Tips for Celebrations with Food Allergies & Dietary Restrictions
 
Thanks to all the room parents and staff for keeping Rockwell's kids with food allergies and dietary restrictions safe and including them in the fun of the class Halloween parties!  Kids feel sad if they are left out, so when planning future celebrations, please remember to ask the teacher(s) what food allergies and/or other dietary restrictions you need to be aware of.  
 
Here are just a few of the ideas that have worked for many families and teachers:

• Limit the number of food items in the classroom.  The class might play a favorite game, do a craft, sing songs, or watch a movie along with a simple snack, rather than having an elaborate “feast”.
• Some teachers establish a rule that foods provided for parties must have ingredient labels so the teacher and students can identify the presence of allergens.
• Let parents know when a celebration is coming up, and what will be served, such as cupcakes, cookies, etc., so that they can provide a similar safe treat for their child for the party, if necessary.

This year Rockwell has 20 kids with severe food allergies.  For them, eating even a trace amount of a food can cause a medical emergency that requires a trip to the emergency room.  In the lower grades, there are often several children in a class who have food allergies.  There are also children with dietary restrictions for reasons other than food allergies (for example:  food/additives intolerances, celiac/gluten-free diet, diabetes, vegetarian). 
 
Thanks for doing your part to keep kids safe and having fun together!

For tips for celebrations and reading ingredient labels, please read Food Allergies at Rockwell.