Interviewing a licensed home daycare provider before you hire them may well be one of the biggest interviews of your life. These people will be responsible for the most important people in your life – your children. For this job, hiring the right person is absolutely critical.
Questions to Ask a Licensed Home Daycare Provider
There are a few obvious questions about licensing and curriculum to ask when you interview daycare providers in the Vaughan, Thornhill and Richmond Hill areas. But if you know some strategies for more probing questions, you will be armed with the best information to make this very important decision. Here are some questions that should not go unanswered.
- Can I Stop By One Afternoon During Pick Up Time to Speak with Some Current Clients? The answer to this question can provide you with several pieces of important information. If they say yes, you will be able to get unfiltered information from current references, which is gold when it comes to making your decision. If they say no, you should ask why not. Lack of transparency means there may be something to hide. However, depending on their policies, they may not allow outside parents to visit. If that’s the case, they should be able to show you this in their written At the very least, they should give you references. If something seems suspicious, trust your gut on this one.
- What’s a Typical Day? This question will not only help you to understand what your kids will be doing all day, but also if the provider has a plan. A plan shows that they are organized and professional; even better if they can show you a written plan for each day. Lack of a plan is a bit concerning. If they can’t even make a plan for the kids, how do you expect them to handle an emergency? A licensed home daycare provider’s ability to plan can tell you a lot about how they run their operation.
- What are the Rules AND the Consequences? These are not only rules for the kids, but also for the parents. A rule is worthless without a consequence for breaking it. Ask what happens if someone breaks a rule and how the daycare enforces it. Decide if these rules and consequences sound reasonable to you. Some licensed home daycares are stricter with rules based on what their clientele have asked for, so it’s also worth asking “why?” if a rule seems unusual.
- Can You Tell Me About Yourself and Your Staff? If it’s a larger licensed home daycare, there may be a couple of people working there. You should be able to get a full report on everyone who will be interacting with your children. Ask about background, certifications and daycare experience and decide if these are the kinds of people that you trust to spend several hours a day with your kids.
These four questions will give you a well-rounded picture of the person you may be hiring to spend the days with your kids. Don’t be shy about asking difficult questions, when you drop your kids off on that first day, you’ll be glad that you did.
