One of the biggest stresses for me when I found out I was pregnant was figuring out who would take care of my child when I went back to work. I had several options to consider. I could send him to daycare, I could hire a nanny, or I could try to find a home care provider. Ultimately we decided to go the home care route, but no matter which way you decide to go you should be sure to ask many questions to anyone who may take care of your child. I asked around and got lots of insight on great questions to ask a child care provider plus tips to nail the interview.
I also created an easy questionnaire with over 35 questions to ask a child care provider that you can bring with you to the interview and take notes on! Sign up for my email list to receive this printable.
Child Care Interview Tips:
- If you are visiting a daycare don’t schedule your visit so you can get a sense of how the center is run when they aren’t expecting people. If you are visiting a home care provider ask for a range of times that you can come. Try to avoid nap time (usually between 12-2pm)
- If you are touring a daycare find out the position of the person giving you the tour (and anyone you talk to along the way). If you are talking to a floater they may be unfamiliar with the routine of the room. If you are visiting a home care provider make sure you are talking to the primary care giver and find out if there are others in the home that may provide help or just be around generally (ie; the woman we went rented a room to a couple — they were not involved with the kids, but it is good to know who is going to be around your little ones.)
- Be familiar with the childcare laws in your state BEFORE visiting any child care provider. You can also take some notes and ask state specific questions during your interview and tour to make sure they are compliant.
- Find out about the schedule.
- Home care: How many days/hours per week do they expect? How many days or weeks off do they get? What happens if they are sick — when and how are you notified? Are they flexible (ie; if you need to add hours or days?)
- Daycare: Do you pay per day or per week? Do you get family vacation weeks? How many days a year is the center closed? How are parents notified of an emergency or unexpected closure?
- Check references. I can’t stress this enough. I suggest calling 3-5 people and asking them a lot of these questions. Ask them about their overall experience and whether they would send another child to the same place. A list of reference questions is included in the free printable.
- Ask around your mom tribe. Someone you know well will (hopefully) give you the honest truth!
- Find out what you can do to make the transition easier. Ask if there are things that you can do in advance to make the transition to a childcare provider easier. If your baby currently only takes naps in your arms it might be an easier transition for everyone if they can sleep in a crib.
- Plan for the future. Presumably your baby will continue with the same childcare provide from infant to toddler. Ask questions about infants but also about their experience with toddlers (and tour the toddler room if a daycare).
- Really look at the space (inside and out) — is there enough for the kids to run around, play, and learn comfortably and safely?
- Keep in mind your parenting style and find a good match with the daycare/home care.
- If you don’t like your child to have screen time try to avoid a place that has the kids in front of the TV all day.
- If you prefer redirection over timeout find a daycare/home care that follows a redirection policy.
Questions to ask a child care provider:
- Ask scenario or “what would you do” questions. Download the printable for specific examples.
- How often do you do crib checks?
- What is the daily schedule like?
- How many children and what are their ages (home care)?
- What do you do if my child is sick? (ie; fever, throwing up, runny nose)
Questions contributed by Forever Young Moms
1. What is the child to teacher ratio?
2. Can I visit anytime?
3. What activities do you do with the kids?
4. What type of safety measures do you have in place?
5. What qualifications do you have for your teachers (Degree, CPR certified, etc.)?
6. What is your staff turnover rate?
7. Do you offer vacation/sick days?
8. What do you provide for my child (food, snacks, diapers, wipes, etc.)?
9. Do you require all children to be vaccinated?
10. Describe your policies on education, discipline, potty training, etc.
Questions from contributed by Lipstick & a Little Lady
- Do you encourage them to really eat/try something new or if they say no do you just let it go? Sometimes my daughter says she’s not hungry, is busy playing, doesn’t want to try something new but we are very pro “try everything” and so I want her to be pushed to eat a taste, and try it out.
- Just recently had this problem where the kids pretty much go out 24/7 in the snow, if it’s still falling, in 20 degree weather, etc. and I wasn’t too happy about that.
- Example: my daughter constantly has had her shoes on backwards when I pick her up and I had to ask her teachers if they pay attention/check because she just turned 4 and I’d rather not have her walking around like that all day
Moms on Instagram always have amazing advice. To check out some of the other topics they have weighed in on click here.
What questions do you ask a child care provider?
If you liked this post check out E-book: The First Three Months and Book Review: Pure Nurture.