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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Daycare questions
I'm going to go back to work part time this spring and need to start researching daycares. What kinds of questions do you ask when deciding on a daycare?
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Re: Daycare questions
My only recommendation is an in-home. We've been to two in-homes and one center. The first in-home we left because we transferred for the military (we are still in contact with her). Then went to a center and left after 10 weeks after DD was biten 8 times.
We also now love our new in-home. My first thought is that you need to feel comfortable with the provider. I automatically clicked with both in-home providers. I liked the homey feel. And I like that DD has the same provider every day.
For the center, I liked that she had a bit more "school" atmosphere but everytime I picked DD up there was a different provider there. I didn't like that.
Ask about their background in childhood education. How many children do they have per teacher (especially if you are doing an in-home). Check their licenses to make sure. Also I would call the state and see if there has been any complaints about them. Check the environment and see if there are any safety concerns. Ask them about their schedule and what sorts of things they do throughout the day. Ask how they discipline the children and make sure that is in line with what you expect. You need to be concerned about where your children will stay and ask endless questions.
I always have preferred a center. The hours work better for us. I like that there's more accountability.
Anyway, I found these helpful when we first looked at daycares.
https://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-find-good-daycare_5924.bc
https://www.babycenter.com/0_daycare-center-director-caregiver-interview-sheet_1452137.bc
https://www.babycenter.com/0_home-daycare-provider-interview-sheet_1452147.bc
In general though, all daycares are held to the same standards. Really, a lot of our decisions were based on gut feelings. We just had to find a new center for DD2 when ours closed. We looked at 3 - a large center with a great learning program that would have been great, but it was way too pricey - a medium sized center that I just didn't feel great about (teachers didn't seem enthusiastic, place was just okay, not bad, but not great) - a small religious based center that was very welcoming. We went with the small center.
ETA: When we initially looked at daycare for DD1, we looked at in-homes. The ones I found here charged by the hour, and they actually would have been more expensive than the center we chose. The cost will vary state to state, so I would look at all your options before ruling out one or the other.
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
First decide if you want in-home or center daycare. Centers tend to cost about twice as much, and for us money was a big issue. We went with an in-home also because of the atmosphere and the individual attention.
Questions:
What is the schedule? Meals/naps/playtime etc.
How will they deal with adjustments? (for ex: my son is really picky with food, so I provide his lunch, but he always is offered her food first. He also refuses to nap on the cots, so he sleeps in the crib in the extra bedroom)
How many kids currently? What ages? What is the maximum they are allowed to have? Teacher/kid ratio if it is a center?
Security? (I turned down an in-home, because the front door unlocked from the inside when you turned the handle, there was no extra lock, and it was on a busier street. My current daycare had an issue with an older toddler unlocking and opening the door, so she installed a latch at the top for added safety. I can hear her latch it everyday.)
Outdoor play? Activities? TV amounts?
Basically what is important to you that you want your child exposed to and not exposed to. It was important to me that there be other kids his age for interaction, that activities be planned, not just free play, and that he got individual attention when needed. I love where he is, and no one is perfect, but overall I feel that he gets a lot of attention and is safe.