<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> GENERAL TIPS *Send care packages to your child (and his/her roommates). *Familiarize your child with basic cooking skills and a few easy recipes (printed out for him/her). If he/she has access to a fridge/freezer, stocking a variety of easy to heat/prepare meals, bread, pizza crusts, etc. can be helpful. *Check with prospective schools for food allergy clubs or support groups. Or, google local celiac support groups for stores/restaurants in the area with GF food options. *If you know of any students with celiac or food allergies, find out if you can contact them to ask questions about their experience. *One person mentioned that colleges don't want the parents doing the work, that she felt scolded when she tried, and that they wanted her daughter to communicate with them. *Some people said that they thought smaller schools, in general, were more accommodating, while someone else said that it would be easier to manage a GF diet at a larger school because there's more variety. USEFUL LINKS *Glutenfreeda did a series of articles on college living and here are the links: http://www.glutenfreeda.com/apr10-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/may10-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/mar10-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/feb10-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/jan10-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/dec09-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/oct09-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/sep09-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/aug09-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/jul09-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/jun09-college-living-gf.asp ** http://www.glutenfreeda.com/may09-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/apr09-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/mar09-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/feb09-college-living-gf.asp http://www.glutenfreeda.com/Jan09-college-living-gf.asp Two great articles available at -- http://www.celiaccentral.org/Resources/Kids-Youth/Heading-to-College/360/ The NFCA has an archived webinar entitled "Heading Off to College with Celiac Disease" at http://www.celiaccentral.org/Events/Free-Webinars/Archived-Webinars/208/ www.glutenfreetravelsite.com -- a month or two ago, this website added a feature for gluten-free dining options on college campuses The following book was recommended: "Gluten Free College Student Cookbook--201 GF/CF Recipes for Campus Cooking" by Joanne Bradley *Another few people offered some wise words, which I will mention in closing: -Be positive and educate gently. -Be realistic and empower your child to follow through. -Trust that you've raised your kids well enough, and don't stress. Good luck to all the newly minted college kids out there, and their parents! Justine NYC Visit the Celiac Web Page at Http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC
