Do You Ask Parents Where They Work During Interview?

[littletots]

I never ask parents where they work. Once they sign contract they complete military registration form which list occupation, rank, duty phone. If family is civilian they fill in company, work phone. I recently interviewed two families. I filled spot w best matched my program. My husband felt I should have filled w most stable jobs. However, I don't ask. If family volunteers information great.

How do you handle this?

[Conoad]

I ask because I ask work hours. I don't have an open to close availability. I base each contract on work hours.

[permanentvacation]

I do the exact same thing as Conoad. I could be open from 6 am until midnight, but I'm not willing to watch one person's child all day and night. I ask what hours they need childcare for and decide if I am willing to watch their child during the hours they are requesting.

So, when a person first calls me about daycare, when they ask me what hours I'm open, I immediately ask them what hours they need child care. That leads me to ask them if the hours they quoted me are the hours they work or the hours they actually need child care which then leads me right into saying something along the lines of 'Where do you work and where is your job located/how far away from my address is your job? That then leads me to saying, 'Oh, you work at such and such, what do you do there?' And, sometimes leads me to asking how long they've been working there.

I'm sure, by the fact that I basically write essays instead of a one liner on this forum, that I can talk a good bit. So, I do get a good bit of information from my parents during their first phone call to me.

[laundrymom]

I don't ask. They fill forms out later

[nannyde]

Absolutely. I want to figure travel time. Also I want parents who have a significant work history. I ask a ton of questions about their job.

[Unregistered]

I always ask. There are some professions that simply make their entire life style not a good fit for my program. I don't like to enroll teacher families unless they understand that I still charge during summer months and school holidays. I don't like to provide care to families that work shift work as their schedules always end up making their child's routine sporadic. I have also had a really bad history with parents that work in any type of therapy or counseling. For some reason their kids are usually not the most well behaved. So I DO ask but usually only so I can make sure I point out my rules and policies and stress firmly what I will and won't budge on.

[daycare]

yes...I created an application that each family is required to fill out which request their employment information and other information about the child. Like how do they eat, sleep, behave, etc

[organicdclady]

Daycare, can you share that form?

[Nisaryn]

I don't ask, I have both military and civilian kids as well since I'm a Navy provider who is now in the process of becoming an official Navy CDH (yay, just started this month!).

As a Navy CDH I am already required to be open for at least 50hrs a week@10hrs a day. I am open from 7am to 5pm and as long as I am being paid for those hours I don't care where they work or how long of care they need.

As I've said before I have one child that I have for even longer and on the weekend as well because of his parents being dual military and they do pay me extra for this. I offer the same hours and contract regardless of whether they are military or civilian. I have not had any issues with being paid and I am basing my rates on the military price for a high-income area. If parents feel they can't afford it they simply don't call me back. I don't negotiate. Now, that being said with the exception of my one 'special case' kid I have never had any civilian parents NOT pick their child up before 4pm. So it isn't an issue I've had to deal with really....but if they decide to wait till 5pm I'm cool with that. I'm getting paid either way!

[daycare]

Daycare, can you share that form?

PM me your email address and I will send it to you

[midaycare]

I don't ask directly, but I find a way to bring it into the conversation.

Dcm interviewing: "We need the hours 7:30-4:00."
Me: "Oh, are you a teacher?"
Dcm: "Yes (or no, and hopefully no, I don't like teachers as dcf's)"

[daycare]

I don't ask directly, but I find a way to bring it into the conversation.

Dcm interviewing: "We need the hours 7:30-4:00."
Me: "Oh, are you a teacher?"
Dcm: "Yes (or no, and hopefully no, I don't like teachers as dcf's)"

glad i am not the only one who does not like teachers families.

[KiddieCahoots]

Totally! They usually ask how long I plan to be in the business, (I usually respond....until I die...hahaha) and that's when I respond with asking them how long they have been employeed at their current position.
Stability is a big issue. We are allowed to try and stabilize our daycares too!

[childcaremom]

On my registration forms, parents fill in their exact place of employment.

During interviews, I ask a general where do they work. As in location. We are in the suburbs and I want to know if they will be able to reach me in a relatively easy manner if I need them.

I also ask them what time they work until so that I know approximately how long it should take them to reach me.

I have never asked how long they have worked somewhere but may in the future. I like the idea... I think once you get some questions out, the conversation naturally evolves. I do like to interview my families as much as they like to interview me.

[Gemma]

I don't ask. They fill forms out later

this is me too