Allergy reaction
City daycares get directives after tot’s fatal lunch
THE CITY’S nearly 400 EarlyLearn NYC child care centers received a letter reiterating the guidelines for kids with food allergies after the recent death of a 3-year-old boy.
The documents were sent Thursday, citing the Federal Office of Head Start’s directives six days after a grilled cheese sandwich killed little Elijah Silvera (pictured).
The Harlem child suffered from a dairy allergy.
“This is an issues that parents are very concerned about,” said Lorelei Vargas, deputy commissioner for early care and education with the Administration for Children’s Services.
“For anyone working with children, this is a good set of guidelines to manage kids with food allergies,” she told the Daily News on Saturday. “We’re taking every step to make sure we’re on top of this issue.”
The boy died Nov. 3 after eating the lethal meal at the Seventh Avenue Center for Family Services in Harlem. His parents charged employees there were made aware of his allergy issues.
A GoFundMe page seeking to cover the cost of Elijah’s funeral and an independent autopsy had generated nearly $52,000 by Saturday. The family has hired a lawyer, but made no announcement of a lawsuit.
Parents Dina and Thomas Silvera said they intend to raise the issue of food allergies in the wake of their family tragedy.
“While we can no longer protect Elijah, hold him in our arms or kiss his sweet little face, we can still fight for kids like him,” they said in a statement. “And that’s exactly what we intend to do.”
The guidelines distributed by the city note that each child with a food allergy should have an individual written care plan with details on prevention and treatment.
Staff training needs to emphasize preventing exposure to the potentially lethal foods, recognizing the symptoms of an allergic reaction and treating those reactions.
Food allergies should also be posted prominently in the classroom and wherever food is served, according to the guidelines.
“We wanted to get it out there so people can be reminded of the guidance available,” Vargas said.