Food policies

I thought I would share some of the constraints I have when assembling Juju's school lunches. In addition to my attempt to avoid plastic when I can, I have to consider the school's policy on food that was sent to us when we signed up to stay for "lunch bunch." It all sounds pretty logical to me but I'm wondering if those of you reading this from other places might think this is "way too California." I suppose others will also point out that it takes for granted that everyone at school has access to affordable, healthy food options.

Here it is:

Food

Healthy snacks (cereal, crackers, raisons, fruit) will be provided mid-morning for Transition Toddlers; mid-morning and mid- afternoon for Preschoolers. Water is given to drink.

There is a NO JUICE policy at XXXX. We will promote the drinking of water if children are thirsty. Juice can cause a sugar high and also reduce appetite leaving little desire in your child to finish the food needed to help him or her sustain their day at school.

Please do not send snacks from home. Snack time is more than just about eating a snack. It is in fact one of the learning experiences of your child’s day. Snacks brought from home present issues of food-sharing, envy from other children and interfere with the general structure and protocol of snack time.

We do not allow the sharing of food so as to avoid complications with allergies, dietary restrictions, etc. Please inform us if your child has any food allergies or dietary restrictions.

If your child is in preschool or in transitions “Lunch Bunch” we ask that you provide a healthy lunch for your child. Please do not send any junk food or sugary foods in your child’s lunch. We will be strict in enforcing this policy, including screening lunches and asking you to take home any sugary or junky foods.

The reason for this policy is beyond just wanting to encourage healthy nutrition and reduce sugar-induced behavior. Lunch, like snack, is not merely about eating food. For your child, eating lunch at school is an activity, and one which they should rightfully have full autonomy over, in terms of being able to choose what they eat, what order they eat it in and how much of it they eat. When children have a lunch that contains junky or sugary products, there are two undesirable scenarios. One is where the teachers try to encourage the children to eat their “healthy stuff” first, then the “junky stuff,” which takes away the child’s control, threatens their sense of healthy autonomy and sends subconscious messages of ineptitude to the child. The other scenario involves the teachers leaving the child to choose how and what he/she eats, inevitably resulting in the junky food being eaten first and the rest of the lunch going uneaten. This not only develops poor nutrition, but also can set the child up for “failure” in their environment in that their behavior is being influenced by what they’ve eaten (or haven’t eaten). When their lunch is full of healthy choices, it’s a win-win situation in which the child is in control, feeling confident as well as getting the nutrition their bodies and brains need to navigate the rest of their day.