What to Ask During the Visit
While the list of questions to ask a childcare provider during an interview can be quite extensive, the following list should satisfy your needs. Add your own specific questions to this list and be sure to ask them during the interview.
- Are you a licensed childcare provider?
- How long have you been a childcare provider?
- Are you certified in CPR?
- Do you use a contract (if so what does the contract require of the parents and the childcare provider)?
- Do you allow parents to drop by to visit without notice?
- How do the children get to school and back?
- What does the childcare cost?
- What are the standard business hours?
- When are payments due?
- How are vacations handled and what payments are required?
- During which holidays are you closed?
- How are sick days handled?
- Is there any schedule or organized educational time?
- Who will watch the kids when the normal provider is not available?
- Does anyone smoke on the site?
- How many children are currently under your care?
- How many adults are there to care for the children?
- What meals are offered, and when?
Evaluation
What did you notice during the interview about the facility, the environment, and the provider? Did anything stand out to you as being undesirable? How did the provider interact with you while you were there? If you brought your child, how did the provider interact with your child? Is the location adequate in size, condition, and cleanliness? Write down anything that stood out in a negative or positive way.
Make an Informed Decision
Use your instincts and the notes from your research and interviews to conclude in your heart and mind who you believe to be the best person to care for your children. Keep the other names on the list as alternatives in case the selection does not work out.
Run A Background Check on Your Selected Provider
Use a background checking service to conduct a criminal background check on the provider. This should cost somewhere in the range of $50 to $150, but it will be money well spent. You have done your homework and assessed the conditions, but this step goes to the books—beyond deceit or illusion. A background check will either verify your good judgment, or prevent you from making a terrible mistake. The most important thing it will give you is the peace of mind of knowing that you did everything that you could to provide the best care for your children. While a background check is no guarantee that your provider will meet your expectations over the long run, it will confirm that the person is credible and is in good standing with the law. This is the step that should make or break the decision you already made in concluding who is the best childcare provider for your children.
