Help finding a preschool/daycare (Washington: day cares, homes, allergy)

[gtempress]

Peace and Love to all,
I was wondering if anyone could be so kind as to share with me info about vegan/vegetarian day cares (for toddlers) in the Northern Virginia/Washington, DC area. Any help would be very much appreciated.
Peace and Blessings to all.

[kutra11]

When I was researching day cares five years ago, I do not recollect coming across any list that was based on meal preferenes. However, I do know there are several day cares that will either let you bring food from home or arrange for meals based on the child's preferences. You might be better off shortlisting 2-5 day cares based on location, commute, quality, etc. and then checking with them to see if they will accomodate your dietary restrictions.

Another option might be to look into family day homes where there is a small group of children. Individual preferences can be honored easily in smaller settings.

You can search for all day care centers, family day homes, etc here: *Child Day Care - Search for a Facility - Virginia Department of Social Services. This site lists all the violations for the centers.

Good luck!

[Alley01]

Kutra11 gave you a fantastic list which I used as my guideline when calling around. I have been visiting and researching centers like crazy and have not come across any that had meal preferences (other than allergy of course) across the board. Many go the all organic route but I didn't come across that specialized in vegan or vegetarian cuisine. Most can just accommodate and create a menu specific for your child, otherwise you are welcome to bring your own food to any of them (at least that is what they told me) so if you aren't opposed to your child being around other children not eating the same foods you they will be very accommodating.

I have a few friends that are raising their children as vegetarians and they just bring their food and the daycare has no problem accommodating them. The only issue is that they are curious about what the other kids are eating.

Good Luck! I would first find a daycare/preschool that you are comfortable with in other factors like learning environment (suzuki, montessori, etc.) first and then inquire about the diet options. That was a hot button on my list.

[gtempress]

Thank you kutra11 and Alley01. You both have been helpful. I actually found a vegan/vegetarian daycare in Bowie, MD but I would not recommend them because their hours are not workable especially for working parents. Also they have some bogus fees that many other daycares don't charge.
Thanks and I will let you know what I find!