Back to School Part 2

As we approach the end of our third week of school and I find myself exhaling a bit more and somewhat less anxious, it becomes evident to me that the work that we put into planning for safety in our school is worth it! We've transitioned from eating in a classroom to now eating in the main cafeteria successfully. The first birthday cupcake event took place in my son's classroom with no incident (well aside from the fact that mommy forgot to bake a cupcake). But it worked out because our "Emergency Food" plan that was put in place was the back up to my oversight and he was able to enjoy his "Oreo" emergency treat!
So with that said I have included a template for the labels that we distributed to the school to use for any food events held in any early childhood classrooms that might have a child with food allergies. In my next post I will share with you a few of my favorite "Back to School" products from "Blue Bear Allergy Aware" online catalog.

USE THIS LABEL TEMPLATE TO PRINT OUT
"STOP I HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES" LABELS.
(AVERY 5163 2x4 NEON LABELS)

GIVE THESE TO YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER/NURSE TO PLACE ON YOUR CHILD'S BACK DURING CLASSROOM FOOD EVENTS.

Our "Nut Eggactly" mom has seen this implemented in the child care setting and has found that it is very helpful to alert any volunteers or staff that are not familiar with your child's food allergy.

Texas Children's Hospital Food Allergy Program Symposium

**Upcoming Event**

HFAN is listed!

Dairy Allergy Mom and I are pleased to share that HFAN is now listed as a support group on FARE's website!  Needless to say, we are very excited!  Please share this good news with anyone you know who may benefit from this group!

Houston Food Allergy Network (HFAN)

Contact Name: Danielle Williams & Cynthia Garza
Contact Email: houstonfoodallergynetwork@gmail.com
City: Houston 

Country: USA
Mission: To provide support to families dealing with the daily challenges of managing food allergies, to raise community awareness, and to advocate for change

Back to School: What's Cookin' in Public School?

www.houstonisd.org/hisd

As a follow up to our meeting this month themed "Back to School", I decided to do some research on protocols established by neighboring public schools. As I mentioned before we currently attend private school however I am familiar with the extensive protocols that HISD has in place because I have family that works for HISD's food service department. For the purpose of making this blog informational I pulled a few sections of the district's website to share here. I know there were a few parents that attended the HFAN August meeting that mentioned they would be meeting with their school principal soon. We would love to hear how the meeting went and any recommendations you might have on how to make the best of the meeting with the school principal and/or administrators. Below are a few resources from HISD's website that I found most helpful and informative. 
Dietary Accommodations
Search Allergens

2013-2014 Breakfast Allergen Chart
2013-2014 Lunch Menu Allergen Chart

I also included a section from the FAQ's. I was curious to know if parents are prohibited from bringing store bought or homemade sweets into the classroom for birthday celebrations.The FAQ's didn't quite answer my the question but they specify that the "special" treat should not be served during the lunch period so that the student's appetite is not ruined.

FAQ's Nutritional Guidelines

If your child attends a public school we would love to hear from you! Please share your experience with managing your child's food allergy and any helpful tips for our HFAN families!

Dairy Allergy Mom

School Food Allergy Management Protocol

Hi there!  Our meeting last night refreshed my soul.  It was great to meet each of you and here your stories. Thank you all for coming and sharing a piece of your lives with all of us.  

Below is an example of a food allergy policy that will be implemented this upcoming year at an area school.  Feel free to share this information with your schools.  

School Food Allergy Mgt. Protocol

On another note, Dairy Allergy Mom and I are submitting our FARE New Support Group Application Form this week.  Also, the meeting dates for the remainder of this year are posted.  If you know of someone who can benefit from an 'in person' support group, please bring them to the next meeting.  Hope to see y'all at the FARE walk in September!