Interviewing Question

[HappyHearts]

Do you require meeting both parents if they are married/together, before enrolling their child?

I've been doing this for nearly 20 years, and this has been my policy for the past 15 years. I had a couple different sets of parents when I first started my daycare, where the fathers didn't agree with home childcare and wanted the kids in large commercial centers. I had never met the fathers, and it just caused issues between the moms and my policies not meeting the dad's approval.

So, for the past 15 years, I have always required meeting both parents, getting both signatures on my contract, and having a copy of their drivers license in their file.

So, just curious, do any of you require meeting both parents? If yes, have you ever had an issue come up if one parent doesn't want to come for the interview?

[Mary Lynn 482]

Interview Questions!

Good evening!
I am new to this forum and just wanted to jump in! I don't
require both parents to come, but I usually see both parents
at my interview! I do require that at some point if another
adult will be picking up the kids, that I met them. If not I will
tell the parents that I will check their I.D. before I will
willingly let the child go with them!
Have a good evening!
Mary Lynn

[cheerfuldom]

This is an interesting question. I dont require it but only because it has never come up before....both parents always come.

[MarinaVanessa]

I don't require it however I do highly recommend it to families that are interested in interviewing. I very frankly tell them over the phone during their initial call that they should come to the interview with their spouse/significant other and any other family member/caretaker that might share the responsibility of caring for their child ... like grandma, older sister or friend that will drop-off or pick-up child.

So far I have only had one grandma show up during an interview but both parents have always shown up regardless of whether they were living in the same household or not. My reasoning for this is that it only takes one person to ruin the business relationship if not everyone is on board or understands and follows the policies. If grandma is used to watching her precious grandbaby but the parents want to give their child an opportunity to form friendships and social skills through a daycare environment and grandma doesn't approve she can create tension. Or if the dad or the child's young-adult older sister will be helping with picking up or dropping off but are unreliable when it comes to sticking to the contracted times then this can also cause stress to the daycare arrangement.

I have had some interviews when the other parent doesn't show to the interview however I don't make it a big issue but I really emphasize that the other parent has to follow the rules to a T. I don't like it, but I don't force it. I also like to watch how the family interacts with each other to get a feel for what their family dynamics are like. These are the people that I will have to come in contact with in my home on a regular basis and so I would like the opportunity to scope them out before I let them in.

[Brooksie]

I would definitely recommend meeting both the parents and having them both on the contract. I went through a situation where I went over the whole contract with a friend of mine to enroll her son and got a call 2 days later saying that the ex husband wasn't on board and he wanted to have a stranger watch the kid. She was still going to enroll him and I stopped her right there. Its a serious liability if both parents are not on board with the care being provided for their child.