Hey girl, today let's chat about the most important daycare questions you need to be asking.
Sending your child to daycare is hard, but choosing the right one is even more difficult. It is so important to ask daycare questions but how will you know what you should be asking about?
As a daycare provider for the last 8 years, I am giving you an in-depth look at all the daycare questions you should want answers to.
Hopefully, after you have answers to all these daycare questions, it will make choosing the right daycare for your child easier.
Let's get started with all of the best daycare questions that you need answers to.
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Best Daycare Questions
Hey guys, I haven’t always been a daycare provider. In fact, my oldest 2 kids went to a home daycare and then a daycare center so I have been in your shoes!
It was a crazy time trying to choose which daycares would be the right fit for our family.
What was so difficult, especially with our first baby, was how to know which daycare questions we should have been asking. But why would we know that, right? We had no experience with daycare.
My husband’s job had taken us to a new area where we didn’t know a soul. I think that was also stressful knowing a complete stranger was going to be taking care of my baby.
I know for a fact that I walked away knowing that I didn’t have all my questions answered, even though I didn’t know what else to ask.
So, I am here to help you make your daycare decision process easier.
These questions will work whether you are looking at a home daycare or a daycare center.
And most of them need to be asked for however old your child is.
Sending your most precious possession off to be cared for by someone else is a hard decision and should not be taken lightly.
But you got this Mama!
Don’t worry, if you try a daycare and realize it isn’t the right fit for you and your kiddo, you aren’t stuck there. You have the right to change daycares.
Daycare Questions Tips Before An Interview
Decide if you want to try an in-home daycare or a daycare center.
This is a big one because one size does not fit all when it comes to daycare.
If you have to choose one out of necessity, try not to panic. This happened to us with the daycare center situation, and I have to admit, there was a lot of panic!
Keep searching for the kind you want.
Do you want the daycare to be in the town where you live or in the town where you work?
We went with the town where we lived because that is what was available at the time. But I know many friends that chose a daycare near their work.
Call around and try to set up multiple interviews.
I know daycare is hard to find in most places but there are always wait lists and family situations change constantly.
Ask to get an in-person interview and a complete tour of the daycare.
You need to do this even if you are only getting on the waitlist. It will be pretty easy to tell if the daycare is right for you and your family just by going in for a visit.
Best Daycare Questions
I know there are a lot of questions on this list but you have every right to be asking them.
This is where your child/children will be spending most of their weekdays.
1. What is your background with children and what made you want to be a daycare provider?
2. Do you have a license to do daycare, what are your credentials for running a daycare?
3. How long has your daycare been open?
4. How long do you plan to keep your daycare open from now?
5. What are your hours of operation?
6. Do you have a backup person if you need to close due to an emergency or sickness? If so, what is their daycare training?
7. Are there days throughout the year that you are closed, such as holidays?
8. How much vacation time do you have/take a year?
9. If my child is school-aged and school is closed whether it be scheduled or due to extreme weather, are you still open?
10. How much does a child cost?
11. When are fees due?
12. Do you adjust your rates, if so, when does this usually happen?
13. Is there a discount if I have more than one child attending?
14. If you are closed for a holiday or vacation, how much do you charge?
15. If my child is out due to sickness or vacation, how much do you charge?
16. Is there a fee if I am running late for picking up my child?
17. What is the age range that you care for?
18. How many children do you care for?
19. Do you do any drop-in care?
20. What do you do to ensure that all the kiddos in your care are accounted for throughout the day?
21. Can I visit whenever I want to?
22. Who can pick up my child from daycare?
23. Do you walk school-age children to school?
24. Is there daycare insurance here?
25. What is the enrollment process like?
26. Do you have any kind of trial period time limit?
27. What is the paperwork that I need to fill out?
28. What happens if my child gets sick while at daycare?
29. Can you explain to me your illness policy?
30. When would my child be able to return?
31. Do you give medication to my child if I bring it?
32. What happens if my child gets injured while at daycare?
33. Have you been trained in CPR and First Aid?
34. Is smoking allowed on your property?
35. What do you do to prevent SIDS?
36. Do you have a routine for napping?
37. Where will my child nap at?
38. What does my child sleep in or on?
39. How do you make sure their napping areas stay clean and sanitized?
40. If my child doesn’t seem to need a nap, what do you do?
41. What meals do you serve every day?
42. Do you have a meal plan? Ask to see it!
43. What food/drinks do you supply?
44. Is there any food that I need to supply?
45. My child is an infant and takes bottles. What do I need to do about this?
46. My child is in school, how does snack time work after school?
47. What do you do every day to help kids learn and grow?
48. Can I see what kind of books and toys you have?
49. How do you keep school-aged kids learning throughout the summer?
50. Is there any religion taught?
51. Do you celebrate birthdays and any holidays with the kids?
52. How much time do you spend outside and how often do you go out?
53. Are there times when kiddos are kept inside?
54. Do you have a fenced-in area for the kids to play in outside?
55. What kind of outside toys do you have?
56. Are there trampolines or bounce houses?
57. Do you have any kind of standing water such as a pool or hot tub?
58. Do you provide transportation in a vehicle?
59. How often do you leave the daycare property with my child?
60. Do you go on field trips?
61. What supplies do I need to bring every day for my child, such as diapers, wipes, and extra clothes?
62. Do you have an area where I can store some of these items at daycare?
63. Are there any of these items that I need to label?
64. How do you deal with kids that are being naughty?
65. What is your discipline policy?
66. Do you have any pets on your property?
67. If there is an emergency such as a fire, extreme weather, or an evacuation, what do you do for that?
68. How do you have the kids practice for that?
69. What happens if you lose your power or heat?
70. Are there firearms on the property?
71. If so, how are they contained so children don’t have access to them?
72. Can I have some references that I can contact about your daycare?
Girl, this is so important. Get references and make sure you call them!
This post is about the most important daycare questions you need to be asking.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about daycare or kids in general.
I look forward to hearing from you and thanks for stopping by.