Questions for Daycares

valerie4786 · February 2016

Ladies, did we have a thread for touring daycares and good questions to ask while there? I thought we did, but I can't seem to find it...

If not, what were some of the questions you asked when touring daycares? Husband and I are going to check out our first daycare this week and my mind blanked on the questions I planned on asking.

mrstmoose · February 2016

We got lucky and she sent us her handbook/contract prior to the meeting so most of my questions were answered. I wanted to know things like what they provided (diapers/wipes/etc), what days were her vacation days, how many days off per year does she get, times to be picked up and dropped off, does she do educational activities at a certain age, etc.

To be honest, we went based off of our guts along with the information we were provided. There was that "mom" instinct that told me she would be great with our girl. I would also recommend checking your states childcare licensing to see if there are any issues that she had in the previous years that would concern you.

emilyj77 · February 2016

In addition to what mrstmoose said, I would also ask if you get any vacation time. For example, after one year at our daycare we get one week of vacation where we only pay for half the week. And what food does the daycare provide? Breakfast, lunch and snacks or do you have to provide your own? Do they provide formula? Teacher to child ratio as the kids age (if it's a center).
I would agree that your gut will help you make the decision. That and their waiting list. We waited to get into our daycare for 12 months and it was worth it.

laurenmdrn16 · February 2016

Also, ask about their sick policy. I may be biased as a school nurse, but this was one of the most important things for me. What do they do if a child is acting "out of sorts" or appears sick? What type of temperature do they take (rectal, axillary, temporal)? What is their "send home" temp limit (for some it is 99, others 100, others still 100.3)? Vomit vs spit-up? Green boogers vs clear nasal discharge? What do they do if a child needs to be sent home? How do they clean up vomit, diarrhea, blood? Ask what is required for the student to return to daycare (24 hrs fever free, doctor's note). Also their medication policy should be pretty standard, but you may be surprised what is considered "medication", like diaper cream, sunscreen, and insect repellent.

Pascal86 · February 2016

We went in with no questions, but they were super on top of it, and the woman who gave us a tour kept telling us questions we should ask other places if we kept looking - a couple that I remember are:
-What are their security protocols?
-What's their policy on parents dropping in at anytime? Apparently in Oregon it's state law that parents can come in unannounced to see or pick up their own kids at anytime, but she said that a lot of daycares try to make policies against that because they think it's annoying, but it's not legal.

Bltbear82 · February 2016

Not to hijack - random question - @laurenmdrn16 what is the protocol for either green or clear runny noses? There's a girl at our preschool who has had a constant runny nose for 2 weeks and I just want to scream "keep your sick kid home!"

laurenmdrn16 · February 2016

Bltbear82 said:

Not to hijack - random question - @laurenmdrn16 what is the protocol for either green or clear runny noses? There's a girl at our preschool who has had a constant runny nose for 2 weeks and I just want to scream "keep your sick kid home!"

It really depends, but in general green, yellow or thick discharge is usually a sign of an infection, either viral or bacterial, while clear watery discharge is generally seasonal rhinitis. From an infection control standpoint, the former is criteria for dismissal while the latter is up to the parent. However, if it is constant for such a long period of time, I would question if it is a cold/rhinovirus that is just hanging on or if the child keeps reinfecting themselves. It can be hard to convince a parent to keep a kid home who "just" has a runny nose, but at preschool age, they really don't understand hand hygiene and are a risk to other kiddos. Basically, if you have to follow the kid around with a tissue constantly, it might be good to keep them home until they aren't such a leaky faucet!

Bltbear82 · February 2016

Thanks @laurenmdrn16! It was definitely a leaky faucet situation.

yogahh · February 2016

Just because I just went through it, ask them about their preferences for contacting them! I was having a hard time getting them to reply to my emails. Communication is important to me, so knowing the best way to get their (immediate) reply is important to me.

khochanadel · February 2016

Also ask about car seat storage, particularly if you and SO will be switching drop off and pick up duty.

Ask about security.

If you are planning to breast feed, ask about facilities for that if you want to do a drop in. How they store breast milk is important too.

JoMunson · February 2016

I worked in daycare for 10 years and here are some lapses I saw that I'd want to know as a parent:
1. What training/education do you require for your employees?
2. What forms of discipline do you use?
-what is your philosophy on discipline?
-what would the process look like if a child was not following the rules?
3. What are some things a child could do that would get them kicked out of daycare?

we also asked our daycare about cloth diapers (if you plan to use them ask if your daycare is okay with that because some aren't), alternative diets (we're vegan and don't want our child to eat animal products), and any deals they might do for paying early or by a certain date.

valerie4786 · February 2016

Thanks ladies!! These are super helpful!!

zekesmommy611 · February 2016

Definitely ask about how sick days or a vacation works. The daycare DS goes to we pay a week in advance. If he's sick or has a fever we still pay for that day even though he's not there. But if we have a planned vacation we don't have to pay for that time.
Also ask how many days your LO has to be in daycare. Our daycare is super flexible so some weeks DS is in daycare two days a week others five days, depending on our schedules and MILs schedule.
Ask about drop in days (days LO isn't scheduled for daycare but your babysitter falls through). We pay a flat rate for a drop in day.

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