Yesterday at pick up a little boy ran out to tell his parents he brushed his teeth at school, I assumed it was just pretend. Then today LO was brushing her teeth this morning and said the toothpaste at school is yucky. I then asked if she brushed her teeth at school and she said yes but she doesn't like the toothpaste. I think this is so weird! However, I'm new to the school thing so maybe this is common. Does your LO brush their teeth at school?
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That's weird. Did you send a toothbrush?
No she doesn't.
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No. I assume if you didn't know you didn't send a toothbrush. So where are they getting them from?
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@Smurfette: @lawbee11: no we didn't send one. No clue where they came from. I sure hope they are clearly labeled because that's gross. But are they sharing toothpaste then? So weird.
This is why I posted another thread about what they are doing at school. I have zero clue what's going on and when I email the director or teacher I get no response.
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Yes ours does. They gave us notice when they started though. They provided the toothbrushes and for awhile, LO was just using water. Now that she is almost 2, they requested that we send in toothpaste.
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No, and I would not trust toddlers to not use each others toothbrushes.
Also, emailing the people at my children's school and not getting responses would be absolutely unacceptable to me.
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My lo will. We provide the toothpaste and they have the brushes. It's all on the info packet they sent home.
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@Bao: Can you go in directly and talk to them? If I wasn't getting a response to an email I would be asking the director or teacher or whoever directly. It is kind of bizarre that they haven't given you a heads up on ANYTHING they're doing with the kids.
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@.twist.: they don't even let us in the room before/after school so if I talk to them I have to do it in front of all the parents and I don't want to do that.
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Yes, all the kids have a labeled toothbrush at the sink. We're technically supposed to brush after every meal so I actually think it's great they're practicing dental hygiene at school. We were never asked to provide the toothbrush so daycare bought them.
They brush in groups under supervision of one of the teachers. The sink is in the room and clearly visible.
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@Bao: What? you aren't allowed in the classroom? Honestly, it would really give me anxiety to do it, but I would totally confront them in front of the other parents.
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@.twist.: no they stand at the door to let kids in then same after school.
@regberadaisy: she brushes her teeth at home and they don't eat meals there. She says they share toothpaste and it's banana flavored.
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@Bao: Given the half day nature of your program, I find it odd. LO has always been in full time care and she's never brushed at school. We do twice/day brushing and our dentist actually pushed pretty hard that WE brush her teeth rather than letting her do it. And she's 4, he says they aren't effective in their brushing abilities.
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nope and my kiddo eats 2 snack and lunch there.
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At one of the schools where I taught, we did this, but the parents knew and provided the toothpaste/toothbrush. They were kept in separate containers and everything was labeled. These were also 4/5 year olds, so they were responsible enough, for the most part, to handle it, but there was still lots of supervision. They ate breakfast, lunch, and snack at school, but only brushed once. In our case, I believe it counted as extra "points" in our state licensing assessment, but at the same time, there were strict rules and regulations regarding the brushing/sanitation.
I think it's crazy that they aren't telling you much and even crazier that you aren't allowed in the classroom. I would definitely be speaking to someone (the director?) about your concerns.
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@lilteacherbee: the director is a huge B. Like walk around my s*** don't stink type.
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I think the bigger issue is just that you're not happy with the preschool in general....are there any other options within your budget?
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Wait you can't go in the room? That is a huge red flag to me. There doesn't seem to be a lot you can say that is good about this place. Is there somewhere else she can go?
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This seems bizarre to me. A full time daycare that serves meals maybe - but not a half day preschool.
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Our school does in the 2.5 yr and up room. Each kid has a toothbrush and they are labeled and in a plexiglass case to prevent dust and dirt, each kid has a slot in it basically. Not sure about the toothpaste situation. We aren't in that room yet so I have just seen the set up but not had any info on their process.
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@regberadaisy: it's the only preschool in our district.
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@Bao: so, it's a public preschool? Or literally the only preschool option in your neighborhood?
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My LOs are in full time daycare and do not brush...I had no clue that was a thing. I think it is really weird that you are not allowed in the classroom either. I would have to speak up about that.
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@regberadaisy: it's a tuition based public preschool and the only other ones within 8 miles are church based. This one is about a mile and 1/2 or 2 away and in our budget.
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@Bao: bummer.
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In my state (MA) I'm pretty sure it's a law that they brush teeth if any food is offered. So at our daycare each kid has a toothbrush (with a cover and their name on it), and after snack they stand in line and one by one get help brushing.
ETA: We did have to sign a permission slip that we acknowledged they would be doing this.
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They had us send a toothbrush for after lunch but haven't started yet. I sure don't mind extra teeth brushing although I am curious to know what the toothpaste will be. Dd is half day mwf so it'll basically be her last thing before pick up and the full day kids nap.
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@Bao: Honestly, I would consider pulling my LO out. Inability to communicate with the school despite your best efforts, not being allowed in her room, and concerns about outdoor safety are just not worth it to me.
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If you can't communicate with the school that is a major problem. I'd ask other parents what they have done and if this can't be resolved I'd consider leaving or at least going above the director.
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No, he never brushed at preschool.
I don't think that parents not going into the classroom at pickup and drop-off is necessarily strange. Our school was generally superb (and very communicative) and they did the same thing. Parents dropped off children at the door, where the teachers were waiting. The pickup/drop-off situation was due to the layout of the buildings and the lack of parking. They weren't trying to keep us out, only to keep traffic flowing. If we wanted to come to watch a class/talk to a teacher, they were happy to make arrangements for that.
That said, the director's attitude as you've described it would be a huge problem for me. Ditto for the lack of communication.
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DD brushes her teeth at daycare after lunch. I sent in her own toothbrush and toothpaste though.
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My LO brushes with water after lunch. We send her toothbrush daily in her lunchbox. The school sent a note home to let us know in advance before they started--I think she was 3.
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Nope.
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Nope. This seems weird to me. I would not like it happening without my knowledge.
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Nope; doesn’t happen at our school/center!
I could see *maybe* if they were doing a unit on dental hygiene and teeth, etc. and asked parents to bring in toothbrushes or used disposable ones for a day….but every day? Nah, seems kind of weird to me.
Not letting you go into the room would be a deal breaker for me, I think. I think it’s a bit different where it’s only a 3-hour set program vs. an all-day place, but I think it would still be a deal-breaker.
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I don't think so but if they stay for lunch they have to. When I was reading about it, it kind of sounded like they had to after their snack too but it was only mentioned that they do after lunch. It is a law here I think.
ETA @HappyBaker: We are in MA too so now I am wondering if they do it after snack too. I will have to ask!
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No, he doesn't brush at school.
We also are not allowed in the classrooms at his daycare/preschool. And I'm ok with it. Basically, no parents are allowed in the back. You drop them off and sign them in all at the front desk. At pick up, they bring them to you. They do this for safety concerns as they don't run background checks on parents, only workers.
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@Bao: Yes our daughter does. But she is in a full-time program and we had to bring her a toothbrush and they don't use toothpaste at school because not all of the kids know how to spit, so it's just easier for them to have all the kids brush with water.
Can you talk to the teacher or director via phone or e-mail? Or schedule a time to talk. It would be weird to address concerns in front of all the parents.
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Is this at a public school? I know for a fact that at our public schools, parents aren't allowed in classrooms when the kids are in session. For drop off, if the room doesn't have its own door, you have to drop them off at the front door of the school, you are not permitted to drop them off at the classroom. Too many random people lingering around, basically. If you need to go to the classroom, you have to be on a list with the front office.
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Our DD just started brushing at school, but we had to provide her toothbrush with a cap and toothpaste. Everything had to be labeled and she has a special cup.
I would be annoyed if we didn't know about it.
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47 comments