Welcome back to this week’s segment of After School Tea Time! Get your teacups ready because we have more to spill this week! Keep your questions coming because you could be helping someone who has similar questions! 

Question from Fairfield County – In our program we have snack time every day. The children have the option to bring their own snack, or we provide a snack for them if they don’t bring one. The one policy that we have about the snacks is that they can’t be anything that contains too much sugar like potato chips or candy. There is a child in our program who continuously brings potato chips for snack time. We have had to confiscate their snack many times and provide a healthier alternative. What can we do about this situation?

Hey Fairfield, thank you for asking this question. There is a possibility that the issue is deeper than this child not following directions. A good place to start would be having a conversation with the child and going over the snack policy with them again. You should also ask why they continue to bring potato chips for snack time. Maybe the family does not have access to healthier alternatives. You can also remind them that a snack can be provided for them if they do not have access to healthier snacks at home. If this continues to happen, get in touch with a parent/guardian. Try to get a full understanding of why this continues to happen and also offer resources if necessary. You never know what direction the conversation may go in so be mindful of what you ask and how you approach the situation. Here is an article with information and resources that you can offer about healthy eating and making better decisions regarding snacks. We hope this helps!

We’ll see you next week for another segment of After School Tea Time! Don’t forget to submit your anonymous questions here.