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Questions to Ask at a Prospective Daycare
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Before you look into any daycare, you may want to read this
April 1999 report from the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission on daycare facilities. It will give you a better
idea of some of the dangers children face.
If you think
you should be able to trust the facility operators to operate in the best interest of your
child, you're absolutely right. But many of them don't.
The questions listed below might seem like a lot, but please don't worry about
sounding pushy or bossy. The answers to these questions are important to your child's
safety. And if the daycare operator is reluctant to answer or seems put out by your
questions, ask yourself why. Bring your
spouse or partner with you. Take your time. Think over the
responses you get. If you find yourself making excuses for them (they were tired; they
were busy; they were nervous; they had a lot going on; I was being too hard on them), ask
yourself if making excuses for them is in the best interests of your child.
Don't ever chase a
daycare center. If the director or operator becomes hard to reach, if
they're always busy, if they don't return calls, if their prices are unreasonable for the
care extended, if the quality of the care deteriorates, if your child seems unhappy to go
there, if you or your partner has doubts - LET THE CENTER GO! There are many other caregivers out there.
You'll be doing yourself and your child an enormous favor.
- What
is the infant (or child) to caregiver ratio? i.e. How many infants or
children are taken care of by each caregiver? You'll want to try to get as close to the
standards recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics as possible - and it's not
easy to do. You'll have to pay for it. If you feel there are too many children or babies
per caregiver, you're probably right. And remember, some unscrupulous facilities have ways
to fool the inspectors (and the parents, too!).
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- Does the facility have high
staff turnover? What is the turnover? Daycare workers are typically some
of the lowest-paid workers in the nation. We don't blame them if they get fed up. But a
constant turnover of caregivers is highly detrimental to your child's sense of security.
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- Is the facility licensed? Are
the caregivers licensed? Through whom? May I see the certificates? Being
licensed isn't legally required for all facilities, but some facilities volunteer for
licensing. Safer Child recommends using a licensed facility; they generally follow
stricter standards than non-licensed facilities.
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- What are the state requirements for
licensing of this facility - and also for hiring (and continuing to employ) the
caregivers? Try to find out what the laws are in your state before you ask
this question. Then you can use the question to find out whether the operator knows what
they are.
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- What are the
credentials (experience and training) of the staff? Do these credentials
apply to a) the director b) the room leader c) the co-teachers d) all staff?
Do staff members receive ongoing training?
What kind of training is it? Some states don't
require experience or training for a newly hired employee, but they do require training on
the job. Other states require certain levels of training before hire. Make sure your
child's caregiver has had - and continues to receive - the appropriate amount of
experience and training.
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- Have all staff and caregivers
submitted to background and criminal checks? How were the checks done?
You might want to verify the results with the
police. All employees - including the kitchen and janitorial help -
should have submitted to background and criminal checks to rule out anyone
with a record of criminal activity, drug use or child abuse. Safer Child
recommends against facilities that hire employees with any
sort of criminal
background.
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- Does everyone on the staff know
first aid and CPR (and if applicable, infant CPR)?
This might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised at
how many people take care of babies and children with no training whatsoever.
At least one staff person trained in infant/child first aid and CPR should be
present at all times.
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- Has
any child suffered serious injury (requiring professional medical care) or
died while being cared for by any staff member?
Is this a rude question? Many people would tell you it is,
but it's by far the most important piece of information you can get. Ask it --
you have to know. You might assume that anyone who could answer "yes" to the
question would just lie to you, and that's probably true. But people will not
be expecting this important question, and their body language and verbal
responses can reflect a less-than-honest answer. The person might do one or
more of the following: refuse to answer, look away, look down at the floor,
begin to fidget or sweat, purse his/her mouth, hesitate to answer, look upset
or angry, stumble with the answer, begin talking a lot, immediately redirect
the conversation to a different topic, suddenly become "very busy," refer the
question to someone else, promise to get back to you, tell you the information
is private, that it's under investigation, that it's confidential, or that
your question was rude. For many people, "the best defense is a strong
offense," and they will turn the tables on you by putting YOU on the spot,
thereby taking the heat off themselves. So, if the answer you get is "yes," or
if you have doubts about the veracity of the answer, trust your instincts.
Check out the daycare with the police department and/or just go ahead and find
another daycare for your child.
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- Is the facility required to
submit to regular health, fire and safety checks? How often? By whom? Are the checks
announced or unannounced? You might want to call the inspectors and verify
information about the particular facility. Many facilities don't have to submit to any
checks at all. But health, fire and safety checks are critical to your child's well-being.
Make sure that fire drills are conducted at least once a month; that smoke detectors are
installed on every floor, and that they're working. Make sure the exits are well marked and
easy for all children to access. Toxic substances should be kept in a locked cabinet, away
from curious children. Phone numbers for police, fire, ambulance, and poison control
should be clearly posted. Outdoor play equipment should be safe and well maintained, and
the playground surface should be soft (not hard dirt or concrete).
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- May I observe the caregivers
in action? This way, you can make sure that: The rooms are clean,
cheerful, interesting, but not overstimulating; There are separate areas for diapering,
sleeping, resting, eating and exploring; The caregivers are involved, patient, caring,
interested and attuned to the child's needs; You feel comfortable with the room, the
caregiver and the children your child will associate with;
and that There aren't too many children
in the room for your child to get the care and attention necessary. If the room contains
babies, caregivers should be able to hug, rock, cuddle, talk and sing to them. It's also
best if babies can be matched with one or two caregivers.
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- Will breastfeeding mothers be
encouraged to continue breastfeeding? Will they be encouraged to do so at the facility?
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- What is the policy on discipline of
my child? Will you let me know if my child has a bad day? Will I be able to find out
at the end of the day what happened all through the day?
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- What is the policy when a
child is hurt or falls ill? Will you be called? What if they can't reach
you?
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- What is the policy if a child
is violent toward another child or a caregiver? Will I hear about it? Does it get
reported? To whom?
- What is the policy on incidents of
caregiver abuse toward a child - sexual or otherwise? Will I hear about it? Does it get
reported? To whom? Is the caregiver fired? You
should be notified if there is a violent or abusive situation at the daycare center. And
you should feel confident that appropriate steps will be taken to deal with the situation.
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- Does the center allow parents and
children a transitional period if the children find it difficult to separate?
- Do you ever take the children on
outings off site? Will I be notified first and have the option to say no? What about car
seats, seat belts, extra supervision and refreshments? Check to make sure that on outings, caregivers don't put name
tags on the outside of children's clothing, especially with a string or ribbon. There are
several reasons: 1) At pet zoos, some animals enjoy eating string and paper, and might
accidentally choke a child. 2) At fairs and playgrounds, a hanging string might get caught
on machinery and choke a child. 3) On any outing, visible names are an invitation to a
dangerous stranger to use the child's name while approaching the child.
For more on questioning a daycare, see Safety Expert Gavin de Becker's list of
questions to ask a school.
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