Question For Potential Parents Other Than Ones Pertaining To Their Child?

[pattyschildcare]

When parents are looking for childcare for their child they visit providers. They have all their questions ready. How long have we been in daycare, our training, our family, how we got started, references, and more. They know we have been background checked, and have inspections done by the state. But do you ask questions about them? Besides the normal ones about their child, and their hours. If so, what do you ask and how do you ask? Do explain why you are asking? They are strangers coming into our homes, and I have often thought about this. Most of my children have come from other parents or friends, so I haven't had to worry about it too much. But it has slowed down and I may have to start advertising, and now I am really thinking about it. Should we ask where they work? How long have they been there? What is their family situation, (if mom comes alone), personal references? I would like to have a background check on them, but I can't afford to do that.

[midaycare]

I do ask where they work. I also ask if they have family nearby, and how long they have lived here.

If they are drilling me with questions, I do the same back to them

I'm interviewing them more than the other way around!

[dalman]

I usually ask how they heard about me, where they work, what they do, etc. It just takes off. I use this time to establish a relationship with the family. My interviews are never less than two hours and generally closer to three hours. I always schedule the interviews in the evening so my husband can be there too. He is just as much a part of the daycare as I am. Yes, our daycare is a very thriving business, but this is my home and the daycare families are an extended family for us. We discuss parenting styles, life styles, etc. We really want to mesh with the family as far as our beliefs and life views. Conversely, our life is an open book and we are more than willing to answer any questions they have. As I go through all the paperwork with them, questions generally come up. The paperwork tends to be a springboard for other conversation. In thirty years of licensed daycare, I have had only a handful of potential clients that have passed on us and that has been just fine with us.

If you want to run your daycare like a business, I believe you still need to know a little about them because it helps you to understand the environment that the child is in when not in your home. Just a little view into what we do and how it works for us. Hope this helps.