Today was our school’s “Meet and Greet”, the time in which we stop into our child’s new classroom and meet the teacher. My 9-year-old daughter had John’s new teacher two years ago, so I was already familiar with her. She was, and still continues to be one of Chloe’s favorite teachers. She is the type of teacher who makes you immediately feel at ease, safe, and that nearly everything can be figured out. So I knew we were in good hands with her. What I didn’t expect to see was a bright colored paper on every child’s desk addressed to parents. Here’s what it said:
Dear Parents,
One or more of the children in my classrom has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts and or nuts. We need your help to provide the safest possible environment for this/these children:
- We have a peanut free classroom this year. Do not send any peanuts or nuts or products containing peanuts or nuts for consumption in the classroom.
- Do not send containers that have contained peanuts or nuts, such as washed out peanut butter jars for use in the classroom.
- Do not send party snacks or treats that contain peanuts or any other kind of nut.
- Remind your child that snacks are not for sharing.
- This year we are a birthday-food-free classroom.
- If your child eats peanut butter before school, please have your child wash his/her hands thoroughly before coming to school. It is important that peanut residue is not on a child’s hands when they handle common school books and equipment.
Thank you for your help and cooperation. If you have any questions please contact me or contact the school nurse.
I was incredibly excited about this letter, and that it was already in place at the start of the year. It is a relief to know the parents of my son’s class have been educated and safeguards were put into place from the very first day. Yes, John has other allergies, (ie milk, etc.) but this is a fantastic start! I will still need to bring in all the food for the holiday celebrations….but to NOT have to worry about birthday treats in my son’s classroom is an enormous, and I mean ENOROMOUS load off my shoulders.
The second grade teachers in my childrens’ school have taken it upon themselves to adopt the non food birthday treat policy all on their own. I look forward to the rest of the school following suit. I know that our school nurse and second grade teachers gave a presentation to the other teachers and nurses about the benefit of adopting this type of policy. I will keep you posted on what our school district ultimately decides to do.
Finally, I wanted to encourage all of you to sign up for my email alerts. It is an easy way to be notified when I post new recipes, blogs, etc. I will be sending out other tips and recipes through the subscriber list as well. In addition, I have added a book pre order button right underneath my Recipes. The book will officially be in stores October 23rd; right around the corner! The advantage of ordering directly from my site is every pre ordered book is signed and, most important, a portion of my profits will go directly to Food Allergy Initiative Chicago, a not for profit group that raises money specifically for food allergy research. With only $17 million allocated by our federal government for food allergy research, we desperately need additional funding and awareness. It’s the only way we’ll find a cure.
I wish you all a very happy and safe school year!
Wow – that’s a great teacher! Our Pre-K 3 teacher made sure all of the parents were informed about the allergy situation in my daughter’s class (peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, eggs, and wheat among the 15 children in the class) during our conferences before school began. Our class is peanut- and tree nut-free, and the entire school is food-free for birthdays (previously just a special snack @ the regular snack time, no ‘parties’). Our class will also wash hands when the children arrive in the morning – a good practice not only for food allergies, but also to prevent the spread of colds and flu.
Have a great year!
Thanks for the comment! Your teacher is so on the ball. I think that is very reassuring to hear, especially for all the preschool mommies reading this blog who worry about a food safe-environment. Keep me posted on how your year is going!
It is encouraging to hear of teachers this pro active concerning food allergies. My Ella is only 1 but the thought of preschool has already worried me. This gives me some peace of mind. Great way to start your school year. Oh — I made the pumpkin cake for my husbands birthday and he LOVED it and Ella got to enjoy it too! It was great.
wow! Reading that made my eyes misty–something I imagine only another parent of food-allergic children could understand!
It’s not the whole way, but it’s a great start. That is so encouraging!
Thanks Lindsey! I am SO excited the pumpkin cake was a hit with your husband and Ella!!
Thanks so much for your comment Sarah! Believe me, I was misty eyed too! And when I personally thanked John’s teacher for taking the initiative, she informed me the school nurse can take all the credit. It is awesome…
That is an awesome letter. But I have a question for you and for your other readers. I belong to a Mom message board and someone posted a poll asking how you would feel about your public school going nut free. The overall opinion was that it would be impossible for a public school to go nut free since it is a false sense of security for the allergic child and too much responsible for the teachers.
Wow Kelly that’s great news and I totally understand the huge relief that food free Birthday celebrations brings! My son is in the nut free class at school (like John he has other allergies as well too) and they have actually set up a small desk outside the classroom door with a box of baby wipes – each child wipes their hands upon entering the room – in the AM, after lunch/recess and any other time they return. Each family contributes a pkg of wipes then the allergy parents (there are 5 kids in the room) refill as needed through the year – a small price to pay as far as I’m concerned!
Congrats on a great start to the year!
Sounds like a great school!
Wow! That’s a great teacher! I also used to teach and was an advocate for children with special needs in my classroom before I had children. I then stayed home when our girls were born. Our youngest who has diary, egg and peanut allergies, is starting preschool next week. We went to open house last night and the teachers, whom we know from our older daughter having gone there for the past two years, handed out a letter to parents stating about ten specific snacks our daughter CAN have and not mentioning once what she is allergic to so parents could actually read lables and make good choices! On top of that they made it optional for parents to pick these snacks and if not, our daughter could have some crackers or such.I’m so frustrated and upset because there are many things parents could choose that would be fine for everyone and all the kids could enjoy. Thankfully, there are a few parents we already know and they know Addison’s allergies and are happy to make choices that she can have to. Is this what I have to look forward to?
P.S. I’ve already pre-ordered your book, Kelly. Can’t wait to get it and thanks for this wonderful site and recipes.
Annette, I understand exactly what you meant. Most of us who have children in the preschool grades have experienced this in one form or another. I have always tried for inclusion in the classroom, which I am sure you are very familiar with as a teacher. It is hard; sometimes the teacher gets it, sometimes they just need gentle prodding. I’ve found that the easier I have made it for the teacher, ie writing the class letter myself with the approved list of snacks parents can send in, the better response I had. It will get easier, preschool is a very difficult time for parents who have children with food allergies because snacks are such an important part of their day. Keep me posted on your year and good luck!