Day care questions

Anna Sines

My son (firstborn) was born in May and I have to go back to work in August.  I'm meeting with a couple of different day care providers and have a short list of basic questions to ask them.  I was wondering if any of you ladies have any suggestions for questions that I may not have thought of to ask.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thank you!

LAMARBRIDE2BE

I think that if you list the questions you already have it would be easier for ppl to make sugguestions.

Taylor44

It is great to have a list of questions, however, I would pay more attention to the teachers and the atmosphere and cleanliness of the center.  Your gut feeling is most important.  Also, once your child attends, I would suggest frequent unscheduled visits.

jenuine

I agree with Taylor44. It's a very gut reaction when you pick a place for your child. Yes, go in with a good list, but your gut will tell you if it's the right place for your family. You need to feel comfortable talking with the director and staff as you will have to talk with them daily about little things as well as issues that need to be resolved.

That said, some big things for me were:
- how breast feeding friendly they are
- how organized/clean they are
- how many hours a day kids can stay / late pick up fees
- how they handle discipline
- training teachers recieve (not just CPR, but ongoing teacher training)
- what an average day looks like
- how often do they get outside

And keep your list of places you visited with notes on the pros and cons of each place. Our slot on the waiting list for our first place didn't come up in time, so DD went to her runner-up center. When the slot did finally become available, I was so happy with the runner-up center that I didn't move her. If I hadn't had notes on them, I would have forgotten why I liked the second one.

Remember, if the first place you pick isn't a right fit, you can always change providers. When I was looking, I was thinking this would be the center she'd be until kindergarten. I have since learned that people switch centers for many reasons, so don't hesitate to change centers if you start at one and don't feel like it's right for you.

Good luck. It's a tough decision to make.

auburnbride2be

What is a typical day like?

Check out other rooms too and get a feel for the place overall, plus your DC will be in the Toddler room in no time.

Do they keep the age groups separate or combine them a lot.