Your dc's preschool/kingergarten:

CleoKitty

Ds's school (combined preschool and kindergarten class) has a unisex bathroom right off of the classroom. The bathroom does not have a door and inside there are two stalls with tiny toilets. Neither of the stalls has a door either.

When kids are using the bathroom they are pretty much in full view of the rest of the classroom (well, depending upon where in the classroom you happen to be.) 

Ds isn't bothered by the lack of privacy at all. None of the kids seem to mind it as far as I can tell and the boy/girl thing doesn't seem to be an issue either. 

I personally have no issues with it at all, I was just wondering if this was fairly typical in a preschool/kindergarten classroom. When I was in kindgergarten/1st grade I remember that our classrooms had their own attached bathroom but I can't remember whether they were unisex, if there were doors, if boys/girls used it at the same time, etc. 

What about your dc's classroom? 

kevschickee2

That would bother me and I know Halee wouldn't be comfy with it.  I have never seen that in any of the preschools I have seen and the kindergarten class I worked in had their own bathroom but it had doors.

TheNextWest

Interesting. I would think that that's pretty unusual. DD's classroom has one individual bathroom in the classroom with it's own door. There's no way she would be comfortable going any other way.

DandR

By 4/5 years of age, it would really bother me.  I mean there are some 6 year old kids in kindergarten!!!!

Tay is not a shy person either and it wouldn't bother her, but the fact that one of her male classmates has touched another girls bottom (heard about it from the mom, not Taylor, which I'm thankful for) and tried to kiss Tay (she did tell me that, and I asked a lot of questins afterwards!(, means that he is old enough that he should NOT be seeing girls naked....

I think it would make sense in a toddler room where there are 2 and 3 year olds who are potty training and need help with toileting.
But by 4, there should not be any need for help from anyone and privacy would be nice.

Hooray2005

My DS's preschool is like this, but only goes up to pre-K.  It was very beneficial when DS was toilet training for him to be able to "watch" others.

Kindergarten, though, seems a little old for joint bathrooms, since body awareness (and differences) increases dramatically after about age 3-4.  

Is there another bathroom option for those children (if any) who would prefer additional privacy?  That would be my only expectation in that situation.

shouldbworkin

They have two bathrooms with 3-4 little potties in them each for the whole school.  One bathroom is for girls and the other is for boys.  Sometimes the doors are open, sometimes they're not.  It's never bothered me or my kids.

DandR

Oh, and at both Taylor and Audrey's school the classroom has BOTH a boy and girl bathroom.  Audrey's has doors.  The sink is outside in the classroom for washing hands.

Taylors doesn't have doors, but its an s hallway you walk around to get to where the bathroom is, so you cannot see anything from outside and they hang a card up when they are using it so the next person doesn't go in.

gracendantho26

Does your DS go to a public preschool? How do they combine preschool and kinder.

We've never had combined bathrooms at preschool or kinder. At DS's preschool they have separate boy and girl bathrooms outside of the class and at the kinder they have one of each in the classroom and now for 1st grade they use the outdoor separate boy and girls bathrooms. Makes sense to me to separate them.

ridesbuttons

DS's preschool has 2 bathrooms (one has a change table in it).  They do have doors but I have witnessed the kids (2.5years+) using it with the door open.  It is in the corner of the class, you really have to make a point of looking it to see.

I don't have an issue with it, and I am hoping that DS will soon begin to use the damn thing!

CleoKitty

gracendantho26:

Does your DS go to a public preschool? How do they combine preschool and kinder.

No, he's in a private school. He's in the 3-5 classroom (kids who begin the year at 3, 4, and 5 y/o.) Basically it's two years of preschool and the third year is kindergarten. 

(Of course, calling it the 3-5 class is a bit of a misnomer. Ds was 3 when he started, but turned 4 within the first 6 weeks of school. He'll be *almost* 6 by the time he starts kindergarten.)

gracendantho26

Oh I see..come to think of it I guess that's the same as my kids. They went to a school (a private school but that's was 99% of people do here) for 2 years of preschool and the same school for 1 year of pre-K (Owen is in pre-K now). So your son is in pre-K and will start kinder next fall. Same thing I was confused by the combined classroom with kinders part.

CleoKitty

DandR:

By 4/5 years of age, it would really bother me.  I mean there are some 6 year old kids in kindergarten!!!!

This made me laugh a little because around here, almost every child turns 6 while in kindergarten. Our state has one of the most stringent kindergarten cut-off dates- you have to be 5 y/o by the July BEFORE school starts in order to start kindergarten. Ds has an October birthday, so by the time he starts kindergarten he'll just be a few weeks shy of turning 6. Kids with August/September birthdays are already 6 by the time school begins.

I'm always a little surprised that other states/districts let children start kindergarten when they're still 4! That just seems so foreign to me, LOL. I know there are several children on this board who are ds's age or even a tiny bit younger who are in kindergarten this year- there is no way you'd ever find any school here willing to let them start that early with the exception of maybe a few more lenient private schools. 

 

CleoKitty

gracendantho26:

Oh I see..come to think of it I guess that's the same as my kids. They went to a school (a private school but that's was 99% of people do here) for 2 years of preschool and the same school for 1 year of pre-K (Owen is in pre-K now). So your son is in pre-K and will start kinder next fall. Same thing I was confused by the combined classroom with kinders part.

Yes, he's in his second year of preschool and next year will be a kindergartner.  But, all three years are mixed into the same classroom, same teachers, etc. Does that make sense?

If we keep him at this school he'll move to the 1st-3rd grade classroom next, and then after that they have a 4th-6th grade class. 

gracendantho26

Okay I am back to confused now. He is now in kindergarten versus pre-k? So next year he'd start first grade at his current school. So do the 4 year olds next year so the same class over again but as kindergarten?

Here it's pretty straight forwward. Preschool, pre-K (for one year) then off to kindergarten.

Natalie started kindergarten as a 4 year old and 1st grade as a 5 year old..fortunately it's all worked out well but I am happy that Owen has a March birthday and has some time between turning 5 and kinder.

 

Angela814

DD wouldn't like that. At home she always wants the door closed. At daycare they all use one bathroom. Her daycare is in a church, so they use the women's bathroom with 4 stalls. They are not allowed to lock the doors on the stalls, so they stay half open. But the kids are mostly covered so it's a bit more private.

I remember having an individual bathroom in my kindergarden classroom. It had a regular door but probably no lock.

JOEBunny

DD's 3.5 and her school now has one unisex bath.  It has a door, but it is never closed because part of their safe child campus promise is that no teacher will be alone with any child.  This protect the child and the teacher.  I am more than fine with it.  Once they can use the bathroom without assistance alway, then I would expect they would be able to close the door, but in a classroom setting the rules have to be the same for everyone in the class, so I can see with so many kids why they would have it this way.

CleoKitty

gracendantho26:

Okay I am back to confused now. He is now in kindergarten versus pre-k? So next year he'd start first grade at his current school. So do the 4 year olds next year so the same class over again but as kindergarten?

Here it's pretty straight forwward. Preschool, pre-K (for one year) then off to kindergarten.

Natalie started kindergarten as a 4 year old and 1st grade as a 5 year old..fortunately it's all worked out well but I am happy that Owen has a March birthday and has some time between turning 5 and kinder.

 

No, he's a "middle grouper" this year. They're classified as "youngest groupers," "middle groupers," and "kindergartners." Presuming that the child starts at 3 y/o as a youngest grouper they stay in the classroom for all three consecutive years, the final year being their kindergarten year. 

They don't necessarily repeat the same curriculum for 3 years in a row though. They have "works" (aka: stations, projects) set up around the room and the children work independently on their own. The teachers don't do any formal lessons for the most part. Rather, they assist the children in their chosen "works" and help guide them towards new, more challenging works as they progress. 

There are easier and harder works in the classroom. They work through them in a progression and it generally takes most kids until kindergarten before they're ready for the more challenging ones. And, by the time they're kindergartners, the older children are often paired up with a younger child to help "teach" certain works. The younger children learning from the older children is a HUGE part of the way the classroom is intended to function.

(It's a Montessori school, so if you're at all familiar with how Montessori works this makes much more sense.) 

emiliemadison

My DD is in the exact same setting (Montessori school with preK/kindergarten in the same class. They actually have a bathroom that is slightly to the side of the full view of the room (still IN the room) and it does have a door and is just one toilet/sink. I wouldnt mind the setup you're describing, but DD can be very private about pooping and I'm sure she would simply hold it at school if there wasnt a door. I'm not sure she'd care if there was someone else actually in the bathroom at the same time. And at 4-6 years old, I dont think she'd care if it was a boy vs a girl, either. Nor would I.

gracendantho26

That sounds interesting! I don't know a lot about montessori. So basically if he stays at the montessori scool he'll graduate from this group to 1st grade but if he moves on to a public school he'll do a "regular" kindergarten.

emiliemadison

gracendantho26:

Does your DS go to a public preschool? How do they combine preschool and kinder.

My DD is in a public Montessori (PreK-6) and the PreK and Kinder are in the same class. PreK is 1/2 day and K is full day. 

emiliemadison

gracendantho26:

That sounds interesting! I don't know a lot about montessori. So basically if he stays at the montessori scool he'll graduate from this group to 1st grade but if he moves on to a public school he'll do a "regular" kindergarten.

At our Montessori, there is the "Children's House" which is PreK and K (ages 4-6 basically). Then they move to "Elementary 1" which is grades 1-3 and then "Elementary 2" which is 4-6.

gracendantho26

My DD just started getting more shy about her body this year...it kind of started at the end of this last summer and now she is very particular about privacy. It was odd to see her go from so open to now much more aware of her body and wanting to close doors when she changes etc.

MamiH

I think that's a little odd.  Although, my kids have no issues going with the door open and I know they do not shut the door when going at school.  I don't think many of their classmates shut it either.

There are two bathrooms and each has a door....whether or not it gets used, it's there!

Chrisy-Wyobride

My DD now goes to a regular elementary school (Preschool-8th grade).  Their floor has kids P-3rd grade & they have regular bathrooms divided by sex in the hall that they use.  No "help" by the teachers to speak of.  They are really strict on the must be potty trained thing I think.  Winnie is in Montessori too but her school has Montessori & Traditional tracts.  BUT at DD's prior school (she was in a Young 3s class) they had an attached bathroom (to the room but down a little hall) & it had 2 potties, 2 sinks in it--no dividers, no stalls or anything.  I thought it was kind of cute & not bugged by it at all.  The kids had absolutely no issues that I ever saw w/ peeing in front of anyone & everyone.  The kids needed help for the most part then too so either a teacher or parent always accompanied the kids just in case (it was a co-op preschool).

CleoKitty

gracendantho26:

That sounds interesting! I don't know a lot about montessori. So basically if he stays at the montessori scool he'll graduate from this group to 1st grade but if he moves on to a public school he'll do a "regular" kindergarten.

We have several options: 

1. He can continue at his current school and do kindergarten there next year. Afterwards he could (a) then transfer to a public school for first grade or (b) move on to the 1st-3rd grade class at Montessori if we decide to keep him there.

2. We can take him out of Montessori at the end of this year and send him to kindergarten at a public school.

babykin18

My ds's preschool has two unisex bathrooms, each with doors that are always closed. there is enough room for the teacher and child to be in there at the same time.