Reply from Tom, Child's Age N/A - 5/20/03 - IP#: 159.39.16.xxx   parbb-c1327

You said that she cannot attend preschool because she is still in diapers. There are many day care providers that accept infants and toddlers that are not trained. Some programs may be operated by regular schools, either public or private, and allow the child to progress from infant care to toddler, preschool, kindergarten, and then to elementary school. School districts around the U.S. are largely autonomous and policies and regulations can vary widely from one to another, and especially for private schools that can set their own policies. My younger daughter was in a program that required the child to be toilet trained before moving from the toddler level (2 year old) to preschool level (3 year old). My guess is that your daughter would be accepted in a program but would not be allowed to progress to kindergarten until she is trained. Entering kindergarten does not automatically take place when the child meets the stipulated age, whether the child has matured enough to successfully handle the classroom environment is also considered. In the absence of some physical problem, lack of toilet training is a major indicator that the child is not mature enough for kindergarten.