IHM PreK Bathroom Policy

Students must be fully potty-trained and independent with their bathroom needs before entering the preK program at Immaculate Heart of Mary School. Being fully potty-trained is essential in preK. When a teacher or instructional aide needs to attend to a child who has frequent accidents, it takes that adult away from direct supervision and learning time with the rest of the class. 

Being fully potty-trained means students must be able to: 

● communicate their bathroom needs to their teacher 

● stay dry while sleeping (full-day students) 

● pull down their clothes and pull them back up again independently ● wipe themselves after using the bathroom 

● get on and off the toilet independently (a stool can be provided for smaller students) 

● wash and dry their hands after using the bathroom 

Students in preK are taken to the bathroom at least 3-4 times a day for bathroom breaks. We understand that students may have “accidents”, but these should be infrequent over the course of the school year. All students are required to keep a change of clothes in the classroom to use if an “accident” should happen. Students must be able to change their clothes independently. We also understand that some students may take longer to adjust to a new setting than others and of course we will be flexible and understanding at the beginning of the school year. Parents are always notified of any accidents that occur at school. 

Please note that any time a student has a bowel movement accident during the day, a parent may be called to take the child home for the day. We do not have the facilities to change or clean a child who has had a bowel movement. This policy is for the safety of everyone involved. 

If a student continues to have frequent accidents such that it is problematic in the classroom, the following policies will take effect:

● If two accidents occur in one week, or if students repeatedly have one accident per week, parents will be notified with the understanding that the issue needs to be addressed and resolved. 

● If three or more accidents occur in one week, the student will need to remain at home for one week to work on their bathroom skills. 

● If upon return the student is still having multiple accidents, parents will have the following options: 

○ switch attendance to half-day status if the student is enrolled full-day and the accidents occur in the afternoon. Enrollment could return to full-day later in the year if the student demonstrates readiness. 

○ remain at home for one month to work on their bathroom skills 

If the above options do not resolve the situation, the student will have to withdraw from our preK program for the remainder of the school year. Tuition refunds cannot be considered if a student is not fully potty-trained and has to withdraw as this requirement was fully communicated prior to enrollment.