Detroit Babies
Options
Daycare Center Questions
DH & I are going to start interviewing daycares in our area soon and I've got a decent list together of questions. Do you have any you think I should ask?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Daycare Center Questions
Take a good look at their attendance policy. I have found it very much like a workplace with so many "vacation days". You have to request time off in advance at some places.
Ask about their policy with sick children, how they handle schedules - eating, sleeping do they follow the baby or do they try to enforce their schedule on the baby?
How often are toys washed?
Are diapers/wipes provided or do I need to bring my own?
Is breastmilk kept in a fridge, labeled for my child?
Do they communicate with parents on a regular basis? Will they tell you what your child is doing every day?
Honestly, your gut instinct will tell you if the place is right or not.
Amy's questions are all great ones. I would add How do they heat up BM? It cannot be microwaved, so I would definitely check on that.
Another one is how long their adjustment policy is? I know most of the centers we looked at give like a 2 week adjustment period.
How quickly do you need to pick up the child if they get sick while at daycare?
BFP#2: 8/14/11 M/C 8/30/11 6w1d
BFP #3: 10/26/11
Beta #1 @11dpo: 22 Beta #2 @13dpo: 90 Beta #3 @17dpo: 480
Missed m/c 12w3d 12/28/11, d&c 12/30/11
dx Homozygous C677T MTHFR
All of the previous questions. I also asked about everyone's educational background and made sure that even the assistants had CPR training. The center we decided on has 3 different infant rooms for each stage of the first year, and they have a no cell phone policy, which I thought was pretty cool.
Also do they provide food when the time comes, do you have to put baby food in bowls already, most places won't feed out of a jar, ask about their snow days and which holidays they close, if they will give a baby Tylenol or Motrin when they are a little older for teething or if they had shots, and if they have an open door policy. And in case you are interested if they have cameras in the classroom.
But what if Nick wants to text his bff Landon during the day?
No cell phone policy is major. One of the centers we considered had an issue where a child was left outside by him or herself for at least 10 minutes and other parents indicated the provider in charge was seen on her cell phone.
I would also ask questions about the older rooms as well to make sure their policies are something you are comfortable with. Wherever you choose, you do not want to have to move your child when he or she is 2 or 3, so you will want to know if what goes on in the toddler rooms meet your standards.
Ask for the schedule they use for the toddler rooms, (e.g how much time is allocated for naps, play based instruction, outside time weather permitting, etc.) Also ask if they provide any meals other than snacks. Most centers don't and that was a big deal for me as a working mom whose spouse also works long hours.
All of the above ...
and safety/security was a big one for me. Where are the exits? Which ones are locked and require a key or keyless entry? How do people (parents, workers) enter the daycare center (if it's not a standalone building)? How do they record that my child has been signed in/out?
Good luck with your search.