The Nativity Early Learning Center is a Peanut/Nut Free School

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Food allergies are on the rise and can cause a severe, systemic, potentially fatal allergic reaction. This in not only through direct ingestion, but can be through smell, and touching of only trace amounts. We want to do all we can to eliminate the possibility of such an occurrence in our center in the future.

Why is my child’s school peanut/nut free?

The rationale for peanut/nut free schools has to do with the somewhat unique nature of these allergies. Most people with food allergies -- even severe allergies -- can manage their allergies by simply not eating foods that have their allergen in them. They read labels, don’t eat food if they know its origins, and ask questions to stay aware of cross-contamination.

People with peanut and tree nut allergies follow all these steps, but there are two limits to this approach. First, it’s possible for people with these allergies to react to traces of nut dust in the air. Second, nuts are full of natural oils that leave residues. While these residues can be removed with common household cleaners, it can be difficult or impossible to clean tables in the middle of lunch, for example, or for school staff to know to clean oils off of tainted walls or doorknobs during the school day.

We require that you do not send any lunch items, snacks or birthday treats, which contain peanuts or nuts or are processed on shared equipment. We request your cooperation and thank you in advance for adhering to this policy for the safety of all children.

If you accidentally send a peanut and/or nut product with your child (ren), we will send home a friendly reminder. Whenever possible, we will label and return the item that contained nut.

Attached you will find Peanut/Nut Free information regarding label reading and a list for peanut/nut free snacks, birthday treats and lunch ideas for the NELC.

Thank you so much,

Nicole McGie and the Staff at the Nativity Early Learning Center

Peanut/Nut Free Information

When choosing a peanut/nut-free snack for your child, it is important to ALWAYS check the label on the package to make sure it is free of peanuts and nuts of all kinds.

Reading Labels: Some manufacturer’s clearly state if a product has peanuts/nuts in it while with others, it is almost hidden. Please read the label each time, every time. Do not purchase items with allergy and ingredient alerts such as: These items are most likely at the bottom of the ingredient list in bold type.

"May Contain Peanuts or Tree Nuts" "Processed on shared equipment with Peanuts or Tree Nuts" "Contains Peanut or Tree Nut Ingredients" “May Contain Traces of Peanuts”

Thank you for taking the time to read your labels and discussing the topic of "safe snacks" with your child! Your diligence is keeping an allergic child safe at school'

Peanut/Nut-Free Snack, Birthday Treats and Lunch Suggestion List

SOY NUT BUTTER:

Soy Nut Butter is made from fresh roasted whole soybeans. It is remarkably similar to peanut butter in taste and texture but has significantly less total and saturated fat than peanut butter, is cholesterol free, and offers 7 grams of beneficial soy protein per serving.

IM Healthy Soynut Butter (original creamy, original chunky, honey creamy, honey chunky, chocolate, unsweetened creamy and unsweetened chunky) SunGold Sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds, creamy, natural, honey crunch, natural crunch, and organic Simple Soynut Butter (no sugar-no salt, sea salted, slightly salted, cinnamon sugar, and chocolate

HEALTHY Applesauce Cups shredded cheese, spreads, Yogurt Cups and Tubes dips SNACKS: (most kinds) Cottage cheese All Fresh Fruit DAIRY: Pudding cups Dole Fruit bowls Del Monte Fruit to-go cups Cream Cheese on crackers, Sun-Maid raisons and English muffins, bagels, GRAINS: craisins tortillas Tortillas (with melted Fresh Veggies and Dip Yogurt (Gogurt and shredded cheese or rolled up Raisins (plain-not yogurt or Danimals drinkables) with cream cheese or jelly) chocolate-covered) Sting Cheese, cheese curds, Bagels (can make into mini Cheese and Safe Crackers block cheese, sliced cheese, pizzas) English Muffins with butter Rice Cakes (make sure to Pretzels (waffle, sticks, rods, and jelly, made into pizzas read the labels for which twists, honey wheat) with sauce, or just melted flavors are peanut/nut free) Cow Pals (cheese 'n crackers, cheese cheese 'n sticks) Tortilla Chips (serve with KEEBLER: Ice Cream Cups (vanilla) salsa or with melted cheese) Vanilla Wafers (golden, Sprinkles Frozen Eggo Waffles with mini) Ice Cream Sandwiches syrup Grahams (original, honey, (regular, mini) Garlic Breadsticks dipped in cinnamon chocolate, honey) pizza sauce Scooby-Doo Graham KELLOGG’S: Crackers Rice Krispie Treats NABISCO: Elf Grahams (original) Cheese Nips Fudge Stripped Shortbread Cereal and Milk Bars Air Crisps Cookies (Cocoa Krispies, Fruit Loops, Cheddar Sportz Munch’ems Frosted Flakes) Dizzy Grizzles Snack Stix Pop Tarts Oatmeal Cookies Sugar Wafers Nutrigrain Cereal Bars Newton Bars & Fig Newtons Town House Classic Nutrigrain Yogurt Bars Oreo Cookies (plain) Crackers (strawberry, vanilla or Teddy Grahams Wheatables blueberry) Nilla Wafers Club Crackers (original only Barnum's Animal Crackers NOT sandwiches) KRAFT: Honey Maid (original, 5 pack cheese and pretzel 5 Pack Handi-Snacks chocolate, honey, low fat, dips (breadsticks and cheese, cinnamon sticks, honey sticks, Mister Salty pretzels and chocolate sticks) PEPPERIDGE cheese, Oreo cookie sticks Triscuits (plain) and cream, cheese and Wheat Thins (original, FARM: Goldfish (original, colors, crackers, apple dippers) honey, ranch, reduced fat) Premium Saltines (original) cheddar, pretzel, baby, giant, Better Cheddars flavor-blasted) ROLD GOLD: Chips Ahoy Pre-Sliced Mini-Bagels Pretzels (rods, braided twists, Ritz (original, whole wheat, ENTENMANN’S: cheddar twists, tiny twists) sticks, dinosaur) Little Bites (brownies, donut Ritz Chips (original, holes, choc. chip cookies, THOMAS: cheddar) blueberry muffins) Bagels (mini and regular) Popems BETTY CROCKER: LENDERS: Cinnamon Graham Cookies KROGER: Bagels Dunk Aroos Grahams (honey, original, Sprinkled Vanilla Frosting cinnamon, chocolate, low fat) PUDDING AND Vanilla Wafers SUNSHINE: Baked Cheese Bits (original, GELATINS: Cheez-It (original, TwisterZ, white cheddar) Jell-O Gelatin and Pudding Cups white cheddar, Sponge Bob, Country Club Kroger Brand (choc/vanilla) Gripz) Saltines (wheat, original) Hunts Pudding & Pudding Hi Ho Crackers Donuts (plain, sugar, Tubes chocolate, cinnamon) Pudding Snacks (chocolate, Kraft Handi-Snacks Pudding QUAKER: vanilla) Cups Gelatin Snacks (refrigerated) FRUIT SNACKS: General Mills Cheerios CHIPS: Nabisco (regular, fruity, triple Frito Lay (Baked Cheetos, Betty Crocker berry, yogurt, strawberry, Doritos, Lay's, Ruffles, Kellogg's/Disney apple cinnamon) Tostitos) Kroger Brand **Multigrain & Honey Nut Better Made Meijer Brand are NOT safe! ** Sun Chips Sunkist Post Shredded Wheat Rold Gold Pretzels (NOT BRACH'S) Post Grape Nuts Fritos Post or Kellogg's Raisin Pringles (plain ONLY) Bran POPCORN: Pop Secret CANDY: Act II ICE CREAM: Skittles (by Mars, Inc.) Jolly Time Kroger Brand Ice Cream Starbursts (by Mars, Inc.) Old Dutch Popcorn Cups (vanilla) Dots (by Tootsie Roll) Kroger Brand Ice Cream Tootsie Rolls (only in Sandwiches DIPS: original brown bag by Tootsie Breyer's (natural, vanilla, Roll) Kraft Ranch French vanilla, choc. chip, T 'Marzetti's Buttermilk Tootsie Pops (by Tootsie chocolate, strawberry) Roll) Ranch Keebler Ice Cream Cones T 'Marzetti's Veggie Dip Smarties (by CE DE Candy) Minute Maid Juice Bars Blow Pops (by Charms) Ranch Philly Swirl Ken's Steakhouse Ranch Mike & Ike's (by Just Born) Popsicles Twizzlers Licorice (by Hidden Valley Ranch Jell-O Brand Pudding Pops T 'Marzetti's Caramel Fruit Hershey) Deans- Neapolitan ice cream Cherry Bites Twizzlers Dip sandwiches T 'Marzetti's Chocolate Laffy Taffy (by Nestle) Welch's Fruit Juice & Life Saver Gummies (by Fruit Dip Whole Fruit Bars Kraft) Dove Ice Cream Bars Swedish Fish CEREAL: Klondike Bars Dum-Dums Kellogg's Corn & Frosted Good Humor- Strawberry Sour Patch Kids (by Flakes shortcake & Cadbury) General Mills Kix chocolate eclair bars Sweet Tarts General Mills Chex Flavor-Ice popsicles Most bubble gum NO M&M’s of any kind

*****ITEMS MADE IN A STORE BAKERY***** SUCH AS CUPCAKES/CAKE/COOKIES ARE NOT PEANUT/TREE NUT-SAFE!!