PS Bathroom question ~

Stacyc625

How does the bathroom work at your PS?

Does a teacher take the child? or does the child go on their own (the bathroom is close)?

Mrs.JLC

At DD's PS there are 2 adjoining classrooms for her age group. In the "hallway" that adjoins the two there are four stalls. At her age, she can announce she needs to go potty and go in by herself. Teachers can easily see the stalls from the classroom and everything is at her level. Each classroom has sinks on the wall just next to the adjoining area. If a child needs help wiping can request assistance from the stall and the teacher will hear them.

katmacwv

At DD's school, the pre-school is on the far end from the bathroom, so a teacher takes the kids for the routine trips.  I THINK that if someone needs to go at a different time, they let the child go alone on occasion because leaving 1 teacher with the rest of the class shouldn't be done due to ratios.  There is a period where there are 3 teachers there, but it is normally just 2.

duckiegrl

The classroom DD is in has its own bathroom so the kids go by themselves.  Last year, the bathroom was a little farther down the hall and they took routine bathroom breaks (all the kids went).

jlw2505

At the daycare center based preschool, each classroom has a bathroom that has 2 toilets and the door is always open.  The kids go themselves and the teachers can see them the whole time so they know if the kids need help.  At my older DD's PreK (year before Kindy), they have a single bathroom that is across the hall and after the 1st few weeks of school, the kids just tell the teacher they are going and they go (in the beginning the teacher waits in the hall to make sure the kid is OK, gets back to class without issue, etc while they are learning the rules and such.  They also have a bathroom down the hall that has around 10 stalls (at least in the girls, never been in the boys) and ever few hours the whole class goes to the bathroom - the teachers stand in the hall and send in a few kids at a time.

Pesky

The bathroom door is open and any kids waiting have to stay on this taped line to give the child in there some privacy.  Teacher doesn't help unless required.  DS's classroom is a bit different but that is because most of the kids are just beginning potty training so the teachers help.

jellyjellybean

In my DS' previous room the bathroom was in their classroom and the door was always open so the kids could go anytime and the teachers would be there to help.  Now he uses the one in the hall and I'm not sure if a teacher goes with him or not...never thought to ask. 

angelakh

jlw2505:

they have a single bathroom that is across the hall and after the 1st few weeks of school, the kids just tell the teacher they are going and they go (in the beginning the teacher waits in the hall to make sure the kid is OK, gets back to class without issue, etc while they are learning the rules and such.  They also have a bathroom down the hall that has around 10 stalls (at least in the girls, never been in the boys) and ever few hours the whole class goes to the bathroom - the teachers stand in the hall and send in a few kids at a time.

This is almost exactly what DD's is like.  Since she goes to an actual school and not a daycare type center the teachers are not allowed to help the kiddos wipe.  They do help if they have an accident or need help with clothing.  DD rarely goes #2 at school, so it hasn't been an issue for us. 

Stacyc625

Ok- I Ask because I visited a PS today- and my DD would be in the 4yr class.

She is perfectly capable of going to the bathroom herself

However I noticed- the kids' school classroom door was closed- the bathroom didn't havce a door- couldn't see from the room to the BR. They let the 4yr old go by himself.

And the front door to the school was open/propped up.

 When the kid returned to the classroom the teacher kinda helped the kid shift his jeans around/pulled them up better and asked if he washed his hands.

I questioned the door (front school) being opened- (Safe neighborhood and all) however I just had a small redflag kinda go off-

What if someone came in to the school? what if a kid wandered out?

So I just wanted to see what the 'norm' was for kids and bathroom breaks.

The door being propped up was a concern- and I questioned the director immediately about the door. And she said, 'well usually, its locked after drop off... but I knew you were coming.' ... and she left it at that.

Thoughts?

jsugrin

Stacyc625:

Ok- I Ask because I visited a PS today- and my DD would be in the 4yr class.

She is perfectly capable of going to the bathroom herself

However I noticed- the kids' school classroom door was closed- the bathroom didn't havce a door- couldn't see from the room to the BR. They let the 4yr old go by himself.

And the front door to the school was open/propped up.

 When the kid returned to the classroom the teacher kinda helped the kid shift his jeans around/pulled them up better and asked if he washed his hands.

I questioned the door (front school) being opened- (Safe neighborhood and all) however I just had a small redflag kinda go off-

What if someone came in to the school? what if a kid wandered out?

So I just wanted to see what the 'norm' was for kids and bathroom breaks.

The door being propped up was a concern- and I questioned the director immediately about the door. And she said, 'well usually, its locked after drop off... but I knew you were coming.' ... and she left it at that.

Thoughts?

This wouldn't fly with me.  I think you're right to be concerned and you have to ask yourself how would your child handle it.  If you think your child is fine going off to the bathroom and you really love the school I would do at least 2 spot checks, random dropping by to see if the door is open.  If it's close you could simply drive by and check to see if this is typical or not.  Frankly, if they knew you were coming they should have either made arrangments with you to either call and have someone let you in or had someone waiting.  I'm sorry but I used to work for a National Missing Children's organization and open access to my child is not going to happen, I don't care how lovely the neighborhood or school. Maybe Megan's List the school and see how many offenders are within a distance that makes you uncomfortable also.

angelakh

I would not be okay with the door being propped open.  The door at DD's school automatically locks and you have to be buzzed in.  It's only open during drop off and pick up.  I am pretty sure that is a state regulation where we live.

Stacyc625

I will definitely be doing a few more drop ins to check out the door situation- my gut is telling me it wasn't a super huge deal- more of an isolated incident-

However I came THIS close to saying to the director... umm ok. well we are here. you can now close the door. It remained propped open the entire visit.

rsd12

One preschool had the bathroom door propped open and a teacher could see into the bathroom from the classroom door (bathroom was in hallway). But you had to be buzzed in while school was in session. My middle son goes to preschool at the elemantary school and he has a bathroom attached to the classroom. But the doors to the school are always locked. Not sure if I would be worried if it was the first preschool and they left the door opened to the school... but the preschool was at a church and in a pretty privatte setting and this hallway was only used by the prechool... but then again the church was open so anyone technically could wander in there, but this was a non issue for me. Plus I just loved loved the preschool ?nd the teachers. I was really sad when my middke son got into the elementary school for speech services. And was hoping to send my youngest there too, but now it looks like we are moving ; ( ugh, to start the preschool screening all over again!

anna12

Our preschool is in a community center so the main outside doors are always unlocked, as are the classroom doors, which has always been a bit of a concern for me. That said, the school has a very high ratio of adults to children (16 children to 2-3 teachers +1-2 parents every day) so an adult coming in and/or a child leaving would be obvious, and the doors chime every time they are opened. If it were a stand alone school and the door was propped open, I'd be concerned though, especially if they let the children out of the room without supervision.

 Re: bathrooms, our school has a bathroom in every classroom, and children can use it at any time. Most children close the door part way (it doesn't lock). After snack, all of the children must wash their hands, and they are asked to try to use the bathroom at that point too.

shellybird101

The teacher will remind each child to use the bathroom after am snack, before going outside, before nap time, and after pm snack.  But if the child has to go they just have to ask and go into the room bathroom.

neverblushed

Hi there -- lurker from school aged kids board!

When my DD was in preschool, the bathroom was down the hall from the classrooms.  The teaching assistant would escort a child down the hall and stand outside the door, but the kid had to deal with their own clothes and wiping.  In my state, whether the teachers can help with toileting has to do with the school's particular license.

By the time DS was in preschool, the school had relocated to a building where the bathroom door was right in the classroom area.  The kids went by themselves.

The entire class was always offered a chance to go the the bathroom and made to wash hands after outdoor play and before snack.  They could opt out of pottying, but had to wash hands. 

CTJune06

there are only 5 kids in DD's young 3's class and the bathroom is right off their room. i've observed the teacher doing both- taking and not taking, it all depends on what each kid needs.

Jena503

The kids go by themselves starting at some point in the 3yo room ... But the bathrooms are All attached to the classrooms. But to get into the school you have to get in a locked gate with a keypad entry and then get buzzed into the infant hallway or knock on a preschool room door.