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Cincinnati Babies
Questions to ask in-home sitters?
Like I said in the post below we are looking at in-home childcare for C starting soon. We have about 3 that we are looking at and will be meeting with them soon. Just wondering what types of questions I should be asking? tia ladies!
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Re: Questions to ask in-home sitters?
Here are some good ones to ask:
-Are you certified?
-Are you trained in CPR and Red Cross? Are you trained in assisting in helping choking children and babies?
-What activities do you do daily to keep a routine?
-Do you provide meals, snacks, and milk for toddlers?
-Where will my child be sleeping? (check the crib if it's a crib-- nothing old, recalled, etc.) Will I launder my child's crib linens or will you? If you will, how often per week/month?
-Where will my child be eating? Do you have more than one high chair if babies want to eat all at once?
-Do you let the children watch TV? How often? What kinds of shows?
-Do you take the children outside? Will you put on sunscreen every time? Will you provide sunscreen?
-Have you worked with babies on breastmilk/formula before? (to make sure they understand when it expires, thawing and re-refridgerating, all that)
-Do you charge by the hour, the day, the week, or the month? How often do I have to pay you? Do you take checks?
-Do I pay for days I am not here (illness, vacation)? Do you take any vacation days that I should know about?
-Will I have to pay if he doesn't attend in the summer, to hold his spot (you teach, right? Chemistry?)? Will I have to pay full-price?
-How many other children will you be watching? Will there ever be any extra children? (own kids, grandkids, etc.)
-Do you provide any backup if you are ill and can't watch my child?
-Do you have any references I can call? (and call them!)
Those are the basic ones I used. We found a provider I was okay with...she was nice for when DD was very small but wouldn't have been a great fit for a toddler, so we are moving DD to a center. There are some great in-home providers out there, I hope you find one!
Try craigslist (cat81305 found hers there and recommended using it) or care.com. You can actually browse the profiles for sitters on care.com for free. There's also 4C in the Cincinnati area and they have licensed in-home providers listed on there.
Teacherjess, do you come up with this stuff off the top of your head? You are good. Really good.
The only other things I can think of quickly are:
Experience taking care of children?
What a typical day would look like.
How often toys/ play area is cleaned?
Sample food menu - if she'll provide the food.
And I just paid alot of attention to how people acted and how they interacted with DD while I interviewed them. I also wanted a tour of the house, so I could see all of the places where DD would be going. I think you will definitely know when you find the right person. GL!