Snacks
At Breakthrough Montessori, a healthy snack for all students is an integral part of the school day routine. In prior years, families were asked to contribute these snacks for their entire classroom on a weekly basis. This year, the school administration will be purchasing snacks for all classrooms through the Student Home Association (SHA) Snack Fund. We would like to share additional information about this update with you below.
The Role and Ritual of Snack in the Montessori Curriculum and Community
Snack is an integral part of the Montessori environment. Simply preparing a snack and eating together in a small group (2-3) helps children establish a sense of community and develop social skills. The children help prepare snacks by setting the table, cutting/slicing produce, etc. Snacks are available for children to consume throughout the whole work period (8:30 to 11 am) and the children take turns at the snack table when they are hungry or when they wish to take a break from working with the classroom materials - the intentionally set up self serve table encourages the children to practice their patience along with being mindful of others waiting their turn.
In addition to snacks being served at the snack table, we will also have food preparation activities on our shelves. Engaging in these activities allows the children to contribute to their classroom community and helps strengthen their independence, coordination, and concentration. Our Guides will request support for food prep supplies from families on a weekly basis.
What We Did Last Year
In years past, parents in each classroom would sign up to bring snacks / supplies for a week at a time. We learned that the expectation of providing a full week of snack for an entire classroom felt overwhelming or impractical for some families, so last year we piloted a “bring what you can” process in which families could sign up to contribute snacks or supplies in smaller increments (e.g., a block of cheese, a bunch of bananas, etc.) This did not result in the level of participation we strive for, so we held multiple meetings during the 2023-2024 school year to gather your feedback and suggestions. Overwhelmingly, we heard support for a process in which the school administration handles the purchase and distribution of snacks, and parents donate to a centralized fund to support this.
What We’re Doing This Year
The snack procedure for the 2024-2025 school year is described below. Please note that we are piloting this new process that we hope to implement long-term, and we welcome your feedback to help us perfect it!
Families will contribute what they can to the SHA Snack Fund here. Please note - this account is dedicated solely to the purchase of snacks and flowers for each of our classrooms. Funds from this account will not be used for other SHA programs/events.
A member of the Breakthrough Administrative Team will use the Snack Fund account to purchase enough snacks for all classrooms on a weekly basis.
In order for the school to purchase snacks for all classrooms, we will need to collect $20 per child per month.
We will reach out to families with reminders about contributing to the Snack Fund on an as needed basis.
We invite families to contribute what they are able. This means some family contributions may be more than $20 per child and some may be less.