8 Crucial Food Allergy Questions to Ask Preschools, Daycares & Schools
You don’t have to figure out school alone! This podcast episode #63 (and many other episodes) of the Food Allergy Made Easy talks about how to navigate school so you can feel less alone and more confident!
*Updated March 2025
Hey there, food allergy mama! After 18 years of navigating food allergies and 15 years of school experience, I know just how overwhelming it can feel to hand your little one over to someone else. Trust me, I’ve been there. Add food allergies to the mix, and it can feel like the most stressful decision ever.
But you don’t have to figure this out alone. Today, I’m sharing the exact questions I would ask preschools, daycares, and schools if I were doing it all over again. These questions are designed to help you feel confident and empowered as you search for a safe and supportive environment for your child. And here’s a bonus: they work for kindergarten and elementary schools too!
And because I know how much peace of mind matters, I’ve also created a stress-relieving School Allergy Plan Template. This resource goes beyond today’s questions and dives deep into what food allergy safety at school can look like.
You can learn about this School Allergy Plan Template here.
Make sure you read to the end so you don’t miss the most important questions.
Now, let’s dive in.
What To Ask Preschools About Food Allergies
Remember, these conversations don’t have to feel demanding or confrontational. The key is to approach it as a partnership. Most preschools want to work with you to ensure your child is safe and included. By approaching them with kindness and collaboration, you’ll create a team of people who are all invested in your child’s well-being.
First, I would start with something general to get a feel for their food allergy knowledge. For example:
How do they manage severe food allergies?
This is a really broad question and is meant to get an idea of how much they really know about allergies. What they choose to talk about here will help you get a feeling for how allergy savvy they are and it could give you an indication about whether they welcome kids with allergies or if it seems like they feel allergies are an inconvenience. By asking this question first, you’re able to decide if you even need to go further in your questioning or not (especially if they don’t seem overly welcoming to kids with allergies).
Some things to listen for in their response are:
How do they manage foods in all situations, from prepping to snack time? Do they understand what cross-contact/contamination is? Will your child’s allergens be served to other kids? If so, how do they plan to contain the allergen to ensure your child doesn’t come into contact?
What are their cleaning practices when it comes to food and snacktime? Do they wipe tables before AND after eating? Do they wash kids’ hands before and after? Do they encourage non-food rewards and celebrations?
Next, if they answer in a way that seems knowledgeable and helpful, you can get into more detail.
2. What training does the staff take about food allergies and how often?
It’s super important that the provider understands cross-contact especially since the possibility of cross-contact is high when you get a bunch of littles eating together.
Training needs to include what to WATCH for when it comes to anaphylaxis (and it’s not just hives and breathing problems, it can also include fainting, swelling of face, tongue, and lips, vomiting/diarrhea, and even excessive coughing and sneezing). Of course, how to use epinephrine is important too.
Food allergy training needs to happen EVERY YEAR. If teachers need the ongoing repetition and refreshing of information so it’s clear in their minds. It’s not enough to have training once and then done. This is the same reason that CPR certification is required to be done EVERY single year to be valid. NEW teachers/caregivers that arrive after the training need to go through it before they ever watch your child.
3. Where will the epinephrine devices be kept?
Many times schools want to find a “safe” place to keep the epinephrine that is not accessible to kids. They often lean towards locking it in an office or cabinet. Unfortunately, this is not advisable! Epinephrine needs to be administered quickly in case of a reaction so it should be kept in a place easily accessible for adults, without being locked. The last thing that should happen is for teachers searching for a key. And what happens if the person with the key has gone for lunch or is sick that day? The time wasted trying to get to the life-saving epinephrine could be fatal. Epinephrine should never be locked away. It needs to be easily accessible by all teachers and caregivers.
4. What is the snack policy?
We had a situation where our preschool allowed parents to bring snacks for the entire class. This was problematic because trying to educate every single parent about allergy safety issues like cross-contact was difficult. Another situation is having each parent provide the snack for their child OR having the preschool provide the snacks for the entire class. In every situation, the teachers & school need to ensure that your child gets the right food and doesn’t accidentally eat another child’s snack. How will this happen? What are the processes in place to ensure allergy-friendly snacks are made without cross-contact? How will the school ensure your child doesn’t accidentally grab another child’s food?
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I’ve got something that will help. I’ve created a FREE food allergy kid’s empowerment guide that you can use to prep yourself and your child for the new year at school & everyday life too. Grab it now!
5. How do they celebrate in the classroom?
Is there food involved during the celebrations? If so who will provide it and if allergens are present, how will they make sure your child is included?
One thing I had no idea about when my girls started preschool and school was that it’s not enough to just ensure that your child doesn’t eat their allergens. One of the MOST difficult things to deal with is our child feeling left out or lonely. Celebrations that focus on food instead of activities and fun are very difficult for food allergy kids to understand because it specifically excludes them. In my opinion, ANY celebrations should be non-food-focused and activity-based OR they should be safe for every child.
6. Are there curriculum activities that involve food?
Will they include your child’s allergen? If so, are they able to remove this from the curriculum or substitute it with something else?
It’s so easy for schools to “think” that they are allergy-friendly because they forget about when they use food as activities. For example, baking cookies or making pancakes.
Asking this question forces them to consider their curriculum activities through the view of food allergies. I suggest you even ask them to list all the times there is food used in the curriculum at the beginning of the year so you can ensure there are safe options or the food is dealt with safely.
7. Where will your child’s emergency plan be kept, and how will they make sure each teacher & staff member sees it?
When my girls were starting preschool, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as an anaphylaxis emergency plan. We’ve come a long way, folks! Now, I realize that the anaphylaxis emergency plan is one of the most essential tools for allergy safety. I send one for every field trip, to every teacher and always have an updated one at the school. The great thing is that these plans have a place to put a picture of your child on the top so teachers can see WHO has the allergy (this is especially important for substitute teachers/caregivers).
But emergency plans won’t be helpful unless they can be accessed and looked at by every teacher/caregiver who comes into contact with your child. In this way, it’s important to have it in a spot where teachers will look at it and use it, including substitute teachers.
8. What is their hand-washing procedure?
Wouldn’t it be great if we knew that every kid in your child’s class never ate your child’s allergen? While this would be great, it isn’t possible to expect this. There is just no way to enforce it. Instead, the next best thing is to make sure that every kid has their hands and face wiped as they arrive and that they wash their hands before AND after every single snack. Not only does this help with allergies, but it reduces germ sharing too!
What To Do Next If You’re Sending Your Allergic Child To Preschool, Daycare, or School
If you’re sending your allergic child to preschool, daycare, or school, these questions are a great start, but there is so much more you need to know and ask.
Many years ago, I created a template of the questions I asked the teacher every year. If there was a problem, I would add to the template or re-word the questions so they would be more clear.
After 15 years of preschool and school, I now have a thorough, 10-page template that has 15 years of experience behind it!
Now, when I meet our teacher every fall, everything is in one spot and I feel organized and ready.
I'm confident that:
I'm not missing anything.
the teacher won't be overwhelmed with information or feel like I'm demanding.
the school year will start off right and only get better.
I want to help you keep your child safe and included at preschool, daycare, and school too! This low-cost template works for preschools, daycares, and schools in USA and Canada. You can even use it as a 504 plan template too.
You can grab this low-cost, 10-page School Food Allergy Plan Template here.
Just in case you’re not sure, here are a few things food allergy mamas have said after using the School Food Allergy Plan Template:
This template is incredible. It’s so thorough and will be very helpful when I meet Emma’s teacher this fall. I’ll use it for many years to come!
Lise V.
This template is exactly what I’ve been looking for! It’s incredibly helpful, clear, organized and helps me get my thoughts across in a kind and calm manner. Thanks!
Carissa M.
This template is a great guide on where to even begin when it comes to school discussions. Additionally, you can choose what information is relevant to your immediate situation. The resources you list are so helpful, on point and beneficial!
Wer. L.
I just bought your template and it’s amazing!
Jennifer C.
I know this will help you too. What are you waiting for? Check it out here.
Conclusion
Do not be afraid to have high expectations and to challenge a preschool about food allergies when you’re looking for a daycare, preschool, and grade school. Speaking up and advocating will only increase awareness and make the school better. It’s essential to understand how much knowledge the school or daycare has, in the beginning because it will keep your child safer and save you lots of misunderstandings and frustrations later. I encourage you to trust your instincts and choose a preschool where you feel heard and supported. Finding a school that’s open to learning and partnering is key.
What are your experiences with preschool? Do you have any questions? If so, comment below; I’d love to hear from you!
You May Also Like These Posts:
9 Essential Food Allergy Kid School Supplies
The Parent’s Guide To Critical Food Allergy Training At School
