Happy meals for happy report cards

by Roger Sinasohn (Subscribe to Roger Sinasohn's posts) Dec 9th 2007 3:04PM

Categories: Places To Go, Nutrition Health, Daycare & Education

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Not every youngster understands that good grades are their own reward -- I certainly didn't when I was in school. So in order to give kids and incentive they can really sink their teeth into, a lot of parents offer a treat as reward for a good report card.

We're doing that right now, with Jared, in fact. He's had some trouble getting his work done in class in a timely manner, so in order to get him to stop futzing about and buckle down, we've told him he can't get milk from the cafeteria at lunch time until he shows he can do his work without too much lollygagging. So far, it seems to be working.

In Seminole County, Florida, McDonald's is doing their part to help ensure kids get good grades. They've agreed to give kids a free happy meal if they get good grades. It says so right there on the report card envelope. Wait, what? Yep, you heard that right. McDonald's has arranged to put their ad offering free food for good grades on the envelope the school district uses to send report cards home.

In exchange for putting their ad, complete with a picture of a Happy Meal, on the envelopes, McDonald's paid for the printing of the report cards. Sounds like a fair deal, eh? Actually, it sounds like a great deal for McDonald's -- reaching 27,000 kindergarten through fifth-grade students for next to nothing.

The real question, though, is do food advertisements have any place on school materials? How would you feel if your school district did something like this? Apparently, in Florida, there was only one complaint from a parent; I guess they're okay with it.

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Comments (19)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Joy 12-09-2007 @ 3:55PM

I'm just wondering Roger, why you would chose milk to take away from Jared? Does he love it so much or what? I'm thinking I'd take away desert but that's why I'm wondering, not attacking.
I see nothing really wrong with this reward. I did bribe my boys for some things and a Happy Meal is a very small but nice treat. Might give them some bragging rights and might actually work for some kids who may not ever get McDonald’s any other time.

roger.sinasohn 12-10-2007 @ 6:37PM

Jared really does like milk and he gets plenty at home (our kids drink milk and water for the most part; every once in a while, they have juice.) The real significance of the milk at school, however, is the independence he feels in getting his own milk at school. So, hopefully, he's learning that if he does what he's supposed to do, he gets to do things he likes.

Karen 12-09-2007 @ 4:15PM

I have no problem with it. The school district is saving money that can be spent on something else and it is still up to the parent whether or not they want to dole out the reward. The report cards are directed to the parents, not the students and in some school districts they are mailed home so that the children do not even get a chance to see them.

I realize that advertising in schools can be tricky, and McDonalds is not a place that my children choose, nor do I allow it (health reasons) most of the time. Either way, I am the adult in the household and I can make the final call.

Judy 12-09-2007 @ 4:43PM

Well, I'm 100% opposed to advertisements in schools, and I would be livid if my kids came home with a report card bribing them with McDonald's. We don't eat at McDonald's, ever, period, end of story. When my daughter's school advertised name brand snacks (Cheetos, Frito Pies) as part of their school lunches, and had grammatically incorrect Apple ads on the walls, it was bad enough, but this would send me over the top.

Then again, the corporate infiltration of our supposedly public schools is part of the reason I'm choosing to homeschool my sons (and would have homeschooled my daughter, but her father said no), so it would be an issue for us. If we want to reward them, we'll give them a gift card to our favorite ice cream place or toy store with their report cards.

Amy 12-09-2007 @ 6:32PM

We do not pay for grades, we never have! I would be furious if the envelope came home with an ad on it for anything!

Rachel 12-09-2007 @ 6:34PM

Not to attack your decision in anyway... But why milk? I understand the reasoning behind the incentive, if he really enjoys milk. However, it seems like he's making a very good food choice there. If he was choosing sugary juice or soda, that's different, but milk has a lot of nutritional benefits. Why wouldn't you take away a food pleasure that has less nutritional value?

roger.sinasohn 12-10-2007 @ 6:45PM

It's not so much about the food pleasure, but about the feeling of independence he gets from ordering his own milk. He generally drinks nothing but milk and water; he gets plenty of milk at home, so we're not worried about that.

As for soda and juice, he's never had soda and doesn't drink much juice.

Jan Bay 12-09-2007 @ 7:46PM

Sounds like somebody has hired a marketing whiz that is earning his (or her) pay! My family only eats at McDonald's once or twice a year and we eat healthy enough the rest of the time that if it takes getting an extra burger or three a year to get good grades, I don't think it would hurt anything. Do I really LOVE that they are specifically marketing to little kids? Not really, but it would rate low on my list of things to be upset and raise sand about.

Jan from http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/

SKL 12-09-2007 @ 9:16PM

Gosh, now all those kids are gonna know about McDonalds. The secret is out!

I think it is OK. It's only once in a while and it probably does encourage a bit more studying. The parents can always say no to the happy meal.

Personally I believe that self-motivation will not develop if we start with external motivation at a young age. Better to let kids find out what happens when they don't try hard. Once in a while, e.g., a reward for a term report card, is very nice, but on a daily or weekly basis, I would not provide an external reward.

And I agree with the prior posters about the milk. He will be hungry and make up for it by eating something less nutritious. His hunger may also make it harder for him to do a good job in the afternoon. Personally I would be more likely to incentivize milk drinking than schoolwork at that age, if necessary.

RobMonroe 12-10-2007 @ 8:05AM

While I agree that kids need to learn self-motivation for long term good, I don't think that grades provide enough incentive to qualify. I failed two classes in the 8th grade and had to take summer school. Big deal. It was four weeks for four hours a day. It gave me a way out of the house during the summer!

I don't have a problem with using external motivators.

One downside is the sibling factor. My brother always did incredibly well with his grades. If you're sending this home to a single-parent household, will that parent then have to "reward" the other child since that's where they will all be for lunch anyway?

Nancy Toby 12-09-2007 @ 9:55PM

Do you object to the Boxtops 4 Education shameless marketing scam for General Mills products in the schools too?
http://www.boxtops4education.com/

LS 12-10-2007 @ 10:34AM

This has been going on for more years than I can count. When I was a kid, we were rewarded for perfect attendance with tickets to a White Sox game. Good grades were rewarded with coupons from the local ice-cream place.

In my early working years, I knew parents who had children that received coupons to Chuck E. Cheese - x number of tokens for each A. Movie passes, gift certificates from local restaurants, coupons for free bowling games. All of those things have been around as rewards for grades for years and years.

And each time, we found out about it because either the bulletin boards in the school were littered with flyers about the program, or there was a little flyer inserted in the report card envelope itself.

So, the problem here appears to be Dreaded Public Enemy #1: McDonald's. HORRORS!!! Now (as SKL already pointed out) the kids will know that McDonald's exists! And they might get fat just because there's an ad on the envelope. Have these kids no parents? Do those parents hold so little sway over their children that when the child says, "Mommy, I wanna go to McDonald's", that mommy can't say... NO? Just because there's a coupon there doesn't mean that it has to be used.

The thing that bothers me the most about this story isn't the 'reward' of McDonalds for good grades. It's the fact that taxes to support public education are so high, and yet, public schools continue to cry 'poor' and solicit advertising on top of raising our taxes over and over again. What on earth are they doing with all the money they have control over?

SKL 12-10-2007 @ 1:45PM

LS, I think all that extra tax money is going toward gay sensitivity education, condoms, and dealing with the discipline and academic problems that result from permissive child rearing. Oh, and the legal costs of figuring out all the things Christians aren't allowed to do in school.

acm 12-10-2007 @ 4:54PM

The report cards are directed to the parents, not the students...

ah, if only! on another blog, there were many stories of children throwing fits when denied this promised prize, and in general it caused a great deal of begging for McDonalds. of course parents can exercise their power to deny, but that's not the same as just giving guidance of their own on what is a reward and what is a decent meal...

LS 12-10-2007 @ 6:05PM

Hmmm... child pitches a fit when he can't have a happy meal? Guess that means he doesn't really deserve it, now does it? Easy enough.

As for the meal being a "reward" - that's easy enough to circumvent. "Honey, we have our own reward system in our house. That McDonald's ad on your envelope is just a coupon. We won't be using it." period.

WishICouldHack 12-10-2007 @ 7:04PM

Hell, My parents never reward me for good grades, not that I care much, I usually get As, but they want A+s. So the merit system in some households may be different than others, so if you get 3 As and a reward, your parents may not see that as good, they may want more As, or A+s. (If you haven't noticed, I'm not a parent, I am a child.)

SKL 12-10-2007 @ 6:44PM

How the world has changed. When my mom didn't want to do something, she just said "no, I don't want to do that." That was all there was to it. Even when I was asked to try out for the prestigious citywide children's choir, my mom said no, SHE wasn't interested. End of story. If we protested, she might add "too bad, I'm sad." Now it seems parents are scared of what their kid will do if they say "no." No wonder so many youths are out of control.

I decide where I'm going to take my kids on any given day. The fact that they have a coupon for something I don't approve of doesn't change that. They can use the coupon for scratch paper or play restaurant or donate it or sell it or save it for when they are 16 and can buy their own car.

However, I do think the only reason Roger has a problem with this is that it's McDonalds, which, along with Wal-Mart, he hates for some political-oriented reason, not because happy meal prizes are going to ruin our children's lives.

Another thing, I think this is a lot better than what many teachers do - e.g., have "pizza day" for their class if everyone's done well enough for long enough. What if I don't want my kid eating pizza? It's a lot harder to say no to that than to using a coupon that was sent home.

roger.sinasohn 12-10-2007 @ 6:59PM

"I do think the only reason Roger has a problem with this is that it's McDonalds, which, along with Wal-Mart, he hates for some political-oriented reason"

Actually, I never said I have a problem with this. I'm not convinced it's harmless, but neither am I convinced it is a problem. As for McDonald's, actually, I don't hate them. Of all the fast food restaurants, they are my favorite, period. They have, in my opinion, the best fries, shakes, and nuggets.

I even did my obligatory stint at the Opera House McDonald's here in SF. I enjoyed it immensely and learned a lot. It was a great experience. I'm very glad it was only for one summer.

When we were planning to have kids, one of the things my wife and I agreed on was that we would do our best not to take our kids to McDonald's or any other fast food place. Of course, that didn't happen, but I think it's a good goal to shoot for. And our kids are much more likely to ask to get Japanese or burritos than fast food.

As for Wal-Mart, my dislike is purely financial -- I don't like the financial costs that communities bear when they have a Wal-Mart in their midst.

Laura 12-11-2007 @ 12:59PM

1. I have nothing against McD's.. in fact I often defend it because it gets poopoo'd on too much IMO, but I AM against this. I don't think it's right to have ads in report cards.

2. I do believe in rewarding for good grades.. it's what kids care about more than the grade itself. I don't think it should be money or food. If money perhaps extra put into the 'when you turn 16 and want a car fund' or something, but I think incentives work better. Extend the curfew for good grades, make it earlier for poor grades for example.