Child’s Name ____________________
Potty Training Cooperation
Please read, sign and return if you agree to our potty training procedures
Hello Parents! I am writing this letter in reference to potty training. Potty training is one of the most
important goals/developmental milestones that your child will encounter. Your child is at the age that he/she
needs to start potty training or he/she has simply expressed an interest in using the restroom. This would be
a good time to start their training. It does take a lot of work at both home and school. We have provided our
training procedure, offered suggestions on how to handle the process, and have given clear, concise directions
on the expectations of the potty training process. Please read carefully and sign only if you are willing and
ready. If you choose to start potty training, it is important that we have a strong commitment from you as
parents. It is important to be doing the same thing at both home and school to avoid any confusion for the
child, which will cause a set back in training. Our experience over the years has been that we cannot train a
child without commitment from both teachers and parents. I would love to help your child develop in the area
that he/she is ready for, however, it is a serious commitment that involves many people. It is one of the
hardest milestones of your child’s development to achieve. It is important that once we go forward, we do
not turn back…. So, Please make sure that you understand the school’s procedures and that you agree with
and are willing to fully cooperate with us by following our policy and carrying through with the same at home
and that once we go underwear/panties…. We will not go backward to diapers. Think hard about this offer
and if you are truly ready to dedicate yourselves, we would love to get started. Together we can all help your
child achieve this goal. If you are not ready, that is fine. We will help you when you feel you and your child
are ready. Before making the decision, please read the flipside of this page, which clearly lists our potty
training procedure and a list of suggestions in certain areas. When you have read all the information, please
fill out this form and return it to your child’s teacher’s box or the Director’s box ASAP.
Child’s Name_________________________________
____ Yes, I have ready the policy and fully agree to start training my child
____ No, I don’t feel that my child nor I am ready to start the potty training process and would like to wait a
while
Parent’s Signature_____________________________ Date _____________________
Parent’s Signature_____________________________ Date______________________
Comments/Concerns that I may have:__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks!!!!! Together we can do this! Please see reverse side for complete details.
Potty training can be easily accomplished, but it TAKES A LOT OF COOPERATION BETWEEN PARENTS AND TEACHERS.
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR CHILD AT HOME AND AT SCHOOL. By not having a consistent
schedule and routine, the child may only become confused and lose interest. By signing this agreement,
you agree that you will not use PULL-Ups. We have found that Pull-ups are ineffective, costly and are no different
from a diaper. Your child will remain in a regular diaper until he/she is going consistently in the potty for 1
week and keeping their diaper dry. Then, we will go to cotton panties/underwear and there will be NO
DIAPERS from here on out. We ask that once your child is in cotton panties/underwear that they be worn
at school and at home both during the daytime and at nighttime. I know you are nervous at this point but “If
you give them the crutch, they will use it”. If your child is truly ready to be potty trained and can manage cotton
panties/underwear during the day, then there would be no reason that they cannot do it at night. You need to let them
know that you have confidence in them, cover the mattress with a protective mattress cover, and put them to bed in
cotton underclothing. Yes, there will be some occasional accidents or they may not have any, but we must be
consistent to avoid confusion, which often happens when the child is switching back and forth from diapers and cotton
underclothing. We will take the child to the potty every hour to hour and a half, we do not “ask” them if they want to
go, we “send” them. If you give them a choice, most likely they will say “no”. Recap: We will put a child in cotton
underclothing only after they have kept their diaper dry for an entire week at school. Once we have
mastered this step, we say good-bye to diapers both at home and at school. Cotton panties/underwear
should be worn at all times and this includes daytime, night time, naptime, traveling, etc... Wearing diapers
now only confuses the child and will hinder the training. Remember, being consistent is the key to this process.
Please dress your child in clothes that are easily taken on and off. Please refrain from one piece suits, suspenders,
belts, snap crotch items and overalls. Five to six pair of panties/underwear and extra clothes should be
brought to school every day. As well as socks and extra shoes as sometimes they soil these as well. When
they are soiled, we will tie them in a plastic bag and put them on the cubby to be taken home daily to be washed.
Don’t have the child sit on the potty for long periods of time. If he/she needs to go, they will go within 1-2 minutes.
VERY IMPORTANT: TAKE YOUR CHILD EVERY HOUR TO HOUR AND A HALF.. Don’t ASK them to go, simply say, “It is
time to go potty now”. Another thing you must be careful of is letting them go too much and playing. Some use it as a
game and think it is fun to flush and wash their hands… we do not allow them to do this unless they actually go to the
potty as this seems to be a good incentive for them. When it becomes a game, you often find yourself taking them 3-4
times in one hour and if they are truly ready and have control of their sphincter muscle, then they will be able to hold it
for at least one hour at a time. Another incentive is the after potty routines. After they actually go potty in the toilet,
allow them the privileges of using toilet paper, flushing the potty, washing their hands, giving them a sticker, etc..
These things are a real incentive for your child. Being able to do these things makes your child feel “big”. If they DO
NOT go, do not give them the opportunity to do these things. You will find that these few things will encourage a child
to go potty. If they are allowed to do them all the time without actually going potty, then they become a game and it
takes away the incentive. Some of the best times to take your child are as soon as they wake up, 20-30 minutes after a
drink, after meals, before going to bed to eliminate bed wetting. Do not put a diaper on your child to sleep at naptime
or bedtime to avoid confusion. “If you give them that crutch, they will use it.” If the diaper is on and they do have an
accident, they will not care since the diaper absorbs it. If they are in cotton underclothing, it will wake them up or when
they do wake up in the morning wet/poopy, they are not going to like the feel of it since the cotton underclothing does
not absorb it, which will eventually eliminate the accidents. Children are SMART and are going to do what is easiest… if
you give them a crutch, they will find and use it!
Praise-Praise-Praise!!!! Do not ever forget to praise you child’s efforts, and especially their success. A negative attitude
only develops a negative reaction. I think this is one of the most challenging developmental milestones that we go
through with our child. Remember, the most effective approach is consistency at both home and school. Remember…
we can do this together! Are you ready to make that dedication?
TEAMWORK + CONSISTENCY =SUCCESS!
List of most often asked questions and/or concerns:
 How do I know if my child is ready or not? If your child is tugging and/or taking off their diaper, telling you
they need to go potty or after they went in their diaper, wanting to sit on the toilet, wanting to watch you, hiding
to go to the restroom, going consistently at certain times of the day, etc.. These are only some of the signs that
your child is ready. However, at some point if your child is two and not showing any interest, you as a parent
may need to introduce and encourage potty usage by letting them watch you, reading books about it to them
and simply “talking” to them about it. Unless there is a medical condition, all children have control of the
sphincter muscle and should be trained by the age of three. However, if your child is not showing any signs and
are a younger one year old, please do not “push” them as this will only cause frustration and will prolong the
process due to lack of interest.
 What things can I do to help my child succeed in this process? Be consistent, take them often but not
too often and avoid confusing the child by putting him/her in diapers at any time once he/she has gone to cotton
underclothing. Take your child to the restroom before dropping the child off outside in the morning as it is
difficult for the morning teachers to do this and supervise the others and we do not know the last time your child
went to the potty. Praise them and only allow them the incentives when they actually go to the restroom
 I have apprehensions about letting my child sleep in cotton underclothing during nap and
nighttime? Is this normal and what can I do to help my child and relieve myself of anxiety at this
difficult time? Yes, it is very normal for you to feel anxious and nervous about sleep time. The best thing you
can do is put the child in cotton underclothing and relax so your child does not feel your anxiety. Do not ever put
your child to bed with a cup at bedtime. You must cut out fluid intake 1 hour before your child goes to bed. Put
a mattress cover/protector on your child’s mattress and do not stress if he/she has an accident. Talk to your
child about going to the potty in the toilet and do not make a huge deal out of it. Yes, you may be changing
sheets more often than you would like, but in time, it will be worth it, I promise. If your child is truly ready and
is not having excessive amounts of accidents during the day, there is no doubt they can do the sleep time too.
Please take your child to the bathroom right before going down to bed and upon awakening. Do not wake your
child during the middle of sleep time to use the restroom. If he/she needs to go, they will wake up either to go
or will, at first go while sleeping. This is normal. Again, talk to them about where they should go, change them
and the sheets, and put them back to bed if still sleep time. “IF you give them the crutch they will use it”. This
simply means that if they have a diaper on, they will use it. They will lay there and go in the diaper because it
absorbs it and does not really bother them. If they do not have the diaper on, and go to the restroom in their
cotton attire, they will not like the way that it feels and eventually they will just stop doing it.
 Do I use a potty chair or the regular toilet? You can use either but again, consistency between school and
home is helpful and the more things you can do the “same” the better. Since we use only the regular toilets
(just a little smaller kids version but they look like the big toilets), it is suggested that you purchase a toilet insert
versus a small potty. Also, due to sanitation reasons, we cannot allow you to bring in your child’s potty from
home.
 Can I use pull-ups at home? We feel it best to discard the idea of using pull—ups as we DO NOT use pullups at school and it is best to be consistent both places to avoid confusion. Remember… we will only use Velcro
diapers until we go straight to cotton underwear. Once we go cotton, diapers are obsolete.
 What should I expect from soiled clothing? When your child has an accident at school, we do our best to
dump out the solid poop in the toilet. However, we cannot rinse out the cotton underclothing in the toilet. If the
child has a very messy, runny accident or is wet, we do the best we can to dump it out but it gets very messy
and for sanitation reasons, we will not wash them out in the toilet. After changing the child’s underclothing, it
will be placed in a plastic bag and put on the child’s cubby to be washed at home. Please take this clothing
home on a daily basis.
 My child is doing very well with going tee-tee in the toilet and rarely has accidents in his/her
diaper, but will not go poop in the toilet….Do you think it is time to go to cotton underwear/panties
or should he/she stay in a diaper until he/she gets the poop thing down? It all depends on the
particular child. But, if your child has had the tee-tee thing down for some time and tends to hide when he/she
goes poop or does not like the way it feels when he/she does go poop in their diaper and wants it off
immediately. Both of these are signs that he/she has control (they know when they need to go and go to hide
when they need to) and they do not like the way that it feels which is another sign that they are ready. If you
have them in cotton underclothing, they really will not like the way that it feels which will encourage them to go
in the toilet. Some children do not move forward and just tend to be “stuck” in this phase, sometimes we just
have to go straight to cotton underwear/panties and let them get through. Just be prepared that it may be a
little messy until they actually pass this point. It will happen, it just takes time and patience.