At school

Parents and school administration have to work together to ensure that the child complies to the diet happily.

What can parents do:

• As parents of a newly diagnosed celiac child, you should meet the Principal and class teacher and make them aware about celiac disease and the need for gluten free diet for your child.
• You could give the letter for the school Principal to them.
• Since the class teacher will play a crucial role in ensuring compliance, it is important that you discuss about exigencies and plan for non-routine situations with her.
• We have prepared an information sheet for teachers which you could discuss with her and give her a copy.
• Plan ahead for special days, events and birthdays so the child does not feel left out.
• For emergencies, you could keep a box of non-perishable gluten free food items like nuts, gluten free cookies, juice etc. with the teacher.
• You could encourage your child to share about his condition and his diet in the class which will help his classmates understand the condition and help him.
• Over time, you could interact with other parents of the class and make them aware of your child’s diet, safe and unsafe items and precautions to contain cross contamination.
• Read patient experiences to understand how other parents and children are managing this diet and the recipe section which will soon have some school tiffin ideas.

What the school can do:

• Understand about celiac disease and gluten free diet from the letter given to you by the parent.
• Disseminate the information to staff members, especially the staff which comes in contact with the child
• For boarding schools and schools providing meals to children, it is extremely important to understand the nuances of gluten free diet and gluten free cooking.
• The school counselor should be in regular touch with the child and the family to assess the psychological impact, if any, of the disease and the diet on  the child.