Your child is the most important and wonderful thing in your life. You need to find a daycare that loves your child almost as much as you do.
I have compiled a list of questions you should ask your intended daycare during your first meeting so that you can ensure, to the best of your abilities, that your child is well cared for.
What is your child-to-teacher ratio?
This is one of the more essential questions. A child-to-teacher ratio tells you how many children one teacher cares for. There are laws in certain states that require a certain number of children per teacher, but other states do not seem to put such a high premium on childcare.
From what I have seen and heard from many parents, there are ideal numbers that grow with age. There should be no more than 4 infants per teacher, and no more than 10 preschoolers per teacher. Preschool is considered K-4. Ages 2-3 should be no more than 6 children per teacher. Corner Stone Academy has some recommended guidelines as well.
Do you provide meals and/or snacks?
Most daycares will require you to bring your own bottles (premade), snacks, meals, and drinks. Very few will provide snacks and meals for your child. None will make your bottles for you.
If your daycare does provide snacks and meals, be sure to ask about what kind of snack. If there are things you do not want your children to eat, it is your responsibility to tell the daycare. If your child has allergies or stomach issues or if you simply do not want them to consume certain things, you may be better off packing meals every day.
Stay tuned for a week in the life of my kid’s lunches!
How do you handle behavioral issues?
I heard from a friend, she walked into the daycare to collect her 9-month-old son. When she walked in, he was in his high chair, facing a corner, with no one acknowledging his cries. When asked what a 9-month-old baby did, that was so wrong he had to be put in a corner, her response was, “he wouldn’t stop throwing his cup”.
Your job as a parent is to ensure your child is being taken care of in ALL manners. Daycare providers and teachers should never EVER strike a child. Even popping their hand.
According to Very Well Family, you shouldn’t even put a child in timeout until after the age of two. It is always best to talk with your child and have direct consequences related to the problem. Always talk with your child and make sure they understand that what they are doing is wrong and why it is wrong. “Because I said so” is not a healthy answer and will confuse your child further. HealthyChildren.org can help you navigate discipline for young children.
Find a daycare that has the same core beliefs you have when it comes to disciplining your children. You can view this website on healthy ways to discipline your toddlers.
What is your potty training procedure?
The majority of daycares do not potty train or even encourage toilet use until the parents are certain their child is potty trained. Having a daycare potty train in addition to your potty training at home, it always easier for a child to transition from diapers to using a toilet. This may not be a deal breaker to everyone, especially if you start a daycare with your baby being only a few months old, but it does come in handy.
Can parents drop in for surprise visits?
This is a tricky one. Many daycares stopped any kind of visitation when COVID-19 started. If the daycare hasn’t reopened these procedures or tours by now, make sure to ask them when they plan to do so.
If a daycare doesn’t allow drop-in or surprise visits, that is a big red flag. Allowing parents to make surprise visits to daycare facilities promotes trust, ensures child well-being, maintains high standards of care, and facilitates open communication. It benefits both parents and daycare staff by fostering a strong partnership focused on the best interests of the children in their care.
What is your tuition and what other fees do you have?
It is important to know what you are in for before ever signing papers. Many daycares will have other hidden fees and some will have upfront extra fees. Deposit fee, registration fee, school supply fee, and various other things. You don’t want to sign a contract and learn that if you withdraw your child at a certain time of year, you will have to pay a $ 1,000 fee. Ask these questions in advance.
World Population Review has an average yearly tuition scale per state.
What is your payment schedule?
You need to know how often or how little often you will need to make payments. Weekly? Bi-weekly? Monthly? Some private school daycares also offer yearly tuition. It is essential you know the payment schedule ahead of time so that you can financially prepare and be sure you are missing a payment.
Are there discounts available?
Some daycares have a sibling discount if you have multiple children going to the same daycare. Some offer discounts for children of veterans or active military members. During COVID-19, most daycares closed down, but the ones that stayed open had discounts for healthcare professionals.
There are also options based on timing in some areas. Early pickup or late drop-off, if your child is a full-time attendee, early enrollment. There are a dozen more discounts that could be offered to you. It never hurts to ask.
How do you keep parents updated throughout the day?
Communication ensures that you are informed about your child’s activities, mood, health, and any significant events that occur during their time at the daycare. This helps parents stay connected with their child’s well-being and development.
Regular updates and communication foster trust between you and the daycare staff. When you receive timely information about your child’s experiences, you will feel more confident that the daycare is providing attentive and quality care to your babies.
What security measures do you have in place?
Door locks? Electric locks? A fence around the buildings and playgrounds? ID badges? Cameras? FUNCTIONING cameras? Visitor logs? Childproofing? Do they implement safe sleeping practices? Do they provide emergency alarm drills for tornadoes, intruders, earthquakes, etc.?
Are you a state-licensed facility?
State licensing requirements often involve stringent safety regulations that ensure the physical environment of the daycare is safe for children. This includes proper sanitation, building safety, and appropriate childproofing measures. Licensed facilities are regularly inspected to ensure compliance with these safety standards.
Licensed daycares often have guidelines in place for providing nutritious meals and snacks, as well as addressing dietary restrictions and allergies. This helps promote healthy development and ensures that children receive appropriate nourishment during their time at the facility.
They will also offer a structured curriculum or provide age-appropriate learning activities that contribute to children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. This prepares children for educational success as they transition
Do you do background checks on all employees and parents?
The primary reason for conducting background checks is to ensure the safety and well-being of the children in the daycare. Background checks help identify any potential employees who might have a history of criminal behavior, particularly offenses that could pose a risk to children. This includes offenses such as child abuse, violence, sexual misconduct, and drug-related crimes.
The last thing you’d want is to have a dangerous person around your child, especially someone in charge of protecting them.
What is your daily schedule like?
It is important to know the daily schedule of your child. They will more than likely be thrown off their own schedule when they start daycare. You’ll need to know when they last had a snack, and what their toilet schedule has been like. Your own schedule will have to adjust with your child’s daycare schedule, you will need to have all of the information ahead of this.
Do the children in your facility get outside time?
Most daycares, if not all, will have an outside play area for older children. Children under one likely won’t be allowed to play outside as a safety precaution. If sunlight or a certain amount of outside time is important to you, be sure to ask your daycare director this question on your tour or in your first interview.
Do you offer a refund for missed days?
A friend of mine’s daycare offers one “vacation week” a year, where you can take a week off without paying the daycare and they will still hold your spot. Some daycares only require advanced notice before you are off for a week or more to hold your spot. Most daycares, however, require you to pay your full amount regardless of how many days you miss.
Every child is unique, with their own personality, preferences, and developmental needs. By asking questions, you can gain insights into how the daycare plans to accommodate your child’s individual needs.
This includes understanding their approach to nurturing social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development, as well as how they handle special requirements such as allergies, dietary restrictions, or any other specific considerations your child might have. By seeking answers to these questions, you can ensure that the daycare is capable of providing a customized and supportive environment that will help your child thrive.
Don’t forget to view my other posts here. You may find more than one useful article.