Questions for Day Care Providers

Aurora1181

Finding day care for twins is tough! We've got our name on some lists for day care centers, but we're interviewing in-home day care providers over the next couple weeks, and I'm brainstorming questions to ask. Just as background for us: The twins will be going to daycare around 10 weeks. DH and I are both teachers, and there are five or six ladies near us who keep teachers' kids, so they've all been recommended by someone we know- our plan is to talk to as many of them as we can.

So far I have:
What will the children's environment be like? (We'll go to their house to see the actual home)
Do you have first aid/CPR training?
Can I get phone numbers of previous families whose kids you've kept?
What is the earliest I can drop off kids/ latest I can pick up kids?
Will pets be around the children?
Are there other adults in your home who might be around the children?
How many other children will be watched in the home?

One lady has a kid of her own at home- a four year old- so I'm wondering what happens there when her four year old is sick- I guess I have to keep my healthy twins at home?

What else should I add to my list? There has to be a lot more!

Thanks, ladies..

pnwlover12

I'm not a DCP but I would also ask what type of activities will they do with the kids? Obviously in the beginning it's a lot of eat/sleep/poop/repeat, but as they get older they will need things to keep them busy and entertained.

BreandMikewedding

What is their sick policy? Although it is nice to not have to stay home if your babies have a runny nose, that also means yours will be exposed to more. When I ran a daycare I had one family who was notorious for giving their son meds to mask his symptoms and bringing him. Then all the kids got sick and their families got sick. It was horrible!

What do they provide? Such as table food. Most don't provide baby food, diapers or wipes but some do. We have two neighbors who went to the same daycare and one family thought they had to provide their own food for over a year before they found out the daycare provided it.

Where do they sleep? Do you need to provide a pack n play or crib? Look at things for when they are mobile. Are there sharp edges on furniture that could harm them? Are there toys stacked that could fall on your babies? Do they have a lot of movies in the daycare area? This is a sign that they sit in front of the tv a lot. Do they watch school aged children?

angeltennis3

How much advance notice will they give you if they are taking a vacation?

Asking how often then will take your twins away from the home is huge. My friend is switching daycare providers because of this. Her current in home provider takes her son somewhere literally every day, and doesn't tell my friend their plan. She is really frustrated by that so she is now looking for a new provider.

MrsSarahRenee

If you are a teacher, I would find out about their flexibility with summer. Do you have to pay to keep your spot all summer or can you pay an abbreviated schedule (2 days a week etc)? Will the provider be taking her vaca during the summer if she has multiple families of teachers? That would be handy.

My friend uses a center so she can just pay for one day per week over the summer and drop her child off, but they still hold her spot for fall.

MrMrsandBaby

One thing that keeps coming up is vacation with our current in-home provider.  As of next Friday, she will have taken 20 days off this year.  Yup, 20!!!!!  See if they give you policies in writing - like 2 weeks vacation for the provider a year - but also ask their policy on paying if you are on vacation.  One provider we interviewed gave us one week of vacation but we had to pay for every day (unless she was on vacation) other than that, even if we took a two week vacation, we only got one week "free"

Also, ask about food, do you provide, does she?  And (if you end up FF) ask if she provides formula.  My provider can get it for free from a state program, saved us tons of money!  Ask to see where the kids sleep, get a list of what you need to provide.  Curriculum wasn't important to us - we knew we weren't putting DD in school, so we just wanted to make sure she was loved and looked after.  If it is important to you ask.  Also ask about TV.  A lot of in home providers use TV more than a center because of the age range they have.

Finally, ask if she is licensed.  It doesn't always mean better care, but it does mean they have to do continuing education and adhere to certain ratios.

MsMacual

Here are some of the questions that I asked:

• Experience feeding a breast fed baby (it is different- kellymom has a wonderful one page printable for care providers).
• Schedule and activities- I specifically wanted to know that they went outside and how she handled the weather (either too hot or too cold).
• Where will the baby sleep- ours designates a pack n play to each child and puts the pack n play on her second level (with a monitor) 
• How comfortable is she with baby led weaning when we get to solids
• Contract- how many paid days off (both sick and vacation), do we get a vacation week (meaning a week where we pay less because we won't be there)
• Sick policy- both for her and her kids and us.  We were in a center for our first year and they would send our son home whenever he had a fever of 100 or higher.  He happened to get teething fevers that were 100 so we were sent home and then out for the next day a bunch for something that wasn't communicable.  Our current provider will take kids with a fever as long as it is something that isn't communicable (i.e. teething, ear infection).  
• Communication- daily communication- is there a log or some other way that she is recording feedings, etc?  How does she communicate other important info to her families?  Ours texts us whenever she becomes aware of a child with something communicable so we know to watch for the symptoms.  She also gives us a printed schedule that includes days when her husband, mom, or dad will be there for part of the day due to a doctor appointment for her or one of her kids.  We also get a newsletter every couple of months and she includes stuff like the dates of her new carpet install, etc.
• Pets- we were fine with pets, but it was helpful to have a chance to meet their dog before we started and see how she interacted with our son.
• The names and ages of the other kids- it has changed over time, but it is nice to know a little about the other children so we can talk about our son's daycare friends with him.  I've also gotten to know some of the other parents because we see each other a few times per week when we drop off and pick up.  
• How many kids is she licensed to have and how does it break down by age?  Ours is licensed for like 12, but chooses to have 8 or less (including her own kids).  
• Supplies provided by her vs you provide- we provide diapers and we choose to keep a change of clothes at her house.  We also have a stash of big boy undies there b/c we are starting to potty train.  She provides wipes, breakfast, lunch, and a snack everyday.  I'd also ask if there is a supply fee for art supplies.  We had one while we were in the center and don't have one now.  I usually try to offer a few times per year to buy a new toy or something else for her daycare kids so she isn't footing the bill for everything.

I also looked at the state licensing requirements and was familiar with the "rules".   It's never been an issue, but it is helpful to know what the state inspectors are looking for when they visit her house.  

Good luck!  I found that infant openings were super hard to find (hence being in a center for a year).  Our current provider only takes kids under 1 if they are from one of her existing families.

Aurora1181

Thank you all so much for these suggestions!!!!! If anyone else thinks of any, please add them. I'm keeping them all written down in my notebook to bring to the interviews.