Pre-Nursery students are the only students at The École who do not need to be toilet trained; toilet training is something that will happen over the course of the year in Pre-Nursery. In order for the experience to be successful, Pre-Nursery parents and teachers work in partnership to ensure that the same potty training practices take place at home and in the classroom. A potty training information session is organized for Pre-Nursery parents with our Counseling Department and Pre-Nursery teacher, Jen King on Thursday, October 24, at 9 a.m. on the 5th floor of the Maternelle Bullding to make sure everyone is on the same page.
The Pre-Nursery teachers and assistant will encourage, support, and praise children’s achievements during their toilet training adventure. The teachers are prepared for plenty of accidents and teachable moments (which is why we ask for plenty of changes of clothes!). They will watch for and identify signals that will help the children “make it on time,” and they will encourage children to be independent throughout the process, including pulling pants down and up and even changing their own clothes. The Pre-Nursery team will take the children to the bathroom at regularly scheduled times during the day and on demand when necessary. They will communicate regularly with you regarding your child’s bathroom experiences.
The potty training experience can be helped by making sure that children only wear bottoms with elastic waistbands (i.e., no buttons, snaps, belts, or one-piece clothing.) Leggings, sweatpants, and elastic-waist pants are best. Dresses and skirts should be avoided as it is difficult for children to coordinate holding up a dress and sitting on the toilet at the same time. The children should be able to easily pull their own clothing up and down.