I don't even know what to say.

[Justanopinion]

I had an experience this morning and I don't even know what to say. It broke my heart.

We overslept this morning, so I got DD to school about 10 minutes late. There was another little girl who was also late in the office at the same time. So the receptionist is filling out the tardy form and notices that this little girl has her "I need breakfast" sticker on. They wear a sticker on their backpacks so that teachers know to send them to the cafeteria instead of the classroom.

So the receptionist says something about breakfast being closed already. And the mom responds with, "yea, I told her she probably wouldn't get to eat this morning". We are talking a Pre K child here.

I know this happens every day, but not at my house and not where I see it. I just felt so bad. How can you send your child to school with no breakfast. Did you truly not have anything you could feed this child to hold her over till lunch? A piece of bread something.

I just felt so bad. I feel for these kids and the teachers who see them everyday. I couldn't do it.

 

[happygirl]

Why in the world do they give PreK tardy slips??/

Since they were already late it would have taken 5 more minutes to grab something to eat

 

[DawnCt1]

Why in the world do they give PreK tardy slips??/

Since they were already late it would have taken 5 more minutes to grab something to eat

I think her mother didn't want to be "bothered".

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I think her mother didn't want to be "bothered".

Sounds like it to me, too.

This breaks my heart, too. I have a very soft spot in my heart for children who go hungry.

 

[Mellie2162]

So sad. There is no way I could send DS without breakfast. That boy would not last until lunch, he eats as soon as he opens his eyes. DD on the other hand refuses to touch anything until lunch time.

Those little ones though, you know they are hungry.

 

[Camicar]

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. We are one of the very few families here who pay ANY attention to meals. I am continually amazed how often dd would tell us that she was at a kid's house for an overnight visit and no dinner, breakfast or lunch was served or for a full-day playdate and was never fed. I lost count of the number of times dd called to ask me to pick her up because she was starving. It got to the point, where she'd take a pb&j in her backpack to feed herself on playdates. And I'm not talking about as a teenager either -- I'm talking about 6-7 year olds who went unfed. Nor am I talking about poor, uneducated families either. One of the families who dd went to visit and was NEVER fed by consisted of one PHD and one MA amongst the parents.

 

[mum4jenn]

Lunchroom manager here....Even though the parent should have fed the child, a teacher or someone in charge should have taken the child to the manager and sked for a bowl of cereal and a carton of milk. I would NEVER turn a child away for breakfast if they were hungry. YEs it might "mess up" the paperwork but at least the child won't be hungry.

There have been several times where a teacher will email me or send a note with a child asking if they can get some cereal because they are so hungry they are crying.

 

[mickeyboat]

Our school would never have let that child go hungry. Kids can always at least get some dry cereal to snack on no matter what time they arrive at school.

Shame on that mother for not feeding her child!

Denae

 

[momof1princess]

that poor baby, i'm sure she was hungry. i hope her teacher realized it and gave her SOMETHING. it would break my heart as well.

 

[Justanopinion]

An aide or teacher or someone, I don't know what her job was, did happen into the office about the same time. She stated that breakfast was put away and that she wouldn't be able to get anything.

I couldn't believe it. The staff didn't seem to care. The mother didn't seem to care. The staff almost acted as if getting to class was more important. Uh, how is this child going to learn anything with her tummy growling.

I wanted to just scream at this mother, feed your child. Mom was in her pajamas.

I have to fight with my DD to get her to eat most mornings. She says she isn't hungry but I'm not sending her without something in her tummy. She's actually more of just a slow eater in the mornings but she does love her oatmeal.

But how do the staff of schools face this every day and not go insane and go off on these parents.

 

[lulugirl]

Just curious.....Is this breakfast program designed for families that are financially strapped, same as the free lunch program?
Dd's school has a breakfast program but I think it's for the children who are enrolled in early care, so they have something to eat before the regular school day starts.
The thought of a child going hungry makes me cringe.

 

[okeydokey]

Lunchroom manager here....Even though the parent should have fed the child, a teacher or someone in charge should have taken the child to the manager and sked for a bowl of cereal and a carton of milk. I would NEVER turn a child away for breakfast if they were hungry. YEs it might "mess up" the paperwork but at least the child won't be hungry.

There have been several times where a teacher will email me or send a note with a child asking if they can get some cereal because they are so hungry they are crying.

Thank you so much for doing this.

 

[kellyg403]

I hate to hear things like this. If the poor kid was late already what is five more minutes to give her something, even if its 1/2 of a PB and J or a pop tart? I don't get it. Toast takes like two seconds, while you are warming the car the bread is toasting all on its own.

We are not so great breakfast eaters around here either, but all my kids are hs age now. Most of the time I see ds walking out the door with a cold slice of pizza because that 5 minutes of sleep was way more important to him. But, when they were little I always made sure that they had something or had something on hand they could eat on the way to school or bus stop.

Geez.

Kelly

 

[Justanopinion]

Our district doesn't have an early program.

But breakfast is served to both those that need financial help and those that just want to eat breakfast at school.

I assume that most kids that eat breakfast at school are on the free or reduced meal plans but I also know that like when I was out of town for 10 dys and DH had to take DD to school he sent her with money for breakfast. Because of what time he had to be at work it was easier for him to get her up and ready and drop her off early enough to eat breakfast, he just sent her with money for breakfast.

I know they are people struggling out there. But I would do whatever I had to do to get my child her meal. I could not and would not send her to school hungry. It was heart breaking to see this mother just walk away.

 

[mum4jenn]

Breakfast works basically the same way lunch does here. Anyone can eat. If they are approved for free lunch they get free breakfast. If approved for reduced lunch they get reduced breakfast. If they are full pay they pay full amount for breakfast. We feed about 240 for breakfast each day and around 620 for lunch. Our enrollment is around 700.

 

[Nascia]

DS11 chooses to eat breakfast at school nearly every day. We pay oop since we are not eligible for the free/ reduced program. It kills me that he can't/ won't get up early enough to eat in the morning. We've got plenty of food; cereal, cereal bars, breakfast pizzas, pancakes, eggs, you name it. He can't drag himself out of bed in enough time and it's not one of the battles I'm willing to fight any longer knowing that he does eat at school. That said, his school has bagged breakfasts that the kids can grab and eat in class if they are late, I think they offer them up until the end of the 1st period.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

See..i am that jerk that would have asked that mother then and there, what she was thinking and pulled out the extra power bar that I keep in my purse and given it to the kiddo.

That is JUST NOT RIGHT!

 

[MickeySP]

I agree I would have never sent my kid to school hungry but there are actually families out there that really have no choice.

Have you seen the lines at food pantries? They are getting longer all the time.
The admin should have given the child something - dry cereal even.

There but for the grace of God go I.

 

[C.Ann]

I used to work in a school cafeteria - in a very poor section.. Didn't matter what time the kids got there.. If they had no breakfast, we gave them milk, cereal, and juice..

I could sit right here and cry thinking about that child.. Sheesh! Even if the mom gave her a COOKIE it would have been better than nothing..

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Lunchroom manager here....Even though the parent should have fed the child, a teacher or someone in charge should have taken the child to the manager and sked for a bowl of cereal and a carton of milk. I would NEVER turn a child away for breakfast if they were hungry. YEs it might "mess up" the paperwork but at least the child won't be hungry.

There have been several times where a teacher will email me or send a note with a child asking if they can get some cereal because they are so hungry they are crying.

Same at my kids school. Last year, my DD missed breakfast. (her choice, not mine) The teacher sent her to the nurse, and the nurse went to the cafeteria and got her cereal and milk. She got to eat it in the nurse's office. I did not know this happened, and for a couple of weeks, DD was skipping breakfast at home, so she could tell the teacher she didn't eat and would get to go to the nurse.

I WAS MORTIFIED.

Anyway, that is how I learned that my kids school does feed hungry children.