No such thing as overkill: meeting the challenges of daycare for vegetarian children

Vegetarian Baby and Child, March-April, 2003 by Lyndal Greenslade

Navigating your way through the issues surrounding what your child will eat at daycare or school can be challenging, to say the least. Will they go hungry because of the lack of vegetarian food? Will their care provider treat them like a nuisance? Or will they grab the sausage off little Jordan's plate and stuff it down their throat before the poor teacher can do anything to discourage them? All of these scenarios are possibilities, but with a little forward planning, and a lot of open communication, they can all be avoided.

The first thing to do is to find a daycare or school that welcomes your family's choices. Luckily, these days vegetarianism is not such an unusual thing, and most centers will have had experience with vegetarian families before. However, if you live in a deeply conservative area, you may have to trail blaze, and this will be difficult at times. Comfort yourself with the knowledge that you're paving the way for those who will come after you. In either case, it's worth going in extremely prepared.

Here is a guide, provided in consultation with Kirsty Sharman, a teacher with over 10 years experience in a variety of early childhood centers, to help the parent of a vegetarian or vegan child get the most out of their daycare experience.

The search is on

The best option, according to Kirsty, is to find a center which only serves vegetarian food. It may sound like a dream, but there are centers out there that have found that a vegetarian menu is the easiest way to cater to all children. If this isn't an option, the next best alternative is to find a center where the parent provides the food. Kirsty feels that this is the best way to ensure that your child eats what you wish. It may mean a little extra work in the morning preparing lunches, but bringing food from home will avoid many of the issues surrounding vegetarianism and daycare.

If this is not possible, look for a center that provides a vegetarian option at mealtimes. Kirsty advises that you request menu plans and ensure that the vegetarian meal isn't simply the meat meal with the meat left out. Little ones need more than a side salad, and they may feel left out if their meal is missing a major component that all the other kids have. In Australia, centers must provide 50% of the RDI (RDA in the U.S.) of vitamins and minerals while the child is in care, and this applies to vegetarian meals as well. Do a little research, and ensure that the center you find is following the dietary regulations for childcare.

No such thing as overkill

Kirsty feels that the best option for a new parent at a center is to put the child's dietary needs in writing. Many enrollment forms include a section for special diets, and Kirsty says never just write "vegetarian." Many people call themselves vegetarian, and then go on to say it's OK for their children to eat fish or chicken. Be extremely clear in your definition, and put in writing exactly what your child does not eat. If you don't want your child eating foods with meat-based seasonings, such as chicken stock, put it in writing. If your child is a vegan, assume the care provider doesn't know exactly what this means, and write down a specific list of off-limits foods. If you don't want your child to have Jell-O, don't assume that the care provider knows where gelatin comes from.

Kirsty believes that being adamant in the beginning will save you from experiencing problems later on. She warns against a problem that she has witnessed, where the two parents did not present a united front in terms of what their child could and could not eat. Mum might be very clear that the child can't eat any meat products, and Dad might say that the odd chicken wing isn't a problem. In homes where one parent is vegetarian and the other is not, sort this one out before you go anywhere near a daycare. It's really not fair to expect the center to take this on board, and it's best to have your plan in place before you need daycare.

Check the system the center uses to inform their staff of your child's diet. If food is prepared at the center, check to see whether there is a notice in the kitchen with your child's details on it. Find out what the center does when the teacher is away, and ensure that there is a clear system to inform substitute teachers.

How will I know?

Many centers use a system whereby parents are informed as to what their children have eaten that day, and Kirsty feels that this is the best way of keeping the parent knowledgeable about mealtimes at daycare. This also saves the parent from having to check up each day, and keeps the teacher from feeling interrogated. Ask what system the center has in place to inform parents about what their children have eaten.

Another area to investigate is how mealtimes are managed. If your child is young and does not know what she can and can't eat, ensure that there is adequate staff on duty at mealtimes to watch what is eaten. The best-laid plans can fall apart when your child has access to another child's plate and is too young to know what her parents expect her to eat. Also ensure that your vegetarian child is not waiting for her meal well after the other children have started. This will make a child feel different (and hungry!), and if it happens repeatedly, may damage her self-esteem.