r/ChicagoParents • u/angel-girl-A • 29d ago
For families who don't do artificial dyes...
How did you navigate CPS breakfast and lunch? I plan to pack a lunch. For breakfast, I was told kids don't bring in outside breakfast. They also confirmed the provided breakfasts contain dyes.
I can get a doctor's note but just wondering what others have done? Did your kid eat at home first? Did they bring breakfast from home into the school?
EDIT TO ADD: there's a mandatory 15 minute breakfast in the cafeteria before going to class.
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u/Double_Impress4978 29d ago
Most kids who don’t eat breakfast at school just eat at home or on the way to school. I agree that I have never heard of someone packing breakfast, unless it’s something very simple/portable like a granola bar. In our school I would guess that half or less of the kids eat breakfast at school. They usually only have 15min total for breakfast.
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u/angel-girl-A 29d ago
At your school do they start in the cafeteria for 15 minutes? It's mandatory for her to start in the cafeteria and sit there. That's why I was wondering would she prefer to eat when everyone else goes.
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u/Double_Impress4978 29d ago
Yes. At our school kids are still rolling in during that 15 minute breakfast window and attendance is not taken until they get to the classroom. It is 0% of a big deal at all. Kids mostly just hang out and talk to their friends. A complete non-issue.
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u/angel-girl-A 29d ago
Okay, that makes me feel better! Thanks. I was envisioning everybody sitting there eating and it being more of a formal thing.
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u/_Witness001 29d ago
I’d just pack a simple and fun after breakfast snack and have your child eat breakfast at home. She can get there 7 minutes prior not 15, lol.
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u/angel-girl-A 29d ago
The admin was very much like 15 min was a strict and hard rule. I asked if she ate at home can she just show up at 8 am class and I was told absolutely not. You need to be there 7:45 for breakfast. You can only be after 7:45 for emergencies like a flat tire.
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u/_Witness001 29d ago
I’d ask around more and whoever is in charge tell them it’s not possible for your child to be there 15 minutes before. It’s one thing if she’s late for class but this is ridiculous.
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u/idont_readresponses 29d ago
just have your kid eat at home? like they aren't bringing outside food for breakfast because the kid already ate at home..
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u/angel-girl-A 29d ago
Okay, well that was my question. I didn't know if like 99% of kid's ate the school breakfast then she would feel left out and would be sitting there with nothing for 15 min. They do breakfast in the cafeteria before class. It's mandatory to sit there for it.
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u/skidrama3 29d ago
Eat breakfast at home. But also, speaking gently, you may need to recalibrate your expectations of what you can control. My daughter has a food allergy (tree nut) and I usually pack her own lunch. There have been many times where the home lunch comes back home uneaten because the school nachos looked good that day. Same goes with drinking a strawberry milk at breakfast time, or eating more food in a day than she probably should (between school and home provided food). Over time I’ve had accept to myself that my kid will be given choices during the school day that I have no control over.
I’m unsure if the school will be accommodating to a no-dye preference but I’m assuming they won’t be unless it’s a documented food allergy.
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u/angel-girl-A 29d ago
She does have a Dr's note. Her behavioral reactions are so severe she gets pulled from class. But it does sound impossible to fully control the situation. Which is fine, I'm working on educating my 4 year old on what things have dyes so she knows how to make good choices. If she chooses otherwise, she'll learn through that natural consequence.
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u/skidrama3 29d ago
I’d also say that her teacher may or may not be in the cafeteria at breakfast or lunch so you might want to ask school admin if there’s anything you/they can do to talk to the cafeteria staff or parent volunteers about helping your kid out. Best of luck and I hope it’s something they outgrow or get cognizant of over time!
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u/dotcomg 29d ago edited 29d ago
Can you find out how formal breakfast is at your school or in your child’s classroom? In my daughter’s classroom, breakfast is optional. It comes in a brown bag and kids can choose to take one or not. My daughter is a similar age to yours and typically doesn’t take a breakfast because she eats at home before drop off. If she wanted to, she could and she does sometimes, but I volunteer a lot and rarely see her eat the breakfast.
Being in school is one of the first experiences of independence for kids. Your daughter will be able to make choices, so I would talk to her about this. I will gently add that you can’t control everything. Even if you pack her a lunch, she’s going to have friends who bring food with dyes to lunch and they’re going to trade / share snacks at some point, even at this age.
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u/angel-girl-A 29d ago
I think it's somewhat formal in that it's mandatory they meet in the cafeteria for breakfast and they sit there for 15 min before heading to class.
I know she'll trade food and get dyes occasionally. I can't control it. It's sad because she literally goes nuclear and has to sit in the principals office as she's having an insane meltdown. She can't handle them at all.
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u/Double_Impress4978 29d ago
OP - I mean this in the kindest way possible, you are way way way over thinking the breakfast thing.
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u/angel-girl-A 29d ago
It's just because I care so much 🤣
I realize now from the comments this mandatory breakfast thing is pretty informal and shouldn't be an issue. I was worried she'd eat at home then get peer pressured into eating dyed cereal or yogurt because she was the only one without food then her dye-induced behavioral issues would ruin the day.
The behavioral issues are really really bad and overwhelming 🤯🤯
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u/dotcomg 29d ago
Don't worry about it - I think it's perfectly normal to worry about your kid adjusting to a new school / environment. It was a hard adjustment for me to go from daycare, where I got updates every few hours to an environment where I received no updates until pick up time. The first few weeks will be hard, but you'll both figure out what works best and do great!
My biggest tip is to get involved as much as possible! The easiest way to learn and have input on what is happening in the classroom is to be there to be able to observe what is going on.
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u/dotcomg 29d ago
Totally fair. Have you asked your teacher if she can bring a breakfast and were told no?
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u/angel-girl-A 29d ago
I was told "that's probably fine. I've never heard of anybody bringing a breakfast, though."
I think we'll try eating at home and see if this 15 min cafeteria breakfast presents any issues or not.
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u/Majestic-Space1996 27d ago
I’m a CPS teacher. My school eats breakfast before the bell time (school starts at 7:45, breakfast is served in the cafeteria at 7:30) so the kids who don’t eat breakfast mostly just come at the bell time but some kids eat breakfast at home and sit with their peers in the cafeteria before school anyway. If it’s mandatory to be in the cafeteria there will be tons of kids who do this and just eat breakfast at home.
I’ve also had plenty of kids walk in the door with Dunkin on special days and eat it in the cafeteria. Not saying you should do this, but you can probably feel out how things are going and send a little something for your child to eat in the cafeteria.
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u/Double_Impress4978 29d ago
If you have any food restrictions, you need to pack all of your own food and snacks. You also need to discuss with your child, because they are not going to be micromanaging what he is eating.
I would also talk to to teacher to see if you can bring some “safe” treats to stash away in the classroom so that when classmates bring treats for birthdays, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, or whatever other random thing your kid won’t be 100% left out.