Sending a food-allergic child off to preschool can be daunting. But experts Gina Mennett Lee, an educator-consultant, and Laurel Francoeur, a lawyer with expertise in disability law, show you step-by-step how to do it safely. Their thorough little handbook reviews the food allergy basics, then the authors dive into all you need to know to craft a strong food allergy management plan.

Important issues for both parents and providers include rick reduction at snack/lunch time, spillable allergens, arts and crafts, hand-washing protocols, and how birthdays will be celebrated. There are sections on legal rights, posters, and most helpfully, sample accommodation plans you can borrow from.

The emphasis here is on inclusion, and helping to ensure the child with food allergies has a safe, happy preschool experience, just like the other children.

– Gwen Smith, Allergic Living

Ijust placed an order for two more copies! I am SO GRATEFUL for this resource! I literally cried as I looked through the book, because I know that I can provide this to my child’s daycare and they will have a reliable straight-forward resource, with references and checklists and sample accommodations, to use in managing care for my son and others with food allergies. Your book is a step in the right direction toward making food allergies understood. As you know, there are so many people who still look at me like I’m crazy when I advocate for my child, and your book can be my “third party” telling them that I’m not crazy and that this is important! Thank you so very much for your work!!!

– Parent

This is truly the first food allergy workbook I’ve ever had the pleasure to read and review. I feel that I could take immediate action and improve the quality of my own advocating for my child after reading this book. The information was presented very matter of fact and led me to believe I can do this and do it well. [click here to read the full review]

– Caroline Moassessi, Grateful Foodie

Two national leaders in the food allergy community – one with a background in education and the other an attorney – have joined forces to produce an outstanding resource for the field of early education. Both of the authors have children with food allergies, and considerable experience developing and evaluating safe and inclusive food allergy management strategies for a variety of educational levels.

The handbook they have written is a comprehensive guide to best practices that should be in the hands of every pre-school professional. Explanations are clear and thorough, with detailed and thoughtful narrative background information as to what is unique about the pre-school setting, why specific policies are important, and exactly what they should contain.

Recommendations for an overall Food Allergy Management and Prevention Plan deftly summarize the voluntary guidelines published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, with helpful suggestions for how to implement them to create a safe and healthy environment.

The book is filled with many tidbits of useful information, such as lists of how a child might describe a reaction, items in which allergens may be found and how to read food labels, that may seem commonplace to someone who has been dealing with food allergies for a long time, but eye-opening to a pre-school teacher who needs lots of prompts for how to be vigilant in order to keep a young child safe and prevent exposure to allergens.

There are helpful checklists for both parents and pre-school administrators, a review of relevant laws, and much more. The price of this publication may seem a bit high, but the advice and tools that it provides are truly priceless.

– Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America – New England Chapter