If You Quit Or Never Signed Up For A Food Program

[PitterPatter]

Really? I cook EVERYTHING in advance...so would that make my entire menu a no-no if I ever did join?

I don't think I ever really asked..:confused:

I just found that out back in winter when I took the nutrition class. I have been on the FP for 5 years and never knew it. Maybe it's new. No reheats or previously cooked meals, and no salads or fresh fruits and veggies that have been in a serving bowl on the table. Insane huh!! Basically reason being we may not properly cool or reheat the items. They had a much longer BS filled reason but thats what it boiled down to. The salad and fresh items and other food in a serving bowl is because it is considered possibly contaminated by a cough a sneeze or childs roaming hand. The instructor even caught a couple centers by surprise with the reheat but most centers knew it. Well oops on me.

[Cat Herder]

I just found that out back in winter when I took the nutrition class. I have been on the FP for 5 years and never knew it. Maybe it's new. No reheats or previously cooked meals, and no salads or fresh fruits and veggies that have been in a serving bowl on the table. Insane huh!! Basically reason being we may not properly cool or reheat the items. They had a much longer BS filled reason but thats what it boiled down to. The salad and fresh items and other food in a serving bowl is because it is considered possibly contaminated by a cough a sneeze or childs roaming hand. The instructor even caught a couple centers by surprise with the reheat but most centers knew it. Well oops on me.

OK, it is official for me.

The food program is not worth it.

Cooking in advance during the weekends is what allows me to help my kids with homework and be active in their lives everyday.

I would pay that extra weeks income each year for that, IYKWIM....

[littlemommy]

OK, it is official for me.

The food program is not worth it.

Cooking in advance during the weekends is what allows me to help my kids with homework and be active in their lives everyday.

I would pay that extra weeks income each year for that, IYKWIM....

I would ask your rep about it before quitting. I cook in advance and mine has no problem with it. Everything differs state to state. Kinda crazy...since you'd think it'd all be the same.

[sharlan]

I quit about 10 yrs ago and never looked back.

I don't like the unannounced visits, regardless of who's doing them.

My last food person was so stupid that the kids nicknamed her "Stupid Sylvia". She asked the same questions over and over, wrote me up for the stupidest things. She always came at the end of the month, would find some error in my paperwork and disqualify my paperwork for the whole month. One day we were having fresh corn instead of carrots and I hadn't changed the paperwork, lunch wasn't even over yet. Disqualified the whole month.

I asked for a new inspector, the co told me it wasn't possible, I had to learn to work with her. I told them to cancel me effective that call.

[jojosmommy]

I love my fp lady and would never give up the 300-450 each month I get for feeding the kids I have.

Have never heard of the no re-heats rule. I think it is easy to get the required components in each meal and our program allows you to have it available but doesnt require you to put x amount on each plate (and throw away what they dont eat). I don't hardly waste anything b/c what they don't want or arent going to eat never goes on their plate anyway.

Also, I have never heard of brand requirements except on processed things like chicken nuggets/fish sticks etc which I don't serve anyway.

[Cat Herder]

I would ask your rep about it before quitting. I cook in advance and mine has no problem with it. Everything differs state to state. Kinda crazy...since you'd think it'd all be the same.

It is not supposed to.

I am still reading... check it out.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/2011-06-29.pdf

http://www.cacfp.org/regulations.asp

http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/FBG_Introduction.pdf

[Meeko]

I would ask your rep about it before quitting. I cook in advance and mine has no problem with it. Everything differs state to state. Kinda crazy...since you'd think it'd all be the same.

In my state we can prepare ahead...however we cannot serve left-overs. So you can make a meatloaf the night before and have it for lunch. However, you cannot save the meatloaf your family ate and serve it to the day care kids the next day.

Being on the food program is a no brainer for me. Yes it's a pain with all the logging foods and having inspections. But we are a group day care and because of the school district we are in...we are tier one. I average $1000 -$1200 per month from the food program. The lowest amount I received this past year was $997.

If I was just getting a few dollars, I wouldn't do it. But it's financially worth it for me.

[Cat Herder]

I love my fp lady and would never give up the 300-450 each month I get for feeding the kids I have. .

How many kids do you keep????

This is how I understand it. Is this correct per child?

Tier One

Bfst = $1.24
Lunch = $2.32
Snack = .69 cents

Tier Two

Bfst = .45 cents
Lunch = $1.40
Snack = .19 cents

Toms blog broke it down really well along with the tax costs involved. It is over in the taxes forum.

[rjskids]

How is it decided what tier you will be on? I'd like to know what exactly I'm going to get back per month to know if it's worth it. $50-100 per month? I would rather skip it. $200-$300 per month? Heck ya!

[WImom]

So,..... Do chicken bites from real chicken pieces, real fish steamed or baked is healthier, cheaper and cooks faster than fish sticks. Use that. And as far as corn dogs? Why even offer them? They are full of fat and salt. Instead do chicken kabobs rolled in parm cheese.

okay - so to go off topic but is that just chicken chunks rolled in parm cheese or is there more to that? Sounds like something my kids here would love.

[snbauser]

I am on the FP and have been for 8 years. For me it is a no brainer. I am teir 1 and have 12 kids. During the school year when most of my kids are here all day every day I get back between $900-$1000 a month. Even during the summer when I have kids part time and kids in and out I average about $500-$600/month. I can still serve the things that I want to serve. Sometimes I have to doctor them up some but that isn't a big deal. Today was a child's birthday and we had frozen pizza. I can claim it as long as I add extra cheese to it. Not that big of a deal. I jut buy a bag of shredded pizza cheese at the store and put it on top. So for the meal we had the crust - grain, cheese - protein, pineapple - fruit, green beans - veggie, and milk. As for the chicken nuggets/fish sticks, etc, I buy the CN labelled ones and still have to give them a slice of bread for the grain. Again, no big deal. If I change something for the meal I just cross it off the written menu we have posted and change it right then and there.

[jojosmommy]

How many kids do you keep????

This is how I understand it. Is this correct per child?

Tier One

Bfst = $1.24
Lunch = $2.32
Snack = .69 cents

Tier Two

Bfst = .45 cents
Lunch = $1.40
Snack = .19 cents

Toms blog broke it down really well along with the tax costs involved. It is over in the taxes forum.

I qualify for tier one rates based on how many kids in our closest school are on free and reduced lunch. I get 4.25 per kid per day. I have between 4-6 kids per day (not including my own which I do not get reimbursed for) and if you do the math it looks like this 4.25 (per kid per day) x 5 (kids. average for me everyday)x 20 days a month (again average days open per month) = $425.

Easiest money I make each month. Literally 3 minutes on the computer daily and 3 unannounced checks from my fp lady per year. No brainer.

[Crazy8]

I've never been on the food program. When I became registered 10 years ago even my licensor said none of the home daycares do it. I don't know how much that has changed over the years but I have never had anyone even comment on sending their own lunches - its just the way its done around here.

I provide snacks and get a few bucks for them at the end of the year (think it was .65 per child per snack or something like that??).