meals

[mushpea]

hi just wondering how many of you do meals, how much you charge and do you do a menu or is it just cook what ever,,, and do you think it makes a difference as to wether parents would choose you or not and also what do you do with the children that aren't having a meal with you whilst the others eat, do you let them play or make them sit with the others.
I used to do meals but stopped as I had several after schoolers and when they had finished dinner they would muck around whilst I cleared up,, now I havent got so many schoolies I was thinking of doing meals again but cant decide wether to or not

[karenandsmile]

i did do meals and then stopped due to the cost of food and my later child had stopped coming also their was mumblings about having to keep a temp food record of all food preped and how it was preped not sure if this was true but have enough paper work to do lol

it hasnt stopped parents coming to me and i explain if the child isnt late its nice to have meals with their own families only one parent likes there child to have meals with me as he eats better with me and they send a meal on a plate or a ready made meal that i warm up for him all my children come with their own pack lunches too

i supply snacks and juice

[Bear23]

I was adamant for two years to do meals, but i soon realised they were then going home and eating, i was spending a fortune doing meals, fruit then dessert.
it was like a three course meal, This year i mean starting sept, i'm just doing smaller meals, jackets, pasta, cheese on toast so there not to hungry to go homex

i was way overspending but now just doing small snaks x

[funemnx]

I have promised myself I will never do meals again. I used to have 5 or 6 for dinner every night and all I heard was 'I don't like this, that or the other!' It's not that I'm a bad cook - I love cooking, but someone doesn't like Brocolli or chicken or Shepherd's Pie..... Sigh!

Having said all that, if I did do a meal and I sometimes provide a lunch, it's £2.50

[QualityCare]

I do not do meals and never will, obviously if mum forgets the lunch box l will provide that child with a meal and we sometimes make pizza's, soups etc which the children eat for lunch (l tell the mums the day before). Why restart when you have managed without doing them. I have never had a parent not send their child because l won't do meals.

[Katiekoo]

I recently started doing meals and it's not really a money spinner but people appreciate the added value and if they work late they don't want to have to think about cooking when they finish work. It's a service I'd say. I charge £1.50 for a cold lunch (sandwich + fruit + yoghurt) and £2.00 for a hot dinner (+ pud).

[caz3007]

I used to have a lot of afterschoolies and they used to have a cooked meal and that was with them leaving by 4.45. They all left and I have decided no hot meal unless they are here after 5pm. It was too much hassle and I included it in the price, so it was getting more and more expensive and I got fed up with the moaning and trying to please everyone.

[samb]

I do food included in my hourly fee - that seems to be the norm in my area. I have food at set times(only slightly flexible) and so only give children food if they are here at those times. So I only have 1 mindee at dinner time 2 days a week - dinner is served at 5. If a parent asks to have until 5 I let them know that dinner is at 5 and either they will need to be collected at 5 and have no dinner or stay later and I will provide a dinner. I don't like the thought of children all bringing different things for me to have to store in a fridge, heat separately or have to deal with the comments from each other such as "yuck yours is horrible" or "I wish I had that" etc. Maybe if my children were older I wouldn't mind but I like us to all eat the same food.