Anonymous wrote:The PP obviously missed the article on the FRONT PAGE of the washington post last year.

Yes, public schools can have a policy - and if there are children with IEP's / developmental delays there are other rules.

Last year my child had a lot of accidents (maybe 2 a week at the beginning of the school year) and the school (not IT) was very supportive of working with us - but it was a case by case basis.

No the PP did not miss the article. Read it again carefully. "That's why she was suspended from her preschool. For a month." The child was suspended, not expelled. And, if I knew the parents? I would have suggested they contact their lawyers and let them talk about the likely forthcoming lawsuit.

(In this case the parent is advocating for the school to change its policy, to benefit other children.)

Public schools are for everyone, not just those who can use the potty. They cannot expel children for not being potty-trained.

For the record, this is why some schools opt not to bother with PS/3. They are smart enough to know they're stuck with a problem that is highly likely to resolve itself by PK/4.

Anonymous wrote:While they can't legally kick you out for not having your kid PTed, it seems pretty unfair to all the other kids if the teacher has to spend 10 minutes of every day cleaning poop out of your child's underwear. Of course there are plenty of kids with real reasons for not being PTed at age 3, but I'm not sure the child being stubborn about it qualifies.

they can also call you to pick up the child if they have an accident.

NP here. At three my DD is potty trained and 100% able to go it alone for #1 provided the toilet is low enough for her to get on w/o help. But #2? She definitely needs "supervision" with regards to wiping. At her current (private) school, they help with that, wonder what will happen at IT in the fall? I hate to think of her with a dirty bum all day so I guess "thorough wiping" is another summer project!

While they can't legally kick you out for not having your kid PTed, it seems pretty unfair to all the other kids if the teacher has to spend 10 minutes of every day cleaning poop out of your child's underwear. Of course there are plenty of kids with real reasons for not being PTed at age 3, but I'm not sure the child being stubborn about it qualifies.

Anonymous wrote:The PP obviously missed the article on the FRONT PAGE of the washington post last year.

Yes, public schools can have a policy - and if there are children with IEP's / developmental delays there are other rules.

Last year my child had a lot of accidents (maybe 2 a week at the beginning of the school year) and the school (not IT) was very supportive of working with us - but it was a case by case basis.

OP again - I think you are referring to a story from Arlington County? - if it was a DC charter I would be interested in reading it. I found this on the DCPS website:

"Toilet Training

Families are strongly encouraged to toilet train children prior to beginning the preschool or pre-kindergarten program. DCPS will not exclude children who are not yet toilet trained, though most children of this age are ready. Teachers and parents will work in a communicative partnership to encourage the process at school and home. Parents may use this chart to help their child get on a toileting schedule.
"

Maybe for charters they can have a policy? Anyway, I think she will be fully trained like I said. I kind of have this thing with needing to know the exact rules .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not disputing the PP but I don't think a school has to be licensed or trained for diapers. Of course, they are a total pain and nobody likes dealing with them.

They might not want to deal with them, but they have to anyway. It's the law. You can't kick a child out of public school for not being potty-trained. Otherwise, that would be a mighty convenient gateway to slam shut in order to exclude Special Needs students, who may not (for many possible reasons) have the developmental skills to be potty-trained.

Oh, and by the way, no, the vast majority of SN children are NOT identified when they enter the system. So, you can't just say upfront that you'll only allow non-potty-trained children in, if they have special needs.

To be clear, if we're talking about a public school, taking public funds, then it needs to follow the law. IT can sing a "policy" as loudly as it likes, but you go talk to the administration and they'll admit the truth. They can NOT expel a pre-schooler for not being potty-trained, any more than a school with a uniform policy can expel students for not wearing the uniform.

This is the OP. This is interesting and I didn't realize that. It won't change what we are doing, obviously we want her to be fully prepared. But at least I won't have to play through these worst case scenarios in my head (like us getting kicked out and me losing my job while trying to get back into daycare).

The PP obviously missed the article on the FRONT PAGE of the washington post last year.

Yes, public schools can have a policy - and if there are children with IEP's / developmental delays there are other rules.

Last year my child had a lot of accidents (maybe 2 a week at the beginning of the school year) and the school (not IT) was very supportive of working with us - but it was a case by case basis.

Anonymous wrote:Not disputing the PP but I don't think a school has to be licensed or trained for diapers. Of course, they are a total pain and nobody likes dealing with them.

They might not want to deal with them, but they have to anyway. It's the law. You can't kick a child out of public school for not being potty-trained. Otherwise, that would be a mighty convenient gateway to slam shut in order to exclude Special Needs students, who may not (for many possible reasons) have the developmental skills to be potty-trained.

Oh, and by the way, no, the vast majority of SN children are NOT identified when they enter the system. So, you can't just say upfront that you'll only allow non-potty-trained children in, if they have special needs.

To be clear, if we're talking about a public school, taking public funds, then it needs to follow the law. IT can sing a "policy" as loudly as it likes, but you go talk to the administration and they'll admit the truth. They can NOT expel a pre-schooler for not being potty-trained, any more than a school with a uniform policy can expel students for not wearing the uniform.

Thanks PPs! I'm not surprised - I really needed to show this to my husband to get us on the same page . I think (hope) we have enough time to get it all worked out!

They definitely need to wipe themselves, pull pants up/down themselves (elastic waist clothes are your friend), and poop in the potty. In fact, they really encourage you to have your kid wear clothes & shoes they can put on & off themselves, to help foster their independence and make everyone's life easier. I was worried about accidents when my kid started at IT, having only recently PTed, but it was totally fine. They don't have kids on a potty schedule (eg) line them all up & make them go at once, but they must ask them if they need to go frequently.

A school must be licensed/accredited as a diaper-changing facility. This is common for church-based or Montessori-based schools that allow 2 year olds and most daycares. The teachers at IT do not have supplies of plastic gloves or training in taking on or off a pull-up or helping with pants. They do not touch the children's bodies to help them toilet.

Not disputing the PP but I don't think a school has to be licensed or trained for diapers. Of course, they are a total pain and nobody likes dealing with them.

I am not at IT but at our preschool there are designated potty times during the day (mid morning, before nap, etc) so the kids are reminded to use the bathroom at those times. There is less of a need to remind or ask because they are using the bathroom consistently through the day as part of th schedule so that helps. She will need to learn to wipe and pull her clothes up and down on her own before starting school, but if she comes out of the bathroom with her skirt tucked into her underwear, someone will help her.

At IT the teachers are kind and caring - but they were very clear in the beginning of the year of PS3 that children must be functional in the potty (incl wiping and pants down/up) on their own. And if they were going to wear a pull up for nap, the child must put it on and take it off herself. The school isn't licensed nor trained to deal with diapers. One family I know of left after the first week because the child didn't yet have enough mastery of potty skills to make it through the day. I'm not sure how often they go to the potty, but I'm pretty sure at IT (and most other PS3 non-daycare programs) they don't hover over the children and ask if they need to pee. She still has two months; work on it with her without too much pressure (if that's possible) and she may surprise you as she gets closer to turning 3. Good luck!

Hi all - my DD will be entering PS in the fall. She is close to the cutoff so on the younger side. She is doing pretty well with potty training, but I want to make sure that we have her fully prepared. She will be going to Inspired Teaching.

- Currently she is wearing underwear most of the day and rarely has accidents, and in the next two weeks we will be cutting out pull ups for nap time and outings (most of the time they are dry).
- However, she needs to be prompted to go to the potty, probably on an hourly basis. If she is into playing with something she will not stop and tell us she needs to go.
- She doesn't want to poop on the potty. We will be working on that one the most.
- She is fine wiping for #1, but not for #2 (since she rarely goes in the potty).
- She has trouble pulling her underwear and pants up in the back.

So I guess my questions are, how often are they taking these little ones to the potty? And are they going to help them get their pants back up? I KNOW we need to fix the poop issue. TIA!