Dressing for Success

At Strawberry Patch we stress self-help skills. Dress your child in clothes that they can easily manage by themselves. We dress for safety and sun protection. We have many activities that include painting, gluing, coloring and outdoor play so always dress your child appropriately. Save the beautiful clothes and shoes for going out and special occasions. If they are toilet trained, make certain their clothing makes trips to the bathroom easy. Complicated fasteners, suspenders, and too many buttons may cause frustration and accidents. If parents and caregivers reinforce this requirement consistently, this helps children more easily comply. Keep it simple.

Dressing Your Child for a Day at the Patch

If your child is in diapers:

Provide at least two (2) changes of clothes including socks in a bag or backpack. Experts now recommend that each child bring a bag or backpack every day with two (2) full sets of clothing. This not only prepares us for small emergencies, such as accidents, but for unexpected weather conditions like snow or an earthquake. If we needed to house and care for the children for several days, we would be equipped to handle such a situation.

Shoes

Most children would rather run than walk. Wearing appropriate shoes at the Patch is extremely important. Good shoes provide support, but more importantly, prevent accidents. Therefore, tennis shoes are required. No exceptions. For safety reasons, if your child cannot tie shoes, Velcro fasteners MUST be worn.

Coats & Jackets

On cool days bring a warm coat or jacket as we will probably play outside or take a walk. Even on nice days, a jacket, sweater or sweatshirt is a good idea as mornings are usually cool.

Diaper Changing Policy

Strawberry Patch Preschool permits children who are not toilet trained to attend our school.

Toilet Training

When the child is ready to train, we work with the parents on a training plan. We use a positive approach and encourage the child to develop self help skills, so they have a sense of participation and accomplishment in their training. We have a family toilet seat that has two sizes of seats, one for smaller kids, to give them comfort and security, and a larger one for older kids and adults. We stress the importance of handwashing when toileting. We provide kid friendly soaps and disposable towels. We encourage parents to dress their children in clothes that are easy for them to manage - no belts or complicated fasteners. When they are first training, pull-on pants are easiest and make the child feel secure. Working with the parents helps ensure the child's success at toilet training.

Hand Washing

Hand washing is the first and best defense against the spread of germs and illness. The providers wash their hands before and after diaper changes, after using the toilet, before food preparation, before eating, when coming in from outdoors, and when assisting children in blowing noses. The children wash up if they sneeze or cough in their hands. We teach all the kids to cough or sneeze in their arm or elbow. They wash after using the bathroom, before eating and when coming in from outside play. Handwashing is a very important part of Strawberry Patch's philosophy.

Last updated: October 24, 2017