When choosing a daycare one of the first things that comes to mind is whether to choose a daycare center or an in-home daycare. In-home daycares tend to be more personal since there is only one provider with a small group of children. Daycare centers usually have more children in a class, more teachers and a schedule that is closely followed.
No matter what type of daycare a parent is interested in interviewing/touring, there is a list of questions to ask any provider before allowing him/her to care for a child.
Licensing of Daycare
One of the most important things to check when choosing a daycare is to make sure it is licensed by the state. A licensed daycare will have a certificate to show it is in fact licensed. A license will tell a parent how many children the daycare is able to care for and how many in each age group. Choosing a daycare that is not licensed means safety requirements may not be met and puts a child at risk. Other questions to ask involving licensing include:
- What are state requirements the daycare must adhere that is included and not included in the license? For example, staff to children ratio, height of playground fences, curriculum and food program.
- Does the daycare have periodic fire, health and safety checks? How often and through whom?
- Does staff have to be certified in CPR and First Aid? Will a provider who has training be on-site during all hours the daycare is open?
Ask About Daycare Policies
Licensing is done through policies which must be followed but what about other policies? Questions to ask involving daycare policies can include:
- What happens if a child gets sick at daycare?
- What happens when a child gets a minor injury? Major injury? Parents should also ask if a child has ever been seriously hurt at the daycare since it opened and if any of those injuries happened with current staff.
- Will the daycare children be having off-site outings? How often and what will be transportation?
- If a mother is breastfeeding she will want to ask what the policy is regarding this. Even if a mother is formula feeding, she should ask whether her or the daycare will provide formula.
- Is there a transition/trial period while child(ren) is(are) adjusting? If so, how long?
- What happens when a child harms another child, a caregiver harms a child or a child harms a caregiver?
Staffing at a Childcare Facility
Knowing who will be taking care of a child and feeling comfortable with that caregiver will give a parent peace of mind. If a parent does not feel comfortable or did not receive a good impression of a caregiver, the parent should not send his/her child(ren) to that daycare. Questions related to daycare staff include:
- What is the teacher to child ratio?
- Is there a high staff turnover?
- What is the experience and training of staff?
- Are background checks done on staff? How often?
- When and how do staff discipline children?
- Will a parent be able to observe caregiving? Through what medium: walk-in visits, cameras, etc?
Each parent will determine what issue is the most important to him/her regarding a daycare. A general rule of thumb is to choose a daycare provider a parent feels comfortable with and closely resembles a parent's values, morals and discipline style.
Most of the questions above are from Safer Child, Inc. which is a great resource for any parent. As a parent, always ask a potential daycare provider about staffing, licensing and policies.
Tamara Frank - My name is Tamara Frank and have been writing for Suite101 for two years. I have self-published a book titled "Lessons I Learned From ...
