Food Allergies at NMS
Each year there are several children enrolled in our program who have food allergies. In response, we have adopted the below policies within our school.
No Nut Policy
Some children have life threatening allergies to nuts. To protect their health, we have a school-wide no nut policy. Families are asked to not send any snack or lunch with any nut products to school—this includes peanut butter, all kinds of nuts, granola bars or cereal containing nuts or nut products, i.e. almond flour and nut oils. We will not serve a snack that has the disclaimer “manufactured in a plant that processes peanuts.”
Individual Snacks from Home for Children with Food Allergies
To add an extra measure of safety, we ask that parents of children who do have food allergies send in their own snack from home. If your child attends our afternoon program, they will need to bring two separate snacks.
Hand Washing
We ask all children to wash their hands with soap and warm water or to use Seventh Generation hand wipes prior to entering the classroom.
Cleaning
Additional precautions are taken in the classrooms to minimize the risk of incidental contact to nuts and other allergens. The classroom tables are wiped down with an EPA approved, child-safe cleaning solution at the following times: prior to children arriving in the classroom, after any food is eaten by the children, and at the end of the classroom session.
Letter from a Parent
Dear Maureen and NMS Staff:
On behalf of my family, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you have done for our son over the past two years. Sending your firstborn to school for the first time, after being home with family for the first few years, is an emotional process filled with anticipation, excitement, and of course…worry. Sending your child with a severe, life-threatening, food allergy brings the stress, worry, and fear to a whole other level that no food allergy parent asks for, though we encounter it with each new situation that life throws our way.
I can say without reservation that the staff at NMS, truly “gets it” when it comes to food allergies. The teachers have gone above and beyond, day in and day out, with their ongoing vigilance. From informing other parents of the allergy at the start of each year to making sure that no products are brought into the classroom that may not be safe to checking with me each and every time an activity involving food is planned so that I may read all labels and provide an alternative ahead of time, I truly could not as for more. From a social standpoint, my son felt included at snack time and, with the help and guidance of his teachers, made great strides in managing his allergy by taking ownership of keeping his snack separate from others without being isolated.
The peace of mind that you have given us is invaluable. I am forever grateful for your strong policies and awareness. You have done a tremendous job educating your staff, and they have done a phenomenal job implementing the school policies. Thank you all for never making my son’s allergy feel like a burden, and thank you for letting me breathe a (lot) easier knowing he is in such great hands at NMS! Keep up the great work.
Sincerely,
Meredith Makin
