Dear Parents,

You’ve all read the headlines and seen the news stories: food allergies are a growing concern in schools. Millions of children - children who are perfectly healthy and normal in every other way – must watch every single bite they eat, or risk suffering a severe or even life threatening reaction. In fact, food allergies are responsible for over 30,000 emergency room visits each year. A major health issue such as this one needs to be taken very seriously, and it has always been the policy of King’s Gate programs to make the safety and well being of children a top priority.

Several students in our programs have a serious peanut and/or tree nut allergy - the food allergy that claims more lives each year than any other. A child with a serious peanut allergy can suffer a reaction merely by touching a peanut-containing food. So, we are asking that you help us make our programs more allergy friendly in these ways:

• Please do not send any peanuts, peanut butter or foods containing peanuts, peanut butter or nuts to be eaten as snacks or with lunch in the classroom. We understand that providing allergy friendly lunches may be out of the norm for many of you, but as you can see on the attached list, there are many allergy friendly options. • We will not be doing any classroom projects that involve nuts, peanuts, peanut butter or peanut shells (art projects). Please do not send any of these projects into the classroom with your child. • Birthday parties are a special time for children. At this time there are no outside treats or food allowed. Their teachers will make sure their day is special in other ways.

If your child ate peanut butter or nuts for breakfast, we would greatly appreciate your making sure that his/her hands are washed thoroughly with soap and water before leaving for school. Water alone does not do the trick. While hand sanitizer will kill germs, it is not effective in removing the residue that brings an allergic reaction. Thank you for helping keep our students safe.

This is a learning process for all of us, but we trust that you understand how deeply important it is to help keep our school safe for all children. If throughout the course of the year you have any questions or concerns about food-allergy-related issues, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We are looking forward to a safe and healthy school year.

Blessings,

Wyndi Bradley, M.Ed. Head of Schools 12421 North Mustang Rd. Yukon, OK 73099

“In everything, therefore, treat others in the same way you want them to treat you.” Matthew 7:12 Not for letter—just information…

As a Christian school: -We want to be mindful of children who are not being reached. Children with severe life- threatening allergies are "an unreached people group" in Christian education, and unfortunately in churches. We can put in wheelchair ramps, provide listening devices, and hang brail signs just in case we have one person who comes that may need them. We will put in storm shelters, fire alarms, and no smoking signs because these provide safety for all. But regulating food is an ongoing process and it does not benefit everyone. Many see the ongoing inconvenience as too great a burden. Others do not want to ask their patrons and/or church body to make the effort. Many of these families feel displaced, unsupported, misunderstood, discouraged, lost, and dis- appointed…especially by the actions of Christians. -We hope to reach the lost and the wandering. We hope to become weak to the weak, that we might win the weak; to become all things to all men, so that we may by all means save some (I Corinthians 9:22). We are willing to inconvenience all families for the allergies of some, so that we can walk with those who are living with life-threatening allergies in an effort to reach them and minister to them. -We ask all KG families and staff to go the extra mile (Matthew 5:41) to give these families more peace (Romans 12:18). These families see KG as a place that is safer for their children than other places, because our families and staff do what others will not. These families see KG as a place that has done more for them than any other school has been willing to do. (Matthew 7:12 In everything, therefore, treat others in the same way you want them to treat you. Hebrews 13:3 Remember those in prison as though you were their fellow prisoner.) - It is a compassionate and empathetic endeavor within the boundaries of the school day. We ask parents to plan and prepare 5 meals a week with these families in mind. We concluded that the children who really love these items have many meals left in their week to have nuts, peanut-butter, etc. -We want to remember that unless the Lord watches the city, that the watchman stays awake in vain. We will continue to depend on God to watch the city, while we carry out our responsibilities as watchmen. Not because God needs us...He does not. But like when we enter a storm shelter, wear a seatbelt, or don’t allow smoking in our building, we will do what we can do to provide safety. He has called some of us to be watchmen. -We want to please God in our attitude. I Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. Romans 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. These verses are not related to avoiding food because of allergies, but Paul is asking for a partic- ular attitude among the saints. If certain foods are life threatening for others, surely we can ab- stain from them when they are present.

[Hopefully re-doing our snack list and focusing on health this coming year will support ALL of our kids, not just those with allergies. The list was created initially many years ago and it needs to be redone!] King’s Gate Christian School, Child Development Center and Super Summer are “Allergy Friendly Programs.”

We do the following to help provide a safer environment for children with nut allergies: Training is provided so staff can recognize allergic reactions and administer an epi-pen. An “Allergy Friendly Safe List” is available to assist parents when providing shared snacks and treats. Safe Tables are designated during lunchtime for children who have allergies. Parents are encouraged to bring Allergy Friendly lunches and snacks. Thank you so much for your efforts toward ensuring a Allergy Friendly Facility! This requires effort from every family. It makes such a difference to offer a safer environment for children with life threatening allergies. Thank you so much for helping us make King’s Gate a safer place for all our children! IDENTIFYING PEANUT & NUT FREE PRODUCTS AS YOU SHOP *NOTE: The specific brand of item listed is very important as it is a “safe” item. Brands not listed may not be safe for a specific item. These brands may have warnings on the labels of their product possibly containing nuts – such as “May Contain Nuts” or “May Contain Traces of Nuts” or “Made in a facility that produces nuts or nut products” or “Made on equipment that produces nut products”.

SAFE INGREDIENT: Nutmeg

Steps to take when reading labels: 1. Look for any words on the list that could indicate the presence of peanut: Peanuts (any form, Ex: Peanut Butter, Peanut Flour, Peanut Oil, etc.) Nuts (any type, Ex: Mixed Nuts, Walnuts, Cashews, Pecans, etc.) Mandelonas (Peanuts soaked in flavoring) Sunflower Seeds (They are usually always processed on the same equipment with nuts.) Goober Peas, Marzipan, Nougat

2. Look for the warnings “may contain peanut or nut traces”.

Unsafe Foods That Contain Nuts or Peanuts No Cheese Crackers (Packaged in 6 pack packages, similar to peanut butter crackers) No Chex Mix No Chocolate Candy Bars (MOST, Except Plain Hershey Bars) No Jacks No Famous Amos Cookies No Fiddle Faddle No Granola Bars No Gummy Bears/Worms, etc. Many brands have a warning that they may contain nuts. No Honey Nut Cheerios No Ice Cream No “Jelly Belly” Brand Jelly Bean Candy No Junior Mints Candy No Little Debbie Snacks No M&M Candy (ALL) No Store Bakery Items in Deli Sections at Wal-Mart, Target, Homeland, etc. No Reeses No Slice and Bake (Ready Made) Cookie Dough No Trail Mix ***NO HOMEMADE ITEMS***

NO STAUFFER’S BRAND ITEMS (Labels may not indicate peanut/nut traces.)

NO RITZ BITZ (Even the cheese contains peanut ingredient)

***INGREDIENTS THAT MAY BE QUESTIONABLY SAFE*** (Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Soybean Oil) ALLERGY FRIENDLY LUNCH IDEAS A list of great alternatives to nuts and peanuts: (cut into appropriate size to prevent choking)

Applesauce Materne GoGo Squeeze Fast Fruit Eggs—boiled Tuna salad, chicken salad, pasta salad Soy nut butter* & jelly sandwich (Soy Wonder or Tofu Wow Butter) Fruit and veggies (sliced if needed): Meat & cheese sandwiches (made with tortillas, apple, asparagus, avocado, banana, beans, pitas, etc.) bell peppers, blackberries, blueberries, Meat & cheese cut into shapes with cookie broccoli, brussel sprouts, cantaloupe, cutters with crackers carrots, cauliflower, celery, chickpeas, corn, Buddy Fruits cucumbers, cuties, grapes, honeydew, kiwi, Cottage cheese with or without fruit mandarin orange, mango, orange, peach, (flavored or not) & jelly pear, peas, pineapple, plums, raisins, sandwiches spinach, tangerine, grape tomatoes, Cut up quesadillas turnips, watermelon Dried Fruit Yogurt or Gogurt String cheese, cheese cubes If you have any ideas for other parents, Hot dogs please share them with us! Fruit Cocktail *Soy Wonder is a soy product made in a peanut free facility. It tastes like peanut butter

ALLERGY FRIENDLY SNACKS—UNOPENED Fresh Fruits and Vegetables—listed above Premium Saltines Crackers & Snacks: Nabisco Chicken , and Annie’s Bunny Grahams Vegetable Thins Annie’s Organic Fruit Snacks Nabisco – Apple, Honey, Back to Nature Crackers - Wheat, Sweet Potato & Cinnamon, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Dora Cinnamon Explorer, Strawberry Banana Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks Nabisco Brother’s All Natural Fruit Crisps Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers (NO peanut Cheerios (Original ONLY) butter flavor) Crunchmaster Crisps - Cheddar, Cinnamon & Sugar, Pepperidge Farm Crisps - 4 Cheese Crisps, White Cheddar Favorites, Simply Pretzel Thins, Cheddar & Florida’s Natural Fruit Snacks Sour Cream Potato Cracker Chips Fresh Vegetables/Ranch Dip Pirate’s Booty Funky Monkey Freeze-dried Fruit Rold Gold - Braided , Rold Gold Butter Homekist Saltines Checkers, Pretzels, Snack Mix and Munchies, Keebler Saltine Cracker (Zesta Originals) Sticks, Tiny Twists Keebler Town House Originals String Cheese/Cheese Cubes Keebler Golden Vanilla Wafers (Original and Mini) Sun-Maid Raisins Keebler Grahams – Original, Cinnamon Sunshine Cheez-It (Original, Cheddar Jack, Kellogg’s Fruit Snacks Gripz, Snack Mix) Kellogg’s Special K Cracker Chips Sunshine Big Cheez-It Kraft Cheesenips (Original Cheddar ONLY) Lunch Meats (Turkey, Chicken, Ham, etc.) For special occasions, please contact your Motts Natural Applesauce (no sugar added) teacher or the office. Nabisco Barnum’s Animal Crackers Nabisco Flavor Originals Thank you for going the extra Nabisco Honey Maid Graham Crackers– Lil’ Squares, mile to provide a safe classroom Honey, Cinnamon for our children with allergies! Nabisco Newton Fruit Thins

“SPECIAL OCCASION” ALLERGY FRIENDLY TREATS

Please, no bakery items unless from an allergy approved bakery: Green Goodies by Tiffany (Approved Bakery) 5840 N. Classen Curve OKC, OK

Keebler: Shoppe Grasshoppers Nabisco Teddy Grahams– Apple, Honey, Cinnamon, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Dora Explorer, Strawberry Act II Microwave Popcorn (butter lover’s) Cheetos (Original & Baked) Conagra Foods Snack Pack Puddings (Vanilla, Chocolate) & Jello Doritos (Nacho Cheese) Fritos Corn Chips (Original) Hershey Kisses (regular in silver wrappers only–NOT w/almonds/NOT holiday package) Kellogg’s: Fruit Streamers, Fruit Twistables, Fruit Snacks Kellogg’s: Fruit Loops (1/3 Less Sugar, Original, Marshmallows) Kellogg’s: Rice Krispies Squares (Original) Kraft “” Cheddar Spread (can) Kraft Marshmallows Jet-Puffed (Original, Mini, Funmallows) Krispy Kreme Glazed Donuts Lays Potato Chips (Original & Baked) Lifesaver Gummies Ruffles Potato Chips Skittles Smartees Sun Chips: Original Flavor, Harvest Cheddar Flavor, French Onion Flavor Sweet Tarts Tootsie Rolls Wal-Mart “Great Value” Marshmallows (Original, Mini, Flavored) Welch’s Fruit Snacks