Gluten Free Preschool Nyc - Need Parents Input!

[Sofire]

I am creating a gluten-free preschool and would like additional parental input and suggestions before its launch.

About me

[StephanieL]

I think it's a nice idea. I would worry about the liability of the claim "gluten free" but I am sure you have already dealt with that!

1) No home baked products brought in (even better if school parties/birthdays were no food for other allergies!)

2) Practicing good hygiene with proper hand washing and stuff.

3) Vett all art supplies well!

4) Advanced notice of special activities involving food.

Must of this is all stuff you already know though

[Sofire]

Thank you very much for your feedback! Actually, I hadn

[mamaupupup]

You could always call it "virtually" gluten free or "as gluten free as we can be" or something similar. A good lawyer can help you iron it out and write a good disclaimer for parents to sign

Hidden sources of gluten:

- ALL pet foods in our house had to be replaced: aquarium fish flakes, dog food, bird seed, etc. There are fine replacements, we just had to carefully investigate.

- Medications

- Art supplies

- Play makeup (check on face paint)

You'll have to take a stand on things like oats or take the safest/most conservative stance.

Our kids do an outdoor preschool and we've had no gluten issues--lots of time outside is always good!

Wish you lived near us!

[Sofire]

Thank you sooo much! I had not thought of fish flakes! I will also have to reexamine the first aid kit! The feedback I have gotten has been invaluable!

You sound like you

[mamaupupup]

Our girls have been recently diagnosed, so we are being conservative to start. We want to give their guts time to heal. For now, we are not feeding them oats. Over time (6-12 months) we will likely do a trial with certified gluten free oats. I have heard that some kiddos have a hard time at first but over time may be able to eat oats. I believe the oat-intolerance rate among Celiacs is about 5%.

...let me know when you decide to Homeschool We are heading that direction with our kiddos!

Also, we had an excellent experience sendng the girls to our natural history museum's spring break camp. So you get the parent's perspective, here is the initial note I sent setting expectations:

I want to confirm that you know that A and B both have Celiac Disease. (We have had some additional medical diagnostics since the time of registration-so some of this will be in addition to what I entered when we registered).

Celiac Disease is hereditary and is not communicable. Celiac Disease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to ingesting gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and some oats.

The best way to understand this is to think of a virus. Our immune systems are designed to kill a single virus. A crumb of gluten is enormous by comparison. The girls' immune systems won't miss a trace of gluten, and when their immune systems find gluten, it gets confused and damages their small intestine. This damage causes malabsorption and increases their risk of cancers and other autoimmune diseases.

From a practical standpoint at camp, please do the following:

1) Do not expose A and B to gluten.

2) Please have A and B wash their hands thoroughly before eating.

3) Please thoroughly wash any surface where they will work, play or eat if there is any chance gluten has touched that surface.

4) Allow A and B to use the restroom any time they request it.

5) Inform me of any exposures, concerns, or questions.

Thank you very much for taking good care of A and B and all the children you work with.

Sincerely,

Me

Other facts about gluten and Celiac Disease:

[Sofire]

Wow!!! Thank you very much! What an EXCELLENT letter! I will be using it as a reference for the development of a staff

[kareng]

Wow!!! Thank you very much! What an EXCELLENT letter! I will be using it as a reference for the development of a staff