caregiver info?

Question

If you were taking your child to an at home care giver what info would you exoect me to ask?

Answer 1

I am a mom with 4 kids plus I have been a licensed home child care provider for 20 years. As a child care provider, when I conduct an interview with a potential family, I always begin the interview by telling the family about myself, why I do daycare, what type of activities take place during the day, how sleeping arrangements are for naps, how meal times are conducted, what I provide and what they must provide, what my discipline policy is, and vacation and illness policies. I talk, we do a tour of my house, and then the family receives a copy of my handbook and asks questions. Each family has important aspects of child care so the questions are always different from different families. We go over rates, vacations, what happens during illness. I always make sure they secure a back up daycare plan in case of illness or emergency on my part. Other important issues are is the home smoke-free? Are there pets in the home? Am I certified in CPR and first-aid (yes, I am)? Do I take the children on field trips? Are there planned activities or a curriculum used?

Answer 2

Ask about everything.

Ask for a tour. You want to see where diapers are changed, where kids play, where food is prepared.

Ask about the meal plan.

Ask about experience.

Ask about the number of kids in the home at any one time, and their ages.

Ask about the kinds of activities they do.

Ask about all the costs.

Ask about caregiving philosophy.

Ask for references.

Ask how he/she transports the kids.

Ask about your responsibilities--what should you bring every day? When is payment due? What are pick up and drop off times? What if you're going to be late? What about sick days and holidays?

Ask what happens when the caregiver is ill.

You get the idea...

Answer 3

Here are the signs of a GOOD in-home daycare:

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babychildcare/6031.html

Here are the signs of a BAD in-home daycare:

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babychildcare/6032.html

I run an in-home daycare in which I care for my own two children as well as 4 others. You will want to ask questions such as this:

How many children do you care for at one time?
(As an in-home provider I can assure you that if they are caring for more than 3 children under the age of 2 years old they have their hands FULL)


Do you provide snacks and lunch?

Is there a specific nap time and where do the children sleep?

What kind of child proofing do you have in place?

Is there a safe outdoor play area where the children can be seen from all areas?

What is your policy for sick children and do you have a plan for when you are sick yourself?

Be aware that many home daycares have strict policies just like any other daycare center and some have none at all...it's up to you to decide which matches your preferences. If you'd like to see an example, you can visit my website (needs updating because I don't use it anymore, but at least you can get an idea)

http://www.the-tot-spot-home-daycare.com

I hope this helps :)

Answer 4

I wouldn't expect you to ask anything because I don't know you.

I think you need to rephrase the question...are you the parent or the caregiver?