https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 12 Jul 2026 18:58:22 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-interviews-and-tours#post-370291 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:07:18 +0000 shinystraps 370291@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: Good to know! I already have a really positive feeling about one that I drive by daily based on how happy the kids look when they're playing outside, so I'm afraid I'm biased... but maybe that is ok :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-interviews-and-tours#post-370290 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:06:39 +0000 shinystraps 370290@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@oahujeni: SO helpful! You have some questions on there that I haven't seen on other lists - thanks!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-interviews-and-tours#post-370031 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:04:23 +0000 mediagirl 370031@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I made sure I got a full tour at each daycare center. The other posters gave you great tips. I'll be honest - In the end, I had to go with my gut. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-interviews-and-tours#post-369992 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:46:11 +0000 oahujeni 369992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Based on the post I did a month or so ago, I created a word doc that I brought to each daycare and here are the questions I compiled (I don't think I can post a word doc here so I'll just list them):</p> <p>Facility:<br /> Ratio of kids to teachers:<br /> Do all of your teachers/staff have degrees/background in childhood education?<br /> Is it required that your staff have infant CPR and first aid certification?<br /> Do you have an open-door policy, i.e., can we drop in whenever?<br /> Vaccination policy -- do all kids who come here need to be vaccinated? If yes, what vaccines?<br /> Who can pick up our baby?<br /> Emergency Evacuation Plan – Where do you go in case of an emergency? How are the parents notified?<br /> Safety – What precautions are there to get in and out of the school?<br /> Do we have to pay for days our child is sick or on vacation?<br /> What is your policy regarding sick kids? When do you call us and when do you send them home?<br /> What holidays are you closed?<br /> Pricing Full Time:<br /> Pricing Part Time:<br /> How much is the charge if we are late to pick up?<br /> How often do you clean and sterilize the cribs, surfaces, play areas?<br /> Do you provide diapers?<br /> How often do you change diapers?<br /> Do you supporting bringing breastmilk? How do you heat it? (Make sure NO microwave!)<br /> How does it work with food once they start eating solids? Do you provide food or can we provide our own?<br /> What activities do you do with babies this age?<br /> Are children moved up to the next room when they are developmentally ready (walking, talking, etc) or at a strict age milestone?<br /> Naps – how many per day? Will you adapt to the same schedule we keep at home?<br /> Do you provide a daily summary of what our child did each day (some of the daycares we saw provide us with a sheet every single day and others didn't provide anything)<br /> Notes: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-interviews-and-tours#post-369634 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:55:09 +0000 shinystraps 369634@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: Oh I hadn't even thought about that (asking to see all the rooms). I'd been so focused on infant rooms. Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-interviews-and-tours#post-369589 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:43:23 +0000 Adira 369589@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I found this post extremely helpful in coming up with questions:</p> <p><a href="http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-on-a-daycare-tour#post-310232" rel="nofollow">http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-on-a-daycare-tour#post-310232</a></p> <p>Another thing I asked was about itemized receipts so that I could use our Dependent Spending Account at work.</p> <p>Mostly I went with my gut though - I was able to do some research to determine any licensing violations and then being able to tour the facility and ask my questions and just get a feel for the place. One thing you might want to do (if they don't do it automatically) is ask to tour ALL the rooms. At our first tour, we only saw the infant room, and then later we wished we had seen more, since our child was going to be there long-term. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-interviews-and-tours#post-369558 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:32:51 +0000 shinystraps 369558@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're starting to go on tours with daycare centers and do interviews this week, and I was wondering if there is anything that, looking back, you wish you would have asked about? I've printed off some lists of questions to ask that I found online, but is there anything that you wish you would have asked/paid attention to?</p> <p>Also, how much weight should I give my gut instinct as we do the tours? </p>