16 Questions for Finding a Good Daycare

(RaisingX.com) Our daycare search continues. We wanted to follow up our finding good daycares tips with our top questions. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather some of our favorites.

What accreditations does your facility have? – Look for National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accredited daycares. Licensing only shows the daycare meets state minimum requirements.

What education and training do your teachers have? – While education is not a 100% proxy for good teachers, finding daycares where teachers have committed time and money to study related fields, at least shows they have an interest in your child’s learning. You want more than just needing a paycheck.

How long has your newest teacher been with the facility? – Get a feel for the turnover of the facility, is it a place teachers want to work? We interviewed nannies for at home care as well and several had left daycares because of teachers’ behavior toward kids or the poor quality.

When was the last time a teacher left? Why? – Try to uncover how often teachers exit and the reasons, though just like most people won’t tell you they were fired, don’t expect revealing answers.

Who monitors the teachers? – Training and background checks are good but who is responsible for monitoring the teachers. We all have bad days. We have days at work where we would rather be anywhere else, but its different when you are dealing with little kids and more importantly…Mine or Yours. So, who is responsible for stepping in when a teacher needs a break?

How do you discipline the children? What if the behavior persists? – This is important to understand well. The daycare will be responsible for helping to raise your little person and discipline is a part of learning whether used for good or bad. So ask who and how they discipline. Make sure you agree with their principles and also find out how you will be notified of any problems.

Do the teachers keep journals or notes on your child’s day? – Getting daily notes helps you connect with what your child is doing or learning and also helps give you insight into the daycare. It will be easy to spot teachers who love what they do as they keep journals and write the daily diaries.

What is their teaching/learning philosophy? What drives their curriculum? – Again, make sure this is in line with your thinking. We are fans of Montessori, multiple intelligences, and experiential learning, but you need to decide what you think is right for your little person and find daycares that match. The daycare should be an extension of you.

Will your child have a consistent set of teachers? – Daycares have shifts of teachers and your child may have one or two teachers. You want to make sure this stays consistent so your child can develop a relationship with her/him and vice versa. Constantly rotating teachers will raise anxiety levels and hinder your child from becoming at home in daycare.

What rituals does the school have? Daily and group?- Children need routine to develop a sense of security and comfort. Transitioning to daycare is extremely stressful and having daily rituals helps to mitigate some of that anxiety. See what the school does to help make the daycare seem like a home away from home.

Is exploration encouraged? – Play is how little people learn. A good daycare should embrace this and be designed around this concept. Fun and play should be the focus, providing indoor and outdoor areas for children to explore their world. Some daycares seem more geared toward controlling their children instead of helping them explore.

Do they have an open door policy? – Our advice is to find daycares that welcome parents to stop by. The more open the daycare, the less likely they have things to hide. And, it will be easier for you to spot problems.

Do they encourage parents to participate in activities? – Similar to being open, you want a daycare that encourages parents to participate. It will help you and your child feel more comfortable. It will connect you to the daily routine of your little one.

How is the daycare cleaned? – Daycares, and schools in general, are notorious breeding grounds for illness. It will never be prevented, but daily cleaning and sanitization routines definitely help cut down on the risk.

What are the security measures? –This would include pick up procedures, entry security, teacher screening, etc. Understand the schools policy and how they monitor security. We don’t want to think about the bad situations but unfortunately they do happen. So ask to see the security measures that will keep your child safe.

Ask to see a menu - Seems trivial, but honestly, I was repulsed at some of the menus I saw…even in good daycares. I struggle to have my 21 month old eating foods that I wouldn’t eat. There is a large body of work linking nutrition, development, learning, and behavior. Take some time and check out some of that work when thinking about food.

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