mom2many]

I close at 6 pm and do not serve dinner. On a rare occasion I have fed a dck when a parent is running late, but that is not the norm. We have always eaten as a family after the dcks leave.

[dave4him]

My own kids like to eat before one of my dck's is picked up.... and even though his Aunt says he eats like a horse at home.... its hard not to feed him something while i feed my own.

[Countrygal]

I do and I don't. ON the food program I am only allowed to claim 2 meals and a snack. By certification standards for my state I have to feed them every 3 hours at the least. So..... That translates to a minimum of 4 meals. I find that if I serve a large supper-snack later in the afternoon I make up a little bit of the money I lose by having to feed them four meals and only being able to claim 3. But I only serve it when they are here late - 4:00 or later. At the price of food, I need to cut corners wherever I can! So this is what my eating schedule looks like right now, but it does fluctuate with my parent's schedule, as I only keep three children at a time:

Before school breakfast: 6:30
Toddler breakfast: 8:30
Lunch 11:30
pmSnack 2:00
Supper 4:00

My parents actually don't like the supper, but it's the only way I can fit in the four meals I am required to serve and not lose a whole bunch of money on it. I feel my rates are low enough that I can't really include meals in them as well.

Supper is usually light and consists of 1/2 a sandwich, some grapes, carrot sticks and milk, or cheese and crackers with apple slices, carrot sticks and milk - something like that. I serve my big meal at noon. I am serving toddlers as well as befor/after school kids.

I'd love to hear how other people make the required number of meals/snacks without running the bank dry. Would love some other suggestions!

[NeedaVaca]

My family eats after dck's leave but they get a snack after nap. There is a ton of research proving the importance of family dinners with your children. If you have parents that get upset that you no longer serve dinner maybe print off some of those articles for them to read?

[countrymom]

I stopped doing the dinner thing. Because I agree that dinner should be a family thing. Also, I barely have enough to feed my kids yet alone another kid. Now I have had families ask me to feed them dinner because they have to go somewhere so I dont mind.

[MamaBearCanada]

Morning snack 9.30
Lunch 12.30
PM snack 3.30

If they are hungry when my own kids are eating breakfast I'll give them some toast or cereal. My first drop off is 7.45am. If you are only covered for a certain amount of meals could you explain to parents that the choice is you increase rates or they send food to cover the other meals or snacks?

[Country Kids]

I do and I don't. ON the food program I am only allowed to claim 2 meals and a snack. By certification standards for my state I have to feed them every 3 hours at the least. So..... That translates to a minimum of 4 meals. I find that if I serve a large supper-snack later in the afternoon I make up a little bit of the money I lose by having to feed them four meals and only being able to claim 3. But I only serve it when they are here late - 4:00 or later. At the price of food, I need to cut corners wherever I can! So this is what my eating schedule looks like right now, but it does fluctuate with my parent's schedule, as I only keep three children at a time:

Before school breakfast: 6:30
Toddler breakfast: 8:30
Lunch 11:30
pmSnack 2:00
Supper 4:00

My parents actually don't like the supper, but it's the only way I can fit in the four meals I am required to serve and not lose a whole bunch of money on it. I feel my rates are low enough that I can't really include meals in them as well.

Supper is usually light and consists of 1/2 a sandwich, some grapes, carrot sticks and milk, or cheese and crackers with apple slices, carrot sticks and milk - something like that. I serve my big meal at noon. I am serving toddlers as well as befor/after school kids.

I'd love to hear how other people make the required number of meals/snacks without running the bank dry. Would love some other suggestions!

Do you kids actually eat every time you feed them. I had to cut out morning snack becaus they wouldn't eat it or if they did they wouldn't eat lunch. I was throwing away SO much food. Now I throw away nothing!!! They eat it up like they are starving.

Also, how do you serve a snack at 2;00? My kids are still sleeping during that. I'm so glad I don't have to have a schedule like that. We would just do everything in the kitchen because thats where you would always be preparing food.

[itlw8]

breakfast 8:30
lunch 11:30
snack 3:00

I close at 5:30 most are gone by 5

most families eat together or should if they eat at 5 then they won't eat a famiy dinner