Whether you choose The KIDZ GARDEN or another child care program for your child, The KIDZ GARDEN wants the decision to be the best one for your child and family. Take your time, and research a couple of programs before making a decision. Your most precious investment may be at risk. For help... Here is some sample questions you may want to ask potential child care providers. Provider Questionnaire Name of Program ____________________________________________ Contact Person______________________________________________ How long have you been in business? _________________ Do you have a current state license? yes / no Do you have other accreditations? yes / no And if so, what are they? __________________________ Enrollment How many children do you enroll at one time? _________________ Do you have space for my child? yes / no If not, can we get on a waiting list, and how long is it? ________________________________________________________________ Days and hours What are your hours? _________________________________________ What's your holiday schedule? ____________________________________ On what other days are you closed? __________________________ How flexible are you with pickup and drop-off times? ________________________________________________________________ Costs What are your fees? ____________________________________________ Do you offer scholarships or sibling discounts? yes / no Is there a late-pickup fee? yes / no Do I pay when my child is ill or we're on vacation? yes / no How and when would you bill us? ___________________________________ Supplies Do you supply diapers, or is that up to the parent? ______________________________________________________________ What other supplies would I need to bring for my child? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Interacting with parents Do you encourage visits from parents? yes / no What do you expect from me as a parent? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ How do you communicate with parents? Will you give me a daily report or is there another process for informing parents of what children did during the day (naps, bottles, BMs, etc.)? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Can I bring my child in for a pre-enrollment visit? yes / no Size: Look for a home daycare with a relatively small group of children. The National Association for the Education of Young Children recommends having one caregiver for every three to four babies, and no more than eight babies in a group; one caregiver for every five to seven children between the ages of 2 and 3; and 1:8 to 1:10 for 4- and 5-year-olds. What is the caregiver-child ratio? ______ to ______ Caregivers: The primary caregiver should be educated, ideally with at least two years of college, a background in early childhood development (though many states don't require this), and CPR and other emergency training. The provider — and any assistants or helpers she has — should be responsible, enthusiastic, and well prepared, sharing your philosophies on key childrearing issues such as sleep, discipline, and feeding. Primary caregiver Do you have any formal early childhood development or childcare training? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Why do you work with children? What do you like most about caring for them? What do you like least about it? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ How do you discipline children? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ How do you comfort children? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you have emergency training? CPR: yes / no First aid: yes / no Caregiver's assistants Do you have any assistants? yes / no If so, what are their credentials? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you don't have assistants, who covers for you when you're not available? Name: ________________________________________ Phone #: ______________________________________ How do you screen your assistants and backup providers? Do you do background checks on them before hiring? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Activities: A good home daycare will have a structured program with a variety of activities. The schedule should be changed regularly so children don't get bored and do have a chance to learn new skills. Television and videos should play little or no part in the day's schedule. 1. What activities do you like to do with the children? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Are your toys and activities age-appropriate? yes / no 3. Do you have a comfortable, childproofed indoor play area where babies can safely explore and develop physical skills? yes / no 4. Do you have a safe, enclosed outside play area that encourages large-motor skills (climbing, running, jumping)? yes / no 5. Do you take the children on walks through the neighborhood? yes / no 6. What potty-training methods do you use for toddlers? 7. What will my child be doing on any given day? May I see the daily schedule/routine? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Do you let the children watch television? yes / no Health, Hygiene, and Safety: A good home daycare is clean and sanitary and observes basic safety rules. If you see poorly maintained equipment or the place seems dingy or cramped, keep looking. 1. Health Must children be immunized in order to attend? yes / no What is your sick-child policy? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ What if my child needs medication during the day? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you allow smoking in the house? yes / no 2. Hygiene Do caregivers wash their hands after changing diapers and before feeding the children? yes / no Are older children taught to wash their hands after using the potty? yes / no How often are the toys cleaned and replaced? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Safety Are indoor and outdoor play areas childproofed and escape-proof? yes / no Are the children ever left unattended? yes / no Do you have a sign-in and sign-out sheet? Are the doors secure so strangers can't just walk in? yes / no What is your release policy? Who may pick up my child? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you receive personal visitors (not affiliated with the daycare business) during the day? yes / no ________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is your disaster plan? Do you have procedures for handling fires, earthquakes, intruders, and other emergencies? Are you and any assistants trained for these situations? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Food and Sleep: If the home daycare provides food, make sure it serves nutritious meals (covering all four food groups) and snacks. For sleeping, bedding should be fresh and firm (to reduce the risk of SIDS for babies) and nap areas should be clean and quiet. 1. Eating Do you provide breakfast, lunch, and/or snack? yes / no If yes, what kind? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ If not, what kind of food should I bring for my child? Are there any food restrictions? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you have a refrigerator for storing bottles of breast milk or formula? yes / no Do you feed babies on demand or on a schedule? on demand / on a schedule 2. Nap times Where do the children sleep? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you have a nap schedule? yes / no Do you place babies on their back to sleep and follow other safe sleeping practices to reduce the risk of SIDS? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional considerations: Be sure to take a moment to ask yourself the following questions when you visit. 1. Do the children seem happy and engaged? yes / no 2. Are crying children responded to immediately? yes / no 3. Do caregivers cuddle babies? Talk directly to the children? Is their tone friendly and caring? yes / no 4. Is the place clean and pleasant? yes / no 4. Is the bathroom a pleasant setting, encouraging children to use it? yes / no 5. Are appropriate safety measures (fire extinguisher, first aid kit, safety gates, safety plugs for electrical outlets, etc.) in place? yes / no 6. During the hours you and your child are apart, will you feel at ease knowing your child is in this setting? yes / no |References: Ask each home daycare you're considering for a list of past and present references — and call them. Ask specific questions: Instead of asking whether they like the daycare, ask what exactly they do and don't like about it. If their child is no longer there, ask why. Can you give me the names and numbers of some families I could call for references? Name _____________________________ Phone#____________________________ Comments ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name _____________________________ Phone #___________________________ Comments ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Nurture Me & Watch Me Grow At...
