Questions to Ask when Interviewing Daycare Providers

Choosing your child's daycare may be one of the most important decisions you make as a parent. You need to be comfortable not only that your child is in a safe environment, but also that your child is learning the same values at school that you are teaching at home. The messages that your child must be consistent, especially if you are a full-time worker and your child will be spending most of the time with a child care provider. Here are a few questions to ask when you are interviewing for a daycare provider.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing Daycare Providers:Is your daycare center licensed by the state? In the state of Ohio, home child care environments and publicly funded child care programs are regulated by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). The ODJFS offers a searchable data base of child care offerings by county.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing Daycare Providers:Can you show me the three or four most recent reports issued by the state agency responsible for licensing daycare programs?

In Ohio, the ODJFS database provides not only the location of each day care provider, but also allows parents to view the inspection reports online. If your state does not have such a service, ask the child care provider for a copy of its most recent inspection reports. Look at any violations that have occurred, and look at what the day care provider has done to remedy any violations found during the inspection.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing Daycare Providers:Is your daycare accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)?

The NAEYC promotes excellence in early childhood education. The standards established by the NAEYC evaluate criteria such as positive relationships between teachers and children, implementing a curriculum promoting learning and development in defined areas, and promoting nutrition and health of teachers and children.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing Daycare Providers:What is your teacher to child ratio? How does that ratio compare to the state minimum?

Find out how many children will be in the room with your child, what there ages are, and how many staff members will be attending to them. Ask whether your child will be assigned a primary teacher, how break times are handled, and whether your child will be introduced to any substitutes before they care for your child for the first time.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing Daycare Providers:What experience does the staff member(s) caring for my child have? What training does the staff member caring for my child have?

Determine whether the staff member(s) caring for your child has been at the daycare center for several years or whether the staff member is relatively new. Treat this question and answer session like a job interview. You deserve to whether this person has a stable work history, whether this person is a trusted employee, and whether this person has experience in taking care of children. Find out whether the daycare center has specific training, and look at a copy of the training manuals given to employees. Ask whether employees are tested on sanitation methods, cpr, and first aid.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing Daycare Providers:What class will my child be assigned to, and are assignments made by age or by maturity?

Ask specifically where your child will be assigned if you decide to enroll your child in the facility. Determine whether your child will fit in with the age group or whether you have concerns about your child joining a group that may be too big or too rough (this is particularly a concern for young toddlers who may be joining an already established group).

Questions to Ask When Interviewing Daycare Providers:Can I tour the daycare or child care center?

Take a look around, and pay special attention to safety, sanitation, and security. Look at whether the toys that are available are in good condition or dirty and broken. Make sure outlets are covered and safety devices are on all cupboards. Look at any food preparation areas and evaluate how food is prepared and stored. Find out what security devices are installed, for example whether there are cameras on-site and whether there is a controlled entry method to prevent outsiders from gaining easy access to the daycare.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing Daycare Providers:Can I visit my child any time?

Any good daycare facility will allow you to visit your child at any time, without having to make an appointment. You should also be able to call your child's room at any time to find out whether they are on schedule for the day, feeling well, and playing happily.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing Daycare Providers: What is your philosophy, mission statement, or belief system?

If you are enrolling your child in a daycare or child care facility, you must determine whether the people who will be caring for and teaching your child share your core values. For instance, you may have a specific religion that you would like to bring your child up in, or you may have beliefs about child discipline that you want to be followed at home and by your child care center. Even if you have no particular ideas at this stage in your child's life about how to discipline your child, it is important that you find out what the daycare center you choose will be doing to correct and teach your child if your child bites another child or hits his teacher.

While these questions touch just upon the very basics of what is important to consider when choosing a daycare or child care provider, they will give you an idea about where to start your own list of questions. Talk with your spouse or partner about things they think are important, and ask other parents as well. Get referrals from other working parents about where they send their children to school or to daycare, since word of mouth can be one starting place as you begin your search.

Sources:

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, "Child Care," http://jfs.ohio.gov/families/child_care/index.stm.

NAEYC, http://www.naeyc.org/.