Preschool and Potty Training

[Anonymous]

I have a preschool slot for this coming year (3 year old) and my child is not potty trained yet. I'm feeling the pressure... I assume if she's not potty trained, I won't be able to send her.

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

You need to ask the preschool. Some have the requirement and some do not. My DS and DD went to a preschool that was also a daycare (am was preschool and pm was the aftercare). It started at age 2. There was no requirement for potty training. As a matter of fact, the school helped in the potty training process. I would not have sent my DC to a school that required potty training. Unless your child trains early it's simply way to much pressure on you, the school and your child.

[Anonymous]

It depends which school. You've got some time. When my child turned 3 I thought he'd never be potty trained. By 3 years 3 months we were done.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the school. When my now 7 yo went though the admissions process at his preschool the administrators and admissions materials made clear that although the occasional accident would be acceptable, kids MUST be potty trained and out of pull-ups. By the time my 3 yo went through this process at the same school a few months ago they had greatly loosened the guidelines. They pretty much said that as long as you don't send the kid to school in a diaper or pull up they would deal with any clothing changes needed as a result of accidents; if the potty training is in its early stages you send in lots of clothes and they just change the kid as needed. I've seen a couple of kids lugging their plastic bags of clothes back and forth every day. Regardless of what the expectation is at the school, it's just so much easier on everyone if the kid is trained.

[Anonymous]

It's a DC charter school, not glorified daycare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a DC charter school, not glorified daycare.

then she going to need to be potty trained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a DC charter school, not glorified daycare.

then she going to need to be potty trained.

It's against the law for a charter school to exclude a child because they aren't trained. Many of them will try and do it, but they're breaking the law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a DC charter school, not glorified daycare.

then she going to need to be potty trained.

It's against the law for a charter school to exclude a child because they aren't trained. Many of them will try and do it, but they're breaking the law.

If the child is NT and not SN then yes she needs to be trained. If the child was SN there would be an exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a DC charter school, not glorified daycare.

then she going to need to be potty trained.

It's against the law for a charter school to exclude a child because they aren't trained. Many of them will try and do it, but they're breaking the law.

If the child is NT and not SN then yes she needs to be trained. If the child was SN there would be an exception.

Nope, charter school law is very specific about the limited conditions under which a child can be referred for a private special ed placement, or expelled. Other than those circumstances they can't turn anyone away who meets the age cut offs, has completed the previous grade (not relevant for PS of course), and was offered a space.

Not being potty trained is not on the list of reasons for excluding a child.

[Anonymous]

Um... Yes, it is a reason for a school to ask your child to leave. DC Public Charters aren't licensed as diaper changing facilities, so a teacher in PS at a charter will not change your 3 year old's diaper. So yes, your child must be potty trained. Our charter even went so far as to tell us that if your child was in pull-ups for nap time, he must put on and take off the pull-up himself.

If your child is 3 and neurotypical, it's time to potty train.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to ask the preschool. Some have the requirement and some do not. My DS and DD went to a preschool that was also a daycare (am was preschool and pm was the aftercare). It started at age 2. There was no requirement for potty training. As a matter of fact, the school helped in the potty training process. I would not have sent my DC to a school that required potty training. Unless your child trains early it's simply way to much pressure on you, the school and your child.

Sorry to break it to you, but all schools in DC require potty training. It's a matter of which age. The DCJCC (which is the program I believe you refer to) is licensed to change diapers because they take 2 year olds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um... Yes, it is a reason for a school to ask your child to leave. DC Public Charters aren't licensed as diaper changing facilities, so a teacher in PS at a charter will not change your 3 year old's diaper. So yes, your child must be potty trained. Our charter even went so far as to tell us that if your child was in pull-ups for nap time, he must put on and take off the pull-up himself.

If your child is 3 and neurotypical, it's time to potty train.

Then your charter is breaking the law. If they'll break this one, they'll likely break other laws too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Um... Yes, it is a reason for a school to ask your child to leave. DC Public Charters aren't licensed as diaper changing facilities, so a teacher in PS at a charter will not change your 3 year old's diaper. So yes, your child must be potty trained. Our charter even went so far as to tell us that if your child was in pull-ups for nap time, he must put on and take off the pull-up himself.

If your child is 3 and neurotypical, it's time to potty train.

Then your charter is breaking the law. If they'll break this one, they'll likely break other laws too.

Cite your source, legal expert.

[Anonymous]

Here's a link for DCPS

http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Learn+About+Schools/Prepare+to+Enroll/Early+Childhood+Education:+Preschool,+Pre-K+and+Head+Start/How+can+I+help+my+child+get+ready+for+school%3F

Charter school law requires the same thing, although I haven't found it stated so clearly.

[Anonymous]

Another thread on this topic from last summer:
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/241936.page

A poster on page 3 says charters are exempt from the same rules as DCPS because they don't get head start funding.