Meeting with School Officials

In your initial meeting with the school director, ask for a printed copy of their official policy for dealing with food allergies and review the points with the director to be sure that you both share the same understanding. Ask questions on anything that you either don't understand or on which you are unclear. Bring several copies of a recent photo of your child and request that the photo be posted along with the allergy alert in any area where your child may come in contact with food (classrooms, cafeterias, kitchens, etc.).

Be sure to discuss all the details of your child's allergies including symptoms and warning signs directly with his or her teachers. Make sure everyone who will be in charge of your child throughout the day is comfortable enough to recognize the warning signs of an allergic reaction and how to recognize anaphylaxis. If the teachers have never encountered an injectible epinephrine device (eg: EpiPen or Twinject), you can request a trainer device from your pharmacist to walk them through the process. You might even ask your pediatrician if there is anyone available to come and give a training session to teachers who feel like they need more detailed instructions or demonstration. Also remind the teachers that if they usually use food as teaching props or rewards in class to consider your child's allergens before moving forward with those plans while your child is in their classroom.

If the school is unable or unwilling to provide you with detailed ingredient listings from each of their food suppliers you may need to arrange to have your child eat only food that you provide. This was the situation with Caroline's preschool and now we send in her breakfast, snack and lunch each day. Be sure to ask if the school will be able to provide space in a refrigerator or freezer and if they will be able to heat food if necessary. Depending on how sensitive your child is, you may need to investigate whether they will be able to ensure no cross contamination with potential allergens where the food will be stored and/or heated. Some states require that any food stored in a school or daycare be labeled with the date and contents, so clarify with your school officials what you will need to write on the food containers.

If you plan on using a lot of reusable containers, I highly recommend Mabel's Labels (http://www.mabel.ca/mabel.php) to help you keep track of everything. We use them on all of our Tupperware containers as well as every sippy cup, utensil and every other easily lost item of Caroline's. They can stand up to toddler abuse, go through the dishwasher and microwave and are super cute to boot.

Minimizing Impact

As kids get older, they will obviously become more and more aware of any differences between their classmates and themselves. While it's important for a food allergic kid to fully understand the fact that they are different and that in order to be safe they must be ever vigilant about food, it's also important to try and minimize the impact that differentness may have. A good place to start is with checking the school menus in advance to see if it's possible to mimic as closely as possible what the other children will be eating on any given day. Caroline's school has a set rotating menu each month that allows me to know in advance what her classmates will be eating for lunch each day. She is less likely to be upset at lunchtime if she's eating the same thing as everyone else. More importantly, she is less likely to try and "borrow" someone else's food from their plate. She is notorious food thief - the original hamburglar!

Last But Not Least

The most important thing to remember when you begin the conversation with school officials and teachers is to strike the right tone. Your ultimate goal is the safety and happiness of your child and the best and easiest way to accomplish this is for everyone involved in the care of your child to be on the same team. Open and friendly dialogue makes everyone feel comfortable and breeds the type of environment where questions can be asked and answered easily. Continue to be involved and engaged with your child's teachers and in school activities to afford every opportunity for lingering questions and fears to be addressed as they come up.