Question to Ask Potential Daycare Provider

The only question I think I'd like to hear a quick, calm answer to is:

Can I drop in any time I feel like it?

Be extremely wary of anyone who fudges that answer, or says no for any reason. Lots of very, very 'logical' reasons can be used to why that's not a good idea for the energy, flow, routine, blah blah blah. You need to know that the workers (a single one in a family care situation or the whole lot in licenced care) are aware that at any moment they could be witnessed -- and you need to know that they are totally okay with that.

Oh, I would ask, though, if they're okay with having a live webcam in the room all the time, so you can watch any time you feel like it from work. That answer will tell you a great deal about someone, too.

Hello S.,

What a precious little blessing God has given you with your son!! I commend you for searching for wisdom in your decision for childcare. You have a hard road being a single parent and your son will thank you one day for the wise decisions that you make for his well-being.

I am a former daycare provider, Nanny and aide for the school district near my home. So I have had a lot of questions asked of me and have had several interviews. Ask any questions of the daycare provider that you wish...even if it seems awkward and a little silly. You are the parent and you are looking for the best care for your son. Remember she will be nurturing him while you are not present.

Find someone who is licensed. It is a State Law and they will have the opportunity to have extra insurance coverage on their home just for the daycare. And, because they are Licensed through the State of Michigan...they are checked on without notice. Having someone come into your home...they do not need to be licensed.

I would look for someone who doesn't have a full house so your son can adjust slowing. Look for someone who is going to take over for you while you are gone. Will she take him to the zoo, library, walks in the park, grocery shopping. He needs to experience all of these things that you would do with him. Does she have a routine schedule with activities, play time, lunches, naps,crafts. How much does the TV babysit your son or are the older kids playing video games and he will get attached to it.

Ask her why she is running a daycare. Is she doing it for the money, because she actually likes kids, or both. What does she do in the case of disciplining at child. Watch her reaction to your child when you go to the interview. Does she ask to hold him??

I hope that this helps. I'll be praying for you in your decision.

H.

Hi S.

I totally understand your concerns. I put my sons in an in home daycare.

I would ask other parents who use that daycare what they think. Get real life opinions.

Ask how they handle your child if they do act out

What schedule they follow during the day

Food.....do you bring your own or do they supply

If your child misses......do you still pay?

What days are they closed.

Those are ones I can think of right now

Make sure to visit and see what kind of feel you get. I know my son loves his sitter. Sometimes he calls me by her name :) ) But I know he is happy where he is and that is what is important

Good luck.........if you want any other info contact me

THanks

T.

References, References and more references.

In stead of going to a large daycare where the people have 20 kids to look after why don't you try finding a stay at home mom that is looking to earn some extra money. My friends and I are Christian moms that are very active in our church I know a few moms that just watch 2 or three kids out of there house. One of them is moving into a large house in 30 days and she is looking to take care of one more child during the day. She is a stay at home mom who has a 4 year old girl, and watches a little boy every once in a while. She use to watch my 3 kids when ever i needed her to. Sometimes when my husband and I were working long days she would even cook us dinner and clean the house for us. She is an awesome lady. She is only charging 25 dollars a day for one child. She provides home cooked healthy food for any child that she watches. She is the only person that I really feel completly comfortable leaving my kids with. I know that they are is such good hand it would be like i was there myself. If you want to talk to her or meet her and interview her, just email me at ____@____.com and I will give you her information. She will provide refrences from other people.

Hi S.,

I commend you on working full-time and going to school. It's tough, but you will accomplish your goals if you stick it out. I was a single mom at 27 and my daughter was 1 years old when I put her in a daycare facility. I remember how scared I was when I put her in daycare. At first, I had my daughter at an acquaintance's house for daycare (she had 2 daughters of her own), but then she became pregnant with her 3rd child and said it was too much for her to watch my daughter. The thing you have to remember about a single daycare person watching your child is that if that person gets sick and doesn't have a backup to take over the responsibility, you may have to take off of work that day or you better make sure you have someone else step in to watch your son. So, after that experience, I put my daughter in a daycare center which turned out to be great. Alot of the daycare persons who watched my daughter at this facility were young, college gals who were studying to become teachers and nannies. I knew that they liked being around children, that's important. There were also other moms who worked there too which brought their experience. There were plenty of other kids and an administrative staff who oversaw everything. Suppose, for instance, (this never happened to me), but it's something to consider, suppose one of the gals hit my daughter out of frustration--well, some other gal would have reported it to the administrator--that kind of behavior from a daycare person was NEVER acceptable. There were many people watching each other, which is good. Although it may cost alot more to have your child at a licensed daycare facility, from my experience, I would recommend it. My daughter learned alot and has wonderful social skills and she's 13 years old now. Word of mouth is the best way to find a good daycare person/facility.

The first few weeks, your son will cry and possibly scream. That's normal. The daycare personnel are trained to comfort the child during this time of transition. When you see him cry, it will definitely tug at your heart, but remember it takes time for the both of you to adjust to this new situation. Then one day you will go to pick him up and he will cry not because he doesn't want to be there, but because he has to leave daycare--that's a sign that he is now happy and feels like he belongs.

Good Luck,

MC

S.,

My children are both at Kindercare (4 years and 6 mos). I was afraid of an in-home placement for the reasons you mentioned. The kids get great care at Kindercare and they have a really great pre-school program. If you check out their website they also have a great Daycare checklist you can use, regardless of the daycare you choose. I hope it helps you.

My best advice is this...follow your gut. If the place doesn't feel right...it probably isn't. Make sure the daycare provider will adjust to your son's needs. Drop in announced to the extent possible when visiting places.

I am a SAHM and a daycare provider. One of the things I would suggest is to make sure and take your munchkin with you. AND watch the interaction while your there. Does the provider get on level with your child? It may just be me, but when I have a potential child in my home I would much rather sit on the floor and interact with the child than talk above the child to the parent while sitting on the sofa. If there are other kids in the home watch the interaction between not only the other kids and yours but also between the adults in the home and the other kids.
As a provider i look at the initial visit as a double interview. Not only are you interviewing THEM, but the provider is also interviewing YOU and yours to see if the fit will be right. I have turned families down because their values obviously didn't fit with our families.
Look around, pay attention to body language, and listen to that mommy sense that you have been blessed with. Those little feelings are there for a reason!!!
And remember: You only hear the bad stories on the news... There are millions of GREAT stories that you never hear.
Try to stick with licensed facilities. They are more accountable than unlicensed. Look into your local 4C chapter. They can give you referals to licensed care providers.

S.,

I am a full-time working Mom of 2 boys 6 & 2 Saturday!! I have been through only a couple of places that were not to my likeing. You need to 1. find a daycare that is liscensed through the state of Michigan 2.get referral of friends/family who live in your area- Where do you live? 3 GUT FEELING what one person likes may not be the same that you like.. I will give you an example my daycare lady uses the whole 1st floor of her house AND her garage gas been converted to an outdoor playroom. I personally don't like a basement daycare where others would not mind. Feel free to e-mail me back with ANY questions.

Good Luck!!