Daily Snacks Given By Preschool - Mostly Treats?

I am not sure which part of the US you are in. My kids schools were and are overly focused on healthy foods. No sugar at all. So I am a little surprised.
I think you should look for other preschools. This is not the norm in my experience, but I could be wrong.

 

Many chain day cares serve the kinda food you mentioned.
Please feel bad about sending your own snacks. You will do a great service to your child by doing that, don’t feel bad.
Montessori kind of schools have no juice no junk food policy.
Best to send your own snack, for now. All tht sugar + flour +dyes etc can mess
up lil kids system. Shop your kid often and talk about the things you buy and why. Also what things you don’t buy and why

 

Please don't feel bad, at all, in asking for a healthier option (as per you).
Also, you can pack food any time, don't feel bad there, either.
But packing food is additional food, sometimes, better to look is they have the option that you like. Also, kids eventually gravitate towards mother's choice and not what the outside world has to say

 

Any thing a parent wants is a reasonable thing to look for. What matters is whether that is available in the daycares in the area, and if a daycare has that are its other points OK.

In the 6-8 daycares/preschools I visited, and the 4 that I ended up using, the snacks given out were goldfish, cheez-its, graham crackers, Barnum's animal crackers, plain cheerios, honey cheerios. Not-from-concentrate juice was poured out into really tiny paper cups, and no more than 2 servings.

What I was particular about was the preschool's toilet arrangement. The first time I visited a preschool, I was aghast to see a child done with toilet and walking towards the class with her pants undone as mom/dad had her wear pants with buttons that needed adult help. As my eye retraced the path to the restroom area, my aghast-ness went up by many notches.. as I saw that the restroom area was basically an open area with 8 kiddie size potties and 8 low sinks. One daycare had partitions between the potties, but no cover in the front between the line of potties and the sinks with mirrors. The restroom area's floor was tiled and the classroom and lunch/nap area had office kind of carpet. Children went to the restroom area wearing shoes, walked back into sleeping area with shoes, took off shoes and lay down in the sleeping bags on the 2'x4' nap mat. Most of the sleeping bag/blanket on the floor on which they walk with shoes that have been to the bathroom.

I know toddlers need help or supervision from one adult when using the potty, but, somehow the idea that other kids and the adults helping other kids could also see my kid using the potty was unsettling. For that matter, even any parents coming in to the cabinets area to pick up child's sleeping bag or art work had a direct line of sight to the restroom area.

Daycare was optional at that time, and child napping there was even more optional. But the difference in cost for half-day vs full day was less, and my kid wanted to spend all day there, so I opted for 3 full days. Kid got a detailed bath each evening, and the sleeping bag etc were washed each weekend in the hottest setting of the washer. Was I paranoid? Yes, I was. : )

 

Till an age they will go by mother's choice. After that, it is an uphill battle for anything that parent wants to do a little differently than is the norm in the area.

For the no-sugar thing, once they start going to school, they will see other kids having hot-lunch (bought lunch) or bringing juice from home daily, and will ask mom why they cannot have it. If they are told the real reason (not healthy, junk food, cavities..) they might go and tell that to other kids. The other kid's feelings will get hurt and complaint will go to teacher that child A commented on child B's food/drink. Teacher will send home a nasty-but-nice note or email "Dear Parent, your child means well, but was not accepting/inclusive of the food/drink being eaten by classmate."

 

Kids when young, go by parents choice. During teenage years, and beyond that for a decade or so, they try to establish their own identity. But after that, they always come back- to what parents taught/ ate.