Should a preschool deal with soiling?

[poomageddon]

Does anyone else go to a preschool where they won't deal with soiling?

He doesn't have bowel issues as far as I know, but does poo 3-4 times a day.

If look for care elsewhere. That is disgusting. How can they leave a child for two hours sitting in their own faeces.

That's awful! Ds was awfully prone to nappy rash - he'd have been in agony after two hours, no exaggeration. I don't think he's the only one either! I hope your ds isn't too sore now, poor boy.

The preschool that ds attends takes children in nappies and deals with all changing needs - I am a bit taken aback that some don't, but utterly shocked that anyone in childcare would leave a child in soiled clothing for two hours. I'd be out of there like a scalded cat, tbh. It woukd damage my trust in their basic levels of human compassion, never mind any policy.

That’s cruel. My 5 y/o is NT and fully toilet trained, and still came home in spare pants from school as he had waited too long at lunch (they only have 20 mins to sit and eat) and dribbled on his pants as he took it out.

Ive worked in numerous early years settings (private and non) and although ive seen a few dodgey poloicies along the way ive never been in a setting that have refused. thats awful!

1 setting there was a girl with bowel issues and sometimes we would have to call her parents if she was particularly bad - but we'd still clean her up while waiting!

Another school had a policy where if your child was soiled more than a few marks their underwear would be disposed of rather than bagged up and sent home - but again we'd still clean them up!!

So this is a preschool attached to a private school where you intend to send your son for school when he turns 5?
By way of comparison my son’s preschool (private but not attached to a private school, and which does offer free hours) not only deal with accidents they are happy to provide advice and guidance on potty training and more or less take the lead on it and help parents assess when their child is ready. He’s 2 and a half but the preschool takes them right up until they start school, and they would not blink an eye at dealing with accidents of kids who are potty trained.

They have a duty of care to your child, and in an early years setting this includes dealing with intimate care (ie toileting and soiling). A child does not need to have a diagnosed need in order for the setting to have an obligation to provide support in this area. ALL children have a right to access early years education, and support in all areas of the EYFS including self care and toileting.

I hear more and more school nurseries balking at this aspect of early years development, and having expectations of children beyond their years and it makes me fume that this is the type of provision the government want to expand. Pffft.

This makes me so angry! I am a Early Years teacher teaching in a primary school and have taught in Nursery and Reception. I’ve dealt with kids in nappies, kids wetting themselves and soiling themselves. Sometimes children who have been toilet trained for years have accidents, even when they’re in year 1 or 2 or even beyond that. It’s not the favourite part of my job but I love working with young children so it’s par for the course. To not change a child is cruel. I would complain and maybe think about finding a different preschool.

This makes me so angry! I am a Early Years teacher teaching in a primary school and have taught in Nursery and Reception. I’ve dealt with kids in nappies, kids wetting themselves and soiling themselves. Sometimes children who have been toilet trained for years have accidents, even when they’re in year 1 or 2 or even beyond that. It’s not the favourite part of my job but I love working with young children so it’s par for the course. To not change a child is cruel. I would complain and maybe think about finding a different preschool.

Clearly I’m so annoyed about it I posted twice! 🙄🤦🏼‍♀️

We're taking this down while we have a look behind the scenes...

What on earth did he do for 2 hours with poo in his pants? He wouldn’t have been able to sit down, it would have made the room he was in smell and could cause quite a nasty rash. I would be strongly complaining and finding out if that is even legal. I work in a preschool and can’t imagine leaving a child in soiled pants - where is their compassion? I would seriously question the overall care of the children.

One of the pre-schools we considered for our son has the same policy. They say all children must be fully trained before starting and if a child has an accident they ring the parent to come and deal with it. It's one of the reasons we chose another setting.

When my son started Pre school we had started potty training and were doing really well but I think new environment never been in childcare before led to a few accidents (I mean 3/4 a day) I can understand that was frustrating for staff but they cleaned him and changed him. If they had left him in wet or soiled clothes for that length of time I would be looking for new childcare. Completely unfair. As others have said it's part and parcel of working with young children. They have accidents.

I'd complain, report them to Ofsted - it's neglect.

He's only been there a couple of months and I was only advised of them having this policy (which differs from their published one), after an accident a month ago.

I explained before he joined that I was concerned over him maybe having some accidents (I was only told about their toilet-trained only preschool policy after I'd handed in notice into previous nursery) and was told that all kids have accidents. I was complete upfront about where he was on toilet training. I was obviously flabbergasted when I got the original call to go and assist with a (pretty contained) poo "newsflash, preschooler has an accident", but was wfh. It took five minutes to change him - longer than them coming to call me. I was shocked as I'd never heard of that in a nursery or preschool.

I raised concerns with the proprietor the following day to ask what would happen if I was in the office an hour away and was told she wouldn't let a child sit that long if I couldn't get there. I don't know if she was in or not today and told the school I wasn't happy and would speak to them when I calmed down. Two hours in poo - I feel sick to my stomach. I spoke to parents there before I joined and they said it was nurturing. Two hours in poo is not nurturing. I've lost all trust in the school. I've looked online but am struggling to find anything concrete to challenge them with, other than the Eric stuff. I also put my daughter into this preschool in January (year older) and assumed she'd go to the school there in September. Gutted.

I'm so sorry this happened. I worked in nurseries for years and children are always treated with respect if they had an accident.
First thing you need to do is email (must be email not in person) confirm what happened and how long the child was left in soiled clothes. Where was the child while waiting? Ask them for a plan for how it will be dealt with next time, and find out why the child couldn't be verbally assisted in changing themselves. Wait until you have an e-mailed response, then take the issue to the relevant authority. Hopefully the policy will be changed after you kick up a huge fuss.

My eldest went to a private nursery from 12 months-4 years, and my youngest to our local state nursery 2 1/2-4. Both would change them if they had an accident. They then went to primary school, and again if a child had an accident they would be changed. They always asked when reception and year 1 grew out of their clothes would we donate them to the changing box. So if a child had an accident they had a set of uniform to put on.

I would be thinning twice about this nursery OP.

My DD nursery will deal with accidents but if it's soiled they bin the pants/knickers then help the child clean up. But to not deal at all in a just turn 3 year old is ridiculous.

That is definitely not nurturing, OP.

To my mind it is more important for a school for small children to be kind than academically brilliant because, apart from anything else, there is much more bullying in a school where the adults are not kind.

Absolutely disgraceful.
I would remove your child

If that's really their policy, I'd move him.

Also, what is lirc?

What on earth was he doing for those 2 hours in soiled clothes? I can't imagine an adult just standing by and leaving him like that. They could have at least taken him to the toilet and talked him through changing himself.

Iirc stands for If I remember correctly.