Half a Pop-Tart for Breakfast?

[Unregistered]

I normally drop my daughter off around 6:00 AM, but I took the morning off work because I had a doctor appointment so I dropped her off just after 8:00 (my appointment was at 8:45). When we came in, her teacher was just starting to serve breakfast. Apparently breakfast was half a pop-tart? When I asked about it, the teacher told me it was fine because it counted as a grain and a fruit? What are the rules about that?

I checked the center's menu because I care about healthy eating and if that's a regular thing I don't want to stay, but it said they were supposed to be eating cheerios and bananas...

[Crystal]

It would count as a grain, but not a fruit. Not at all healthy, and not even sufficient enough to fill their bellies. Gross. I wouldn't blame you for finding other care if that's the norm....especially if it is not what is listed on the menu. If they are on the food program, I would report it.

[Thriftylady]

Not at my house. Not saying I would never serve a pop-tart but it would be extremely rare, and would not be the main component. As a parent, I would have an issue with it.

[Unregistered]

I have no idea if they're on the food program. How would I find out?

I'm planning to talk to the director when I pick my daughter up tomorrow. I would have today, but she didn't work today. I haven't had any problems with this daycare before and I would really like for it to work out since most daycares here don't offer the hours I need, but I'm not okay with half a pop-tart for breakfast.

[daycarediva]

I occasionally do menu substitutions (if a food spoiled, wasn't available at the store, that kind of thing) but I note it on daily sheets.

Maybe a parent brought them in to share and the teacher was trying to divide it up and give them each a small amount of an unhealthy food as she was trying to serve breakfast (I have done this myself with donut holes brought in by a parent- had each child sit at the table with ONE donut hole while I plated breakfast).

They count as a grain- they aren't made with fruit and even if the filling was ALL fruit, it isn't enough to be a serving size. I have never served them.

[daycare]

i would count that has a pile of you know what...

sorry that is not food and I don't know why the USDA food program allows for it.

you are what you eat.

I would not count that as anything..

BUT to each their own......

I find that most of the centers around my area serve something similar and count that as a meal......

I would not give that to my cat.......

[Josiegirl]

Okay. I'm a junk food junkie and have been known to indulge in them myself. But I cannot ever remember thinking they were okay to serve as a breakfast for dc. Same with donuts, unless a dcp brings them in as a treat.
While I wouldn't consider them a deal-breaker as far as choosing a daycare(unless it was the norm), I definitely would seek out more info. As far as who to talk to, if they're on the food program, they're supposed to have a USDA poster posted for families to see. From that you should see contact info. If they're telling the state they're serving cheerios but are serving poptarts, you need to say something. But then I've been known to fudge the menus a bit when I run out of something but never substituting something like that.
Is there an option of feeding dd breakfast before dropping off or bring your own meals?

[Blackcat31]

I have no idea if they're on the food program. How would I find out?

I'm planning to talk to the director when I pick my daughter up tomorrow. I would have today, but she didn't work today. I haven't had any problems with this daycare before and I would really like for it to work out since most daycares here don't offer the hours I need, but I'm not okay with half a pop-tart for breakfast.

You would have signed an enrollment form upon starting child care there.

You can also ask if they participate in a USDA food program or if licensing regulations have specific requirements in regards to meals/snacks.

Also, is this not something you discussed during your interview with the child care? I would think if food (healthy foods) were an important topic for you, that this would have been discussed in detail when you were in the interviewing and touring stages of searching for care.

If you are simply using this facility because no one else offers the hours you need, then you are pretty much stuck with whatever meals they offer or finding another care option.

Providing healthy, well balanced meals is expensive and the costs of doing so is usually off set by participating with a food program but if a center or facility chooses not to participate then more than likely they either charge much higher rates to account for food costs or they simply serve the least expensive options...which unfortunately are usually the least healthy.

[daycare]

by the way....here in CA, not sure if the USDA food program is standard across the board, but I looked yesterday and pop tart is on the approved list to be served...

I think that is NOT ok...that is not food

[kitykids3]

It could possibly count as a grain depending on the age of the child (as in older children need bigger portions). No way would it count as fruit. I have never served Poptarts and wouldn't either, but occasionally I do substitutions, but Food Program requires they be written on the menu I have posted for parents before that day.

So if she's talking about it counting as a grain and a fruit, she has that wrong and that tells me they probably are part of the Food Program if she's talking in servings like that.

If it was a rare occasion then ok, but they should have had fruit with it and milk to count. Talk to the director and ask why they were given poptarts and didn't follow the menu as posted (bananas and cheerios). Ask the director how often this happens (substitutions). Did they post that they would be having pop tart that morning? Plus, a half is not enough unless they had a good amount of fruit to go with it. Tell the director that the teacher is misinformed as far as it counting as a grain AND fruit.

[laundrymom]

I can see what might have happened::
Here I don't serve breakfast.
I feel Kids should start their days with parent time so I just don't offer it. At 9 I serve snack. While I offer different foods than poptarts, a poptarts and milk is considered a food program qualifying snack.
It's two components.
So while I detest poptarts, I can see how school could get by with serving them. They just record them as snacks instead of breakfasts.
Maybe this is their policy and they refer to it as breakfast?
Either way, clarification is needed. I hope
OP updates.

[Unregistered]

I talked with the director and she said that they were out of cheerios that so they used the pop-tarts instead. She also told me that they buy a different brand of them that is made with real fruit so it does count. I still don't think there was enough fruit in it to count, though.

Healthy meals is supposed to be part of their program, which is part of why I enrolled her. They're not on the food program, but the tuition is high for the area.

I need to be at work at 6:30, so I drop her off around 6. I feed her a snack, usually fruit slices, in the morning before we leave the house (around 5:30) because breakfast is at 8 and I don't want to her to be too hungry until then.

She usually only eats breakfast and lunch there since I'm usually there to pick her up before they serve snack.

[daycare]

I talked with the director and she said that they were out of cheerios that so they used the pop-tarts instead. She also told me that they buy a different brand of them that is made with real fruit so it does count. I still don't think there was enough fruit in it to count, though.

Healthy meals is supposed to be part of their program, which is part of why I enrolled her. They're not on the food program, but the tuition is high for the area.

I need to be at work at 6:30, so I drop her off around 6. I feed her a snack, usually fruit slices, in the morning before we leave the house (around 5:30) because breakfast is at 8 and I don't want to her to be too hungry until then.

She usually only eats breakfast and lunch there since I'm usually there to pick her up before they serve snack.

Im sorry to sound mean, but WTH..... NO poptart does not counting a FRUIT...that school is crazy.....sorry I know everyone has different values about what eating healthy is and this is not something that I would pay for at a higher rate for my child.

Can you bring food from home? Do they have a menu?

[kitykids3]

I talked with the director and she said that they were out of cheerios that so they used the pop-tarts instead. She also told me that they buy a different brand of them that is made with real fruit so it does count. I still don't think there was enough fruit in it to count, though.

Healthy meals is supposed to be part of their program, which is part of why I enrolled her. They're not on the food program, but the tuition is high for the area.

I need to be at work at 6:30, so I drop her off around 6. I feed her a snack, usually fruit slices, in the morning before we leave the house (around 5:30) because breakfast is at 8 and I don't want to her to be too hungry until then.

She usually only eats breakfast and lunch there since I'm usually there to pick her up before they serve snack.

U should have asked her to show you the box so you could see the nutrition label. Even IF there was real fruit in the poptart, it still would not count as enough to be a whole serving, especially for only half a pop tart. And how do you run out of cheerios but yet have poptarts around in a daycare with 'healthy meals?' I serve healthy meals too and always have cheerios here and never any poptarts. Is your child old enough that you can ask her what she ate for the day at the end of the day to see if there is a regular occurrence of this?

[spinnymarie]

If they aren't on the food program, then no one is monitoring to see that they are serving healthy foods OR what they say they are serving, and I would be checking into this more carefully.
I'd ask to see their menu from the past month. At a center that claims to be 'healthy food' I would've assumed there would NEVER be pop-tarts served, including as a substitution.