What is a Parent Interview??

[Jazzii]

I see a lot of you talk about parent interviews what actually happens here . When we are getting an interested family come in we just go over our program and paperwork. Is this what you all mean or is there an actual parental interview? If so- I might have to look I to it- we get a lot of crazies

[LindseyA]

An interview is when a potential family comes to learn more about the program, go over paperwork & policies, and ask/answer lots of questions. I get a pretty good idea of how the new potential family meshes by observing them at my house. Does the child go right for the toys? Does the child cling to mom the whole time? Does the child interrupt the conversations between parents and provider? Do the parents step in if child does something wrong? (If parents don't, I will.) I take mental notes of these things and that helps me decide if I want to do business with them. Alas, this sometimes doesn't always weed out the crazies! They hide it well when it counts ! That, to me, is a parent interview

[DaveA]

For me it's as much about gauging if the family is a good fit for my program as it is my contract & the paperwork I need filled out. Dramatic parents, parents that view me as their employee instead of someone offering a service they purchase, or expect the world (and you) to revolve around only their little special snowflake isn't something you really can discern on paper. You need to interact with the parent(s) and the child to see if they fill your needs, not the other way around.

Hope that helps

[childcaremom]

I do all of these things but i also ask a lot of questions.

What does naptime look like at your house? What do you do when your child wakes up?

Describe meal time to me.

What are your big concerns with putting your child in daycare?

What are you looking for in a daycare environment?

Do you have a back up plan for when your child is sick or if I need to close?

Where is your work located? Will you be able to get here within an hour if your child becomes ill?

As I go through my policies, I will ask these sorts of questions. At the end I always ask parents concerns/hopes/fears/etc. Ask if they have any questions.

If child is present, I watch how they interact with him/her.

It helps to identify the big issues you are having. For me, naps, self soothing, and illnesses. I will go over these parts of my policies very carefully, ask a lot of questions of the parents, etc.

I usually get children starting when they are between 10-12 months so I always tell parents the key things I am looking for are: how well they can nap here, how well they eat/drink here, and how happy/adjusted they seem. So all of my questions and concerns centre around these areas.

It isn't 100% fool proof but it has made a drastic difference in who I accept into my program.

[lovemydaycare0912]

I do all of these things but i also ask a lot of questions.

What does naptime look like at your house? What do you do when your child wakes up?

Describe meal time to me.

What are your big concerns with putting your child in daycare?

What are you looking for in a daycare environment?

Do you have a back up plan for when your child is sick or if I need to close?

Where is your work located? Will you be able to get here within an hour if your child becomes ill?

As I go through my policies, I will ask these sorts of questions. At the end I always ask parents concerns/hopes/fears/etc. Ask if they have any questions.

If child is present, I watch how they interact with him/her.

It helps to identify the big issues you are having. For me, naps, self soothing, and illnesses. I will go over these parts of my policies very carefully, ask a lot of questions of the parents, etc.

I usually get children starting when they are between 10-12 months so I always tell parents the key things I am looking for are: how well they can nap here, how well they eat/drink here, and how happy/adjusted they seem. So all of my questions and concerns centre around these areas.

It isn't 100% fool proof but it has made a drastic difference in who I accept into my program.

I like this. Previously I've allowed parents to come and take a look at my daycare while I tell them about what we do and how we operate. I see how the child interacts etc, as you said. However, other than my last interview, I use to not go over policies right away. I figured if they are not interested anyway it is a waste of time. If they are, I set up a second time for them to come to go over everything. I also am changing the way I do things now so I kind of enjoyed going over all policies with parent, but that was because I knew she was SUPER interested in enrolling.

OP, I say get all the advice you can, and do what works best for you. It is kind of a trial and error thing. I remember maybe 2 months into when I started I had someone come in who was just in desperate need of care. Signed on even though knew I wouldn't open 30 minutes earlier for her. She ended up leaving 4 weeks in and tried to bail without 2 weeks notice. You live and you learn here.

[Play Care]

I see a lot of you talk about parent interviews what actually happens here . When we are getting an interested family come in we just go over our program and paperwork. Is this what you all mean or is there an actual parental interview? If so- I might have to look I to it- we get a lot of crazies

It's just that, a two way interview. Just because someone comes and wants to sign on doesn't mean you have to take them. They may need more hours than yo can provide, or the kids might be too wild, etc.

[lovemydaycare0912]

It's just that, a two way interview. Just because someone comes and wants to sign on doesn't mean you have to take them. They may need more hours than yo can provide, or the kids might be too wild, etc.

Exactly. Sometimes it just doesn't click. I always talk to my dh after the interviews and I know whether it went well or if it was a flunk. Your gut never lies.