Letter from Ms. Jenn - Family Dinners

I love November!  It is a month full of family and food.  Two of my favorite things.  So I thought this month I would share with you something that is really important to my family: eating dinner together.  Life is so busy and some days it seems so hard to make time for everything that life is asking of you and sitting down for dinner seems like an impossible thing to do.  Making time to sit down at the dinner table has so many advantages for your children and your family.  I thought I would share with you some advantages of eating dinner together and some easy ways to make it happen at your house!

What happens when families eat together? Some studies show:

• Young children who eat with their family have a larger vocabulary and know more rare words.  Having a large vocabulary leads to early and easier reading.

·     • Older children reap intellectual benefits of eating with their family and sharing in conversation with adults.

·     • Children who eat dinner with their family 5 to 7 times a week are twice as likely to get A’s in school as those who eat with their family less than 2 times a week.

·     • Children who eat regular family meals are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables, are less likely to be obese, and more likely to live a healthy life style on their own.

·     • Regular family dinners reduce high risk behaviors in teenagers like smoking, drinking, violence, school problems, eating disorders, sexual activity, and drug use.

·     • Family meals can lead to more positive moods and more positive views for the future.

How can you make this happen at your house?  Our lives are so busy trying to get everything done, here are some tips that may help you do family dinners a few times a week.

·     • It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.  Try to start with a couple nights a week and if it works for your family try 3, then 4.

·     • It doesn’t have to be dinner.  We sit down with the children here at lunch time and share conversation.  If your family has more time in the morning then do it then!

·     • Plan ahead.  What days work best for your family? Ask the children what sounds good.  What is a meal that is quick or easy for you to make ahead of time? 

·     • Keep it simple. It doesn’t have to be fancy.  Sitting down to leftovers has the same benefits and sitting down to a gourmet meal. 

·     • Let children help with clean up.  Give them simple jobs like clearing the table or helping with dishes.

Just as important as the food that you eat is the atmosphere at the table and presence of the parent.  TV should be off during dinner time and children should be encouraged to engage in conversation.  Keep positive and open communication throughout dinner. Enjoy this time with your babies, time goes so fast and soon they will be off, out on their own. Trust me on this one! 

- Ms. Jenn

POTM: Food Policy

The following is taken directly from our handbook. Let us know if you have any questions about our Food Policy.

All food for children over 1 will be provided by Jellybean Daycare & Preschool. We are so lucky to have Mimi for a cook to make all of our meals. She will make most of her meals from scratch so the children can have a real home cooked meal for lunch. Meals include breakfast, lunch, drinks, and 2 snacks. For breakfast, the children can choose whatever they want on the menu. They will usually have about 6 choices. Breakfast will be served until 8:30. If your child arrives after that time please be sure that they have already been fed. Lunches will usually be hot lunches. The menu for lunch and snack will be sent by email on a monthly basis so if your child doesn’t like what is being served they can bring their own lunch from home. If you do decide to bring food from home, it must be in a bag with your child’s name for them to eat during meal time. We have children with severe food allergies here so we ask that your child does not come to the center with food in their hand. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

If your child has food allergies please fill that out on your child’s forms and make a point to talk to all staff about it, including the cook. You will also need to fill out an allergy action plan and have it signed by the child’s pediatrician. We will do our best to accommodate all food allergies. 

We limit the use of sugary foods and juice. Juice is only offered at special events. We encourage healthy snacks for birthday celebrations. Please see your child’s teacher or the administrator if you would like to bring in food for your child’s birthday. 

We try to prevent choking by having children sitting while eating and by cutting food into child bite-sized pieces. Certain foods such as popcorn, gummies, and raw carrots are not served to infants and young toddlers. 

Our nutritional plan and menus have been reviewed and approved by a registered nutritionist.