Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

Staff Handbook
one example
Our school follows the Kashrut laws defined by the Conservative movement.
• For children staying for an enrichment class or Lunch Bunch, parents should only
send dairy or parve lunches. If a child has a severe allergy, we may contact other
parents to restrict a certain item in their child’s lunch that could pose a serious
risk to another child in the classroom.
• When the child is celebrating his/her birthday at school, we ask the parent to
purchase Kosher baked goods at their local grocery store that contains a K, OU,
CRC on the outside label or another accepted hechsher. (Attach a list of accepted
hechshers and a list of local kosher bakeries with addresses.) Kosher ice cream,
frozen yogurt or most Entenmanns’s products are also Kosher. Please do not have
parents bring any homemade treats or balloons that might cause choking
accidents. The best birthday snacks are small and nutritious. A “K” on a yogurt
is not acceptable – it must have an “OU” because it has items in it that are
insect or meat-based. Cheese must also bear a Kashrut symbol.
• Many people eat a meat meal on Friday night for Shabbat so please notify the
parents if milk in any form is added to Shabbat baking projects. No chocolate
chips, unless labeled as parve, should be added to challah baked for Shabbat.
• Teachers may bring dairy foods for their own consumption. School stoves,
microwaves, and ovens may be used to warm food brought from home if it is
kosher and dairy or parve.
Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide
Maxine Segal Handelman
USCJ Department of Education
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