May 13 2009
10 Must-Ask Questions for your Potential Child Care Provider
Finding a caring environment for your little one is a daunting task. This is exactly the reason I wound up at home, caring for 5 children in addition to my own. To help you find your best fit, let’s start first with day care options. There is in-home day care where a nanny or sitter comes to you. There is family child care, which is licensed, home-based day care provided by a mother and/or a professional, or the day care center. The advantages to a nanny or sitter are that there is no commute and the care is in your home. However, the disadvantages may be that your child receives no regular social interaction with peers unless outside activities are scheduled and maintained. The family child care should offer a bit more structure with a loving home environment and the ability for children to socialize, which is very important in the early education years. A child care center is a bustling environment with more than one staff, lots of children, and often a schedule and activities that are planned and directed. One disadvantage may be that there is less staff per child in these settings, and chance of infection/disease is greater than in the former environments. In my home child care, however, I offer the best of both worlds. This is something more family child cares should offer. There are options for offering curriculums and routines in a home setting…but more on that another day. Below are 10 Questions to Ask your Potential Child Care Provider…
1. Are you licensed? Ask to see the license. Check dates and that the state has imprinted its insignia on the paper. If the provider says they have a degree or special training, you may ask to see documentation of that as well.
2. Are you insured? Accidents do unfortunately happen. Be sure that the provider has liability coverage in case of accidents.
3. What is the staff’s experience? Your goal should be to find someone with an education and an understanding of child development and early childhood education. Family child care providers as well as child care center staffers are required in most states to complete trainings each year to increase their skill levels. You want your children to be with someone that desires to work in the field, not someone who is doing it because of exterior motivations such as money.
4. What are the other children like? Of course, children do move on and change somewhat frequently in child cares. But observe during open hours the children that are attending. Is anyone violent, or does anyone take up the caregiver’s time more than usual? Give yourself more than one visit to assess this - children are often very different people from day to day.
5. What are the vacation, illness, and holiday policies? Most family child cares do require paid vacation time. Licensed family child care providers are professionals and provide a service, and earn a vacation like anyone else. Where I take one week paid and one week unpaid, many take 2 weeks paid. This is very common. In child care centers, they may close for a week or two for vacation or maintenance…so be sure to check the policies. Also, there should be a certain number of holidays listed in their policy book and you should review it carefully so there are no surprises. Also, many providers (including myself) offer a week or two that the family can use as unpaid vacation time, if they are going away, so they don’t have to pay for the spot. Regarding illness, your child’s spot is often held by your payment, and whether or not they attend on a given day, you are usually required to pay for the day. Like anything else, this is a business - someone’s livelihood - and it is common for your weekly payment to be the same regardless of attendance.
6. Does the day care provider have any recommendations or letters of reference? Contact the current parents and possibly past parents to assess the level of service provided. Also, ALWAYS contact your state Department of Human Services to ask if there have been complaints lodged against the day care you are interviewing. Also, the local Resource Development Center near you will have listings of currently licensed facilities. This can usually be found in the phone book or you can ask the state for a listing.
7. Compare rates. These can vary drastically, so be careful and watch out for too low/too high prices! Remember - you get what you pay for!
8. What kind of discipline does the center or provider use? Is there a time out chair (this is not legal in many states)? The best answer would be “classic conflict resolution” in which the caregiver gets down to eye level and works out the problem with children through dialogue. Absolutely no spanking, deprivation, or other intimidation methods should be employed and if you observe this you should report it to the state immediately. Try to find a provider with a caring attitude and a friendly demeanor - someone that seems to be a “natural” with children.
9. Are activities offered? Children in early childhood have four areas in which they should be growing: Physical (motor skills), Cognitive (learning ABC’s, Numbers, etc.), Social (interaction with peers), and Emotional (learning to manage and label one’s feelings). Ask your provider if she/he is familiar with these concepts. This is the basis of all early childhood education. If the provider is unaware, you should know that they probably do not have much in the way of training in Early Childhood Education.
10. What is the environment/schedule/routine like? Is this a safe place with a fenced-in yard, is the house free of filth, trash, and non-smoking? Are there outlet covers and cabinet locks? These safety items can save lives - and they do. It is extremely important that these be in place. For babies, ask if the provider uses the “back to sleep” method, where babies are ONLY placed on their backs at nap times. Where do the children sleep, eat, and play? As far as schedules and routines, children truly do benefit from them. They should be loosely in place at home day cares, but some sense of routine allows children to feel safe and secure. When they know what to expect, their behavior and their internal harmony is much, much calmer.
Good luck with your search and remember - parental instincts are almost always spot on. Follow your gut, and the right provider will be there for you.
