Whether or not your child needs to be toilet trained before starting child care will depend on his/her age and the policy of the child care programs. Many child care programs expect children to be potty trained before they enter the 3-year-old program. However, there are some who respect the developmental differences of children and will work with you to toilet train children who may be three or older.
Children younger than three may not have the muscle control, decision-making skills, or motivation for toilet training yet. Forcing toilet training will not help children become ready sooner. Parents and child care providers should discuss the toilet training process and support each other by using similar approaches whenever possible. Child care programs should not expect toddlers to be toilet trained before they enter the child care program.
Toilet learning is different from toilet training. While toilet training is something that an adult does to a child, toilet learning is when children play an active part in their own learning. Toilet learning begins with knowing the signs that tell you children are ready to use the toilet (for more information on these signs, see "By what age should a child be potty trained?"). Learning will happen when you teach in a way that does not punish and does not use treats or rewards. Children who are ready need no rewards to make them want to learn. Most children will be happy and proud when they can go to the potty by themselves, and that is reward enough.
For more ideas to make toilet learning successful in the child care setting, see Helping Children with Toilet Learning in Child Care.
