When my son was potty training it was summer and we put the potty in the livingroom and left him with no pants (he wasn't yet able to pull them up and down himself) and he would just run and use it when he felt the need. The urge tends to coem on suddenly in the beginning and I had a newborn at the time so I couldn't spend half my day in the bathroom! He learned quickly and has always been very independent about it since then (he just goes without being reminded). Now of course, as a daycare provider, I couldn't have a potty in the playroom, but if it is started at home then I will do something like what playfelt mentioned, regular bathroom breaks until the child is able to tell me they need to go.