In-Home daycare questions

MrsDeLovely

Hi Everyone-

My DH and I are visiting an in-home daycare next week and I was hoping to get some feedback on how to get the most out of the visit. What things should I ask? After speaking on the phone, we already know her rate and hours. Our daughter will be 4 months when she starts. I want to make sure she is going to be in a safe environment. I already have a good feeling about this woman, but is there anything I should look for when we visit? I'm new to this whole working mom thing

 Thanks!

massdreams

Google daycare questions and you'll get ideas for questions to ask. We went with an in home and tried to do visits when narrowing them down when there were a couple of kids there (these visits weren't too long since we didn't want to detract from her caring for the kids) so we could just get a sense of what things were like when the kids were around. Also, ask to see the parts of the house the kids have access to. A few places we visited had ridiculously small houses and I just didnt' think there was enough room for kids to play. But it lets you see toys/play areas for the kids, where they nap... One big thing for me was tv, and one provider we talked to had the tv on in the room the whole time we were chatting with her. One of her kids was in the room too, but he wasn't even really watching it. I figured if she didn't turn it off for that, it's probably on a lot when the kids are there.

RoxyLynn

I used to approve (or deny) home daycare providers for the state.

What activities are there for the children?

What method(s) of discipline do you use?  The state was VERY clear that they could not withhold sleep, water, or food as discipline.  You'd be surprised...

Where do you store prescription medicines?  Cleaning chemicals/supplies?

Do you have a fire evacuation plan?

Is anyone allowed to smoke in the home?  Is anyone allowed to hold a child after smoking?  [total dealbreaker, as far as I'm concerned]

See if she provides snacks or if you bring your own.

Brit1017

Make sure that they are on board with following your plan for discipline, sleep training, introducing new foods, etc. Things are easier if everything is consistent between home and DC.

Watch interaction between the DCP and your child, as well as the other children who are there and how they interact with your child.

Go with your gut!

 

carrierrie

Ditto pp, but you also need to know their hours of operation, how much vacation they get per year, do they have a backup for their sick days, who all lives in the home, etc. One huge draw back to in-home is that there's typically no one to fill in when their sick or on vacay. Good luck!