Does 3 year old have to be fully potty trained for PK3 charter school?

[Anonymous]

OP, I had the same concerns when my DS started PK3. He was potty trained for the most part but had his share of accidents. He was certainly not the only one not fully potty trained. At our DCPS, for the first several weeks, our teacher and aide took the kids to the restroom every hour on the hour. After a while, all the kids got it. My DS had one or two accidents early in the year but was accident-free thereafter. Some kids still continued to experience some accidents even toward the end of the school year. It's completely normal. No one was teased. You should meet with the school and find out how they deal with this. I guarantee that there will be several kids in your child's class not fully potty trained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went through this, but didn't know about developmental problems until school started (our child met milestones but on the late side of the range). We ended the year with an IEP but it was rough. Our HRCS was not flexible about the potty training issues and we were asked to take our child out of school for 2 weeks. They would also not help at all with #2 and I had to leave work sometimes multiple times a week. I was really frightened we would be asked to leave. My advice would be to get your child evaluated and/or start the IEP process. BTW our son was still 2 when he started PK3, finally out of diapers permanently at 4.5. I feel your pain.

Also ignore the potty training troll that lurks around here, what a miserable person. The potty training delays caused us so much stress -- anyone who thinks a parent would lazily choose this is way out of line.

i just can't understand how a charter can get away with this!

I can't understand why families stay at a school after being treated this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Charter schools can't make their own rules about this kind of thing. They might think they can by they are not permitted to do so.

Right - but waving around a DCPS policy isn't going to help OP.

Call OSSE now and get a policy document that covers a charter school.

The reason a public charter school can't refuse to educate a child with an IEP who is not potty trained due to developmental delays is becasue of federal law, the IDEA and the ADA. It does not turn on whether there is a written OSSE policy document on the issue. (Of course, it would be great if OSSE had such a document.)

[Anonymous]

So, our charter school's policy states that children must be potty trained and will be unenrolled if there are a bunch of accidents, at their discretion. I've always wondered if this policy has been challenged, b/c people on DCUM always say that it's actually unlawful.

OP, just call the school... if your child has an IEP, I'm sure it will be fine regardless of the policy, but better to get the communication going now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, our charter school's policy states that children must be potty trained and will be unenrolled if there are a bunch of accidents, at their discretion. I've always wondered if this policy has been challenged, b/c people on DCUM always say that it's actually unlawful.

OP, just call the school... if your child has an IEP, I'm sure it will be fine regardless of the policy, but better to get the communication going now.

What school is this?

[Anonymous]

There are probably a few.

Read the ITS family handbook, page 31. http://www.inspiredteachingschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ITSFamilyHandbook-2015-16.pdf

[Anonymous]

LAMB - Toilet-Training (page 12) http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5474c47ae4b059fbbf822aed/t/55e0d383e4b06ecc62ab2ca7/1440797571779/ParenthandbookEnglishFINAL2015-2016.pdf

Children in the process of toilet-training will need extra changes of clothing including underwear - ?no
diapers or pull-ups?. ?LAMB is willing to work with you and your child for toilet-training. However, if
we do not see cooperation ?on the part of the families in reinforcing the no diapers or pull ups at
home, ?we will have to ask the child to be removed from the classroom until the child can use the
restroom independently.

Talk to your child’s teacher to design and share a strategy that will work
best for your child. It is necessary that the family and the teacher work as a team on toilet-training.

[Anonymous]

Stokes: http://www.dcpcsb.org/sites/default/files/2015-2016%20Student%20Handbook(HU99)(ElsieWhitloStokesCommunFreedoPCS).pdf

Toileting
Children must be out of diapers by the time they start our program. We realize that
potty training does not always follow adult schedules and will work with each family to
help provide a plan to prevent accidents. Two changes of clothes are especially
important at the beginning of the school year.
Our expectation is that toilet training must include a scholar independently undressing
and dressing, wiping and flushing. Teachers are always on hand to assist with
emergencies, but this is among the most important independent tasks for our young
scholars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are probably a few.

Read the ITS family handbook, page 31. http://www.inspiredteachingschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ITSFamilyHandbook-2015-16.pdf

Well we would have been kicked out in the first week. That's not very inspired

[Anonymous]

I find these policies insane. They are talking about kids, many of whom are barely 3 or even 2 at the beginning of the year.

"In the United States, the average age for achieving potty training is around 2 1/2 for girls and around 3 for boys, the National Network for Child Care reports"


"Today the figure for 2-year-olds [who are toilet trained] is just 4 percent, according to a large-scale Philadelphia study. Only 60 percent of children have achieved mastery of the toilet by 36 months, the study found, and 2 percent remain untrained at the age of 4 years."

We can discuss whether or not US kids start the whole thing too late, but the idea that a US school is making rules like this is absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LAMB - Toilet-Training (page 12) http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5474c47ae4b059fbbf822aed/t/55e0d383e4b06ecc62ab2ca7/1440797571779/ParenthandbookEnglishFINAL2015-2016.pdf

Children in the process of toilet-training will need extra changes of clothing including underwear - ?no
diapers or pull-ups?. ?LAMB is willing to work with you and your child for toilet-training. However, if
we do not see cooperation ?on the part of the families in reinforcing the no diapers or pull ups at
home, ?we will have to ask the child to be removed from the classroom until the child can use the
restroom independently.

Talk to your child’s teacher to design and share a strategy that will work
best for your child. It is necessary that the family and the teacher work as a team on toilet-training.

This policy is a clear violation of DC law. Schools (DCPS or Charters) may not suspend or expel pre-K students for potty accidents. http://lims.dccouncil.us/Download/33194/B21-0001-Engrossment.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are probably a few.

Read the ITS family handbook, page 31. http://www.inspiredteachingschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ITSFamilyHandbook-2015-16.pdf

Well we would have been kicked out in the first week. That's not very inspired

This policy is a clear violation of DC law. Schools (DCPS or Charters) may not suspend or expel pre-K students for potty accidents. http://lims.dccouncil.us/Download/33194/B21-0001-Engrossment.pdf

[Anonymous]

Don't let the charter school intimidate you. They have to take a pk3er that has been offered a spot through the lottery. A 3 year old does not have to potty trained and they cannot suspend, dismiss or remove your pk3er from school for not being potty trained. DCPS offered charter schools the option to add pk3 and the charters accepted. And the charters have the same rules that apply to pk3s as DCPS.

Smile and hand them both a printout of the link earlier..

http://dcps.dc.gov/page/my-child-eligible-dcps-early-childhood-programs

and a printout of the link above.

And then ask if you can help to comply with the regulations that apply to pk3.

And if the charter admin pushes back, call DCPS to report them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find these policies insane. They are talking about kids, many of whom are barely 3 or even 2 at the beginning of the year.

"In the United States, the average age for achieving potty training is around 2 1/2 for girls and around 3 for boys, the National Network for Child Care reports"


"Today the figure for 2-year-olds [who are toilet trained] is just 4 percent, according to a large-scale Philadelphia study. Only 60 percent of children have achieved mastery of the toilet by 36 months, the study found, and 2 percent remain untrained at the age of 4 years."

We can discuss whether or not US kids start the whole thing too late, but the idea that a US school is making rules like this is absurd.

We are not in DC and most private preschools require 3 year olds to be potty trained. Some accidents are okay, but a child who is not potty trained is not. I know of several friends who sent their 3 and 4 year olds to church nursery schools because they didn't require potty training, while all the formal preschools did.

I understand with universal preschool that some changes occur. It's not insane though, for a preschool to want the children to be potty trained. It's the usual rule, in areas where there's no universal preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find these policies insane. They are talking about kids, many of whom are barely 3 or even 2 at the beginning of the year.

"In the United States, the average age for achieving potty training is around 2 1/2 for girls and around 3 for boys, the National Network for Child Care reports"


"Today the figure for 2-year-olds [who are toilet trained] is just 4 percent, according to a large-scale Philadelphia study. Only 60 percent of children have achieved mastery of the toilet by 36 months, the study found, and 2 percent remain untrained at the age of 4 years."

We can discuss whether or not US kids start the whole thing too late, but the idea that a US school is making rules like this is absurd.

We are not in DC and most private preschools require 3 year olds to be potty trained. Some accidents are okay, but a child who is not potty trained is not. I know of several friends who sent their 3 and 4 year olds to church nursery schools because they didn't require potty training, while all the formal preschools did.

I understand with universal preschool that some changes occur. It's not insane though, for a preschool to want the children to be potty trained. It's the usual rule, in areas where there's no universal preschool.

Private preschools can decide whatever they want to. They are private. And it's not insane to want the kids potty trained. It IS insane to enroll children who can be as young as 2 and 11 months, expect them to be trained and threaten to kick them out if they aren't. If they want to have a PK3, it comes with very young children and the wide range of development and parenting that accompany them.