Questions for Daycares

olga1311 · February 2014

So my LO is 4 months and I am starting to research daycares for her. I am planning to back to work when she is 1-1.5 years old and I was wondering what questions should I ask the daycares? What should I pay attention to/look for during my visit?

I am FTM and choosing daycare is a first for me so I want to make sure I don't miss something!

TIA for any help!!

DebbieM422 · February 2014

Aside from location (we wanted one that was convient for our commute):

The big one was student to teacher ratio. Every state has a minimum, and the DC we use acutally has less students per teacher than the state minimum, so that was a big one.

Security was important too, we went with one that requires a code + handprint to open the door.

Less important to me was if the school provides food / formula (ours doesn't, but again, this wasn't a need-to-have for us).

Most important, and one you really can't put a measure on is your gut - visit lots of places and you'll know the right one when you see it. It will just feel like the right environment for your LO.

jaylee212 · February 2014

I agree, go with your gut, you'll know the moment you step into a potential daycare/babysitter if the situation is right for your LO. I actually find mine by getting reccomendations from friends who had used the same place. I would also make sure that each child care handler who will be around your baby is CPR certified, just in case.

TREDgirl · February 2014

We have a neighborhood FB group for the moms and I asked them. 90% of them all use the same daycare right around the corner.

For us finding a daycare close to home rather than our work place was a must. If you're ever sick or just need to take a mental day you don't want to drive all the way to work to drop LO off. Probably not an issue for smaller towns. But I commute for about an hour each way so that makes a huge difference.

trudibell · February 2014

I haven't done daycare yet, but I would ask about entertainment if you have concerns about TV and I would drop in unexpectedly to scope out the place before making a decision. If you schedule an appointment they'll be ready for you, while if you drop in you'll get to see the place as it is on a normal day.

roo1oo · February 2014

We went half by gut feeling and half by price. If it was all based on gut feeling we would have chosen a much more expensive place, but I am happy with the daycare we chose.

Unknown · February 2014

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KerCo51 · February 2014

As others have said, the student to teacher ratio is really important. For me, I was happy that I could leave a few weeks of formula and bottles there and I didn't have to worry about preparing them and washing them every night. I know other people feel better making their own. It was also important to me that the place had cameras. I think the teachers are more likely to be on their best behavior when they know they are on camera all day.

Nancy711 · February 2014

As an infant daycare teacher and FTM, you of course want to check the ratios. Here in Illinois we have 1 teacher for every 4 infants ages 6 weeks to 15 months. You also want to ask about diapering procedures and how things are cleaned (bottles, toys, bouncies exersaucers laundry etc). What things are shared (high chairs, exersaucers, etc)Make sure they let you come and go as you please without notification.

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