Daycare

katxattack

Since I am a FTM- I have no idea what questions to ask a possible daycare person. Any advice?  Looks like I might have found someone close to my house, who is within my price range...AND... she'll hold us a spot until I go back to work (November)! After several attempts to get prices, I ended up so freaked out I thought I was going to have to work 2 jobs...

What should I ask?

Matt Dvorak

Is this an in-home person? If so, I would run a background check on her, and ask for recommendations. I would ask what you need to provide (diapers, formula/breast milk, anything else?), what kind of daily routine she follows - and if she will follow your desired nap/eating schedule (my daycare will try to stick to the schedule I give them). I would ask if she is CPR/first aid certified, and how many kids she currently is watching and what her limit is.

bargar18

we don't use an 'in home' provider, but i think a lot of the questions are the same...plus, my mom was an in home provider for YEARS so i think alot of these questions are valid.

1-does she provide the meals or do you?  what kind of meals does she feed the kids?  will she give you a menu?

2-how much tv will they be watching since they'll be in her home

3-where will your LO be napping?  you want to make sure it's in a safe environment...

4-how many other kids does she watch?  usually people who are regulated through the state can only have a certain # of kids.

5-what type of discipline will she use if needed?  you want to make sure it falls in line with what you want from her...too much discipline or too little might be a problem

6-what kind of people are in and out of her house during the day?  does she have her own kids?  how old are they?  are their friends at the house? 

7-if kids play outside when they get older, is there an enclosed yard for them to play or do they play in an open yard?

8-i'd also ask what her policy is on when your LO is sick.  will she let them be there if they have a fever?

eortman

You should make at least two different visits to her facility and visit for a few hours to see how things go.  If she is not willing to let you do that, cross her off the list and start over.  IMO, just asking questions is not enough, you should see how she interacts with the kids first hand.

katxattack

I figured we will stop by tomorrow, as planned. If that goes well, I'll leave the small deposit shes asking for to hold the spot. Then, I'll stop by a couple times after the LO is here to see how things are going during the day and have her meet our baby.