Snack Time

[Guest]

We put out a questionaire last year giving parents the choice of:-

 

1. They provide snack daily

2. The parent help provided snack.

3. The setting provided the snack and asked for a donation (currently 35p per session)

 

Parents chose number 3. So this is what we do everyone pays 35p per session that their child attends, seems to work really well.

 

[Fredbear]

Hi lalaloulou i maybe wrong but i thought from September within the flexible funding you are unable to charge any additional costs within them, ie open three hourly sessions x five then you cannot charge anything within that time as it must be free at the point of delivery, if you then have any additional services, breakfast club, lunch club then you may charge as an extra service.

Its a minefield i have to say and i don't think anybody really knows for sure what you can and can't charge for. If you find out any different i would be very interested to know.

Thanks Bridger

[HappyMaz]

i maybe wrong but i thought from September within the flexible funding you are unable to charge any additional costs within them,

Perhaps asking parents for a voluntary donation might circumvent this though? Each LA may well decide their own criteria though, so it is as well to check!

 

Maz

[SueJ]

This is from the latest issue of the SFF guidance

 

"Charges for meals

 

5.29 Providers can make a reasonable charge for meals provided to children during the day. However, as local authorities are legally required to secure free provision, they must work with providers to ensure that they do not place any conditions of access on the entitlement including payment for meals. For some parents, charges for meals may present a significant barrier, which in practice denies children access to the free entitlement. Local authorities should work with providers to ensure that, where children are accessing the free entitlement over the lunch period, any charge that a provider makes for lunch has been agreed with parents in advance, and that parents are given the option of providing a packed lunch if this would be more affordable. "

 

In line with this guidance we provide a snack which we charge for however we make it clear that it is an option and that parents may provide their own snack if they wish. We do ask that parents try to ensure it fits with our healthy early years accreditation. As we are open for 5 hours we also ask parents to provide a packed lunch as we do not have the facilities to do a cooked lunch.

 

Hope that helps

[Fredbear]

Thanks Maz great answer as always from you, we presently are able to provide snack with no additonal charge/contribution from parent/carers and will continue to closely monitor this from September.

[narnia]

difficult one! We don't and never will, charge for snack time food. I would also find it difficult to ask for donations of food, because for some of our families, this would prove very difficult, or too expensive ( Yes, even an apple or two).......I wouldn't want to feel I was causing them problems, or literally taking food from their mouths? Yet, under the new SFF we are struggling financially, because our numbers in September were low, and now we're very busy, so need the income we should have had! I telephoned our LEA and was basically told it's 'tough luck' everyone voted for the new system, so you'll have to wait for your funding to catch up! So, snacks might get a bit thinner, especially over the summer holidays........................I LOATHE this new funding system!

[Verona]

Hi

 

Last term we started rolling snack" and it's going very well. The only problem is that we have 2/3 choices of snack daily, one of which is fruit. I am now finding it so expensive to buy the fruit. I know some settings ask for voluntary donations so I am thinking of writing a letter to parents asking for them to contribute. I know it may sound easy - just write down what you want to say - but i have been fiddling about trying to get it right for ages and whatever I type doesn't sound right.

I'm being really cheeky here - can anyone tell me what to put - please. Now I feel really dumb - sorry and thanks

 

Sue J

[lynned55]

This is what I sent out in a newsletter , I didn't want to make a big thing of it so slipped it into a newsletter rather then a letter specific to it.

 

Snack Bar

Did you know that we give the children a snack each day? Usually fruit but sometimes we try and vary with pitta bread/breadsticks/crackers. Just to ease our finances a little we will be asking for donations towards our snack. After half term there will be a ‘fruit’ basket in the foyer each day for the children to donate and share at snack time. Just 1 or 2 apples, bananas, oranges etc from each child every morning would make such a difference to our finances and of course the children always enjoy bringing in items from home!! Thanking you in advance for your support

We were and continue to be overwhelmed with the amount and variation of foodstuff that has come in. I think since last Feb we have only had to rely on our resources once. I think as long as it is made clear that it is a donation then there is no problem, people can bring in as much or as little as they wish. We've had the usual fruit as well as blocks of cheese and pea pods (very popular!)

I then sent this out (again in a newsletter) just a few weeks later.

We must also say a massive thank you to those of you that have (and continue to donate for the snack bar.Thank you so much for thinking of us, this has made such a difference to our finances over the last couple of months the children love telling us what they have bought into eat & having such a diverse range to choose from at snack time has made it so much more exciting for them. We’ve had mangos, pineapples, kiwis, peppers, baby tomatoes, cheese as well as apples, oranges and bananas, not all at the same time of course!! As always your support is much appreciated.

Hope this helps

[Verona]

Thanks lynned55 that was a great help. Hopefully we will have some donations. I know not everyone will be able to contribute but possibly some may.

[Guest]

We have a parent helper each day and they bring the fruit with them, prepare it and wash up. It works out at once a term and everyone seems happy with this.

[Guest]

Since the beginning of term we have asked parents to supply snack and they all seem happy with that, we have had a few biscuits, crisps, sandwiches included but hopefully with a polite reminder in the newsletter this will sort it out.

 

We no longer charge a registration fee and already I have had 3 children failing to turn up who had said that they wanted a space! But hey ho we will see how things go.

 

How is everyone else doing?

 

Debbie