Child Care Providers : What Questions Should You Ask Them?

Deciding to place your child with a child care provider can be difficult but is often necessary, as more families need to earn two incomes.  Once the decision is made, however, it is natural to want to find the best child care provider possible. It will be necessary to ask many questions to ensure that your child will be well taken care of. The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the most important questions that you’ll want to ask potential child care providers.

Education/Experience Of The Child Care Provider

Naturally you will want a child care provider who has spent time working with children before. It may also be important to you that the provider has an educational background in child care. Ask to see references either for the person or the center that you are investigating. Most child care providers should be able to connect you with past-satisfied customers (don’t expect them to give references from unsatisfied customers) so you can talk over past performance of the provider. Educational qualifications are easy to check and will probably be kept on hand at the place where child care is provided.

Cleanliness Policies Of The Child Care Provider

Different providers and centers have differing rules regarding how often surfaces and materials are cleaned and sanitized. Ask how often the toys undergo sanitization (it should be at least once a week) as well as the methods used to clean the food preparation, sleeping and changing (for babies) areas. Customarily a bleach/water mix or one of the new “safe anywhere” sprays is used to frequently wipe down areas at high risk for germs.

Absentee Policies Of The Child Care Provider

Child care providers have different, but usually strict, policies on what symptoms require you to keep your child out of the center. In most cases you will be required to pay even for those days that your child does not attend so it’s important to know the rules regarding illnesses. While some centers allow runny noses and coughing, as long as no fever is present, some facilities won’t allow even a mildly sick child.

Payment/Termination Policies Of The Child Care Provider

Again you will find the payment and termination policies of center varied and very strict. Late fees are usually imposed if payment is not presented when it is due and in almost all cases at least two weeks notice is required to terminate a child care contract. The differences occur in the ways child care providers require the parents to notify the center of termination, whether in person is fine or written notice is necessary and how often payment is required, whether weekly or bi-weekly. You will also, obviously, want to know how much you are paying and if you are required to pay even when your child does not attend the child care center.