We are going to be setting up appointments within the next few weeks and I don't know what we should be asking to make sure we get all the info we need. Things that come to mind are holidays (I don't get any at work so would have to take off any time the daycare is closed for one), do we pay when we go on vacation/child is sick, do they offer part-time daycare, etc. I'll definitely look up their records and certifications as well as talk to parents that use them already. What other things did you ask/what was important to you when you were looking into daycare?
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I got some good ideas from other posts here. Some of the questions we're asking are...
- How does it work if I breastfeed? Do you supporting bringing breastmilk? And how do you heat the milk/formula (want to be sure they don't use microwaves).
- Is it required that your staff have infant CPR and first aid certification?
- What is the turnover like with teachers -- how long have your teachers been here.
- What is the turnover like with kids
- Do all of your teachers/staff have degrees/background in childhood education?
- What happens if somebody other than myself or DH needs to pick up LO?
- Do you have a vaccination policy -- do all kids who come here need to be vaccinated? (it was very important to us that they DO have that policy).
- How does it work with food, once they start eating solids?
- Do you have an open-door policy, i.e., can we drop in whenever?
- How often do you clean and sterilize the cribs, surfaces, play areas.I'll let you know if I think of others!
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You have some great questions! Also ask about their emergency evacuation plans--where will they go with the children in case of an emergency? How will the parents be notified? How long will they keep the children until the parents get there?
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Thanks ladies, this helps a lot!!
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We asked a lot of the questions above, as well as:
- do you have kids in cloth diapers and how do you handle that? (or alternatively, do parents bring their own or are they provided at a charge?)
- is there a vegetarian menu option always available?
- are children moved up to the next room when they are developmentally ready (walking, talking, etc) or at a strict age milestone? -
@keiki_mama: oh, good one!
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The ratio of kids to teachers is important too
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In addition to the moving classroom question, I would ask what changes between room to room. For example, in our infant room, they are on their own schedule but when they get moved to the older infant room (9-18 months) they are expected to go to one nap and standard meal times. At 12 months they are moved from the crib onto a cot. I think when they go from the 2-3 year old room they start drinking out of a regular cup instead of a sippy cup.
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One of the things I wouldn't have thought to ask, but is now pretty important to me, is how much interaction the different age groups/ classes have with each other. At our daycare, all the kids under 3 years old are in the same area, and while there are different classrooms and the kids will split up with their teachers for several activities and meals and naps and such, there is a LOT of interaction between the rooms and the kids are often kind of free to roam around and hang out in different rooms and with different teachers and kids. I like that a lot- LO LOVES playing with the babies, and I think he gets a lot out of being around kids who are slightly older... he tries to mimic their words and their skills.
In contrast, a friend of mine usually a much more structured daycare where kids are pretty much in their own room all day and there's no wandering. -
@Thehistoryofus: Good ones. I'm generally quite happy with my daycare, but if I could change anything, it would be that they started the one-nap-a-day thing when I think DS still really needed two naps.
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Wow these are all questions I never thought to ask, thank you! I have a nice long list going now
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@Thehistoryofus: Some of those things seem crazy early! One nap at 9 months? And only 12 months old to transition to a cot? At 18 months DS take 2 naps or 1 really long one (3-4 hrs) and is definitely still in a crib/pack'n'play.
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