Questions To Ask Daycare Providers

While hunting for new daycare facility provider, you must find out the answers for your essential queries. After all, you are going to leave your child in the care of strangers; you must need to know if the apple of your eye will be safe in their hands. There are some basic questions that the daycare authorities already expect parents and guardians to ask from them but if you have any other personal questions to ask as well then you should not worry if it will be appropriate or not. The people at the daycare also understand that it is a sensitive matter for a parent to leave his/her child behind. You will find out that they will not be surprised by any of your questions because being in the business they must answer all types of questions all the time. The questions that you ask should be clear, you must properly frame them. The daycare people should know what exactly you are trying to ask them. If at any time you do not feel satisfied with their answers or smell something fishy then you should make a point to get into further investigation. It is the matter of your child’s well being and health and safety, you should not take it lightly; which means that you have got full rights to go all neurotic about it. Here are some of the questions that you should consider asking from the daycare providers.

 

The first thing you should know of while talking to a daycare provider person is their operating hours. Usually hours with most day care facilities are 9 am to 7 p.m. or 10:00 am to 8:00 p.m. Facilities which have entered into agreements with corporate or educational institutions may have different working hours. Also keep in mind how long you will leave the child there. Also make it clear what will happen if you are late any day. Some daycares have pick-and-drop services. You should make an enquiry if that particular daycare provides with such facility or not. If they do then you can ask further questions like what time is the pick-up and drop-off. You should also ask who the driver is, if he/she is the legitimate staff of the daycare, what kind of wagon they use for the service, how many children are allowed at a time in the wagon, etc.

 

Another point of utmost importance is the location of daycare facility. In the morning hours, when everybody is in rush, any facility located far from your residence or having heavy traffic enroute, will make your task tougher. It would be favorable for you to have your child’s daycare near your house or your work place. This will help you to drop off your kid to the daycare quite hassle-free. Also, the biggest advantage of an arrangement like this will be, you will have the opportunity to stay in the near-by vicinity to your kid, which will help you stay tension-free as you will know that if the need arises, you can reach your child in a jiffy.

 

If the first two things suit you, the third question should be whether openings are available in the facility and when. You could also ask about a waiting list or other contingency plans, if opening is not available when you want it. Sometimes they ask you to leave your details with them and they contact you later when they have an opening. It is alright to leave your contact details and if the concerned daycare is exceptionally good and favorable to you in every sense then it might be a wise decision to wait for a opening there.

 

Enquire about the age of the children in the facility, ratio of adults to children, and any special room arrangements available. These factors also carry importance as it will give you a fair idea whether or not your child will get proper attention and care. If there are too many children in a single batch and most of the children are older than your child then it might be possible that your kid will not be treated as especially as he/she is suppose to be. You need a daycare that has got most of the children of or around your kid’s age and it should not be over-crowded as well.

 

It never hurts to know the exact amount you are going to pay. So do not hesitate in asking the fee or additional charges. Sometimes there are some hidden charges that daycare centres do not tell you at the time of enquiry but would ask you to pay at the time of admission. If you do not want any surprises then take a formal break up from the daycare people and watch out for any hidden costs.

 

It is also useful to know in advance the days when the daycare facility will be closed. Some facilities are closed during some festivals while some are off on other days. It is good if you know about the off days in advance.