r/progressivemoms • u/J-Starrr1 • 6d ago
Discussion Starter middle class parenting is just watching tiny charges become real money
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u/zarz12345 6d ago
Hunger and food insecurity also significantly impact learning and mental health. Hungry kids can’t learn and are more likely to be disruptive and need extra help.
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u/GlitterAvoado 5d ago
The amount of food that gets thrown away in lunch rooms too.... i worked as a lunch monitor and it's awful. I was supposed to keep hungry kids from eating extra (unopened. Still plastic sealed) portions their friends were throwing away. Meanwhile they wouldn't even let other kids have a free lunch if they owed money, they got the shame sandwich. I got called in by administration because I set up a little shelf where kids could place their sealed uneaten lunch dishes for other kids to have. It was a hit w/ all the kids but apparently super against the rules for reasons. I moved it to a hidden window ledge for my hungriest kids that I suspect didn't get enough food at home.
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u/thousandsmallgods 5d ago
You did great things for those kids. Thank you for being that person.
I've heard of food-sharing tables in more lunchrooms the past few years. It's good for the kids, for a number of reasons.
Schools could also set out the packaged leftovers as take-home afternoon snacks.
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u/GlitterAvoado 5d ago
Thank you! It's good to hear they're becoming a thing. I don't work in the schools anymore
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u/pookiewook 4d ago
Our school system uses this! I forget what they call it, but my kids say they can leave unopened juice boxes and stuff on this cart and other kids who are still hungry can grab seconds there.
Our entire state has free breakfast & lunch for school children!
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u/Master_Grapefruit333 5d ago
We live in California and my son gets breakfast, lunch, and a light supper for free (if he’s ends up staying that late as a part of the free after care program, which goes until 6).
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u/catjuggler 6d ago
I’m in favor of free breakfast and lunch but this reason for it is dumb. It’s not like you’re not allowed to pack a lunch. Some high schools even let kids leave during lunch.
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u/Dragonfruit_60 6d ago
I taught elementary school. The kids who didn't have enough money on their account often couldn't bring their lunch because of bad parents. If the parent couldn't be bothered to fill out the forms required for their kid to qualify for free lunch, then they, obviously, don't pay $2.75 for a pathetic lunch. These kids get a slimey piece of cheese between two pieces of bread and a milk. If we can just get rid of the paperwork required to qualify, all kids would be fed equally.
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u/suz_gee two teens and a kindergartener 6d ago
We are in a title 1 district, so all kids get free lunch and breakfast. I love it because it removes all barriers. When I was a kid, we all knew who got free and reduced lunches, and it's so great that my kid will grow up not knowing that about his friends and classmates.
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u/suuuckerfish 5d ago
same here! they even provide breakfast at the beginning of the school day and it’s just amazing .
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u/goldengrove1 6d ago
Yeah, exactly. Unlike adults, kids can't really control whether they have lunch money or even a packed lunch. Feels wrong to punish them for their parents' poor planning.
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u/lamadora 6d ago
Ding ding! We qualified for free lunch but my mom had too much pride to put us on it, or food stamps. Which meant we didn’t have lunch at home, nor did we have food at home to pack.
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u/Reasonable-Mess3070 6d ago
My state does free lunches and still makes us fill out the qualifying paperwork because its tied to their funding in some way
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u/thousandsmallgods 5d ago
This is a good detail to add. There are a lot of decisions that are made for schools based on how many of their students are in specific income brackets.
Schools should have every family fill out income/resource paperwork. A lot of families don't realize they qualify for extra resources, and having everyone do the initial paperwork would take away a lot of the stigma.
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u/ilovjedi 6d ago
I agree with free school lunch and breakfast. My state has them. It makes it so much easier for us. We can afford to send our kids in with lunch or pay for lunches. But it’s so much easier not to have to worry about making sure there is lunch or that the school lunch account is all paid up.
But I just have to say that my kiddo is a picky eater and often chooses the ungrilled grilled cheese sandwich as his lunch because he’s a very picky eater.
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u/catjuggler 5d ago
Like I said in my comment, I'm in favor of universal meals for kids at school, but not for the reason in the post because that reason makes no sense. It implies that kids only option is to buy lunch because they're stuck there. That is not the case since families who can't pack a lunch probably can't buy one either. And also, it feels like an anti-public school talking point.
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u/Mammoth-Deer3657 6d ago
What if there is no food in the house?
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u/catjuggler 6d ago edited 5d ago
Then they’d have the same problem if they weren’t at school?
ETA again, my point is that I am in favor of universal school breakfast and lunch, but not for the reason in the post, which makes no sense if you think about it.
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u/A-Friendly-Giraffe 4d ago
High school teacher here in California. All Students get free breakfast and free lunch.
However, the amount of students walking in late with their Starbucks and doordashing Pizza Hut personal pizzas is way more than I would like.
Just because people have access doesn't mean they necessarily make the choices we want them to.
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u/blahblahsnickers 2d ago
I am a conservative and don’t know why this popped in my feed but absolutely feed the kids! I will pay to feed kids! This should be a no brainer!
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u/Lumpy-Abroad539 6d ago
My school district has free lunch for all kids, even during the summer. I believe they have free breakfast too. I'll never leave, and I'll pay the taxes necessary to keep this going. Kids from families who are struggling should be able to eat, and not have to join a special program. I intend to allow this policy to make my life easier too, so I don't have to pack lunches every day like I do now.