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Questions to Ask
There's nothing more important to you as a parent than ensuring that your child is being well cared for while you are at work. Beginning a search for child care and early education can often seem overwhelming. In addition to some fundamentals like hours of operation and the areas discussed in Assessing Your Needs, you may find that you want to ask some of the questions below -- and more!
Are you licensed?
Are you accredited?
How long have you been in business?
How many children do you have enrolled?
What are the age groupings for each class?
What are the maximum and minimum class sizes for each age group?
What is the ratio of caregivers to children in each age group
What kind of education do your teachers and caregivers have? What is their background in child development? How do you train your new staff members? What kind of ongoing education and training do you provide for or require of your staff?
What processes do you use for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children in your care? Do you do background checks on all your staff? Do you allow visitors to come into your facility and have contact with the children? If so, are they ever there alone with them?
Tell me about your programming. What kinds of learning activities do you provide for children at each age level?
What is your philosophy and approach to discipline?
Do you have a religious focus at your center? If so, which religion, and how do the children in your care experience it?
Do you celebrate or acknowledge religious or political holidays? If so, how do you celebrate them?
Do you celebrate children's birthdays?
How, and how often, do you communicate with parents?
How do you deal with emergencies?
Are children allowed to come to your center when they're ill? If so, how do you care for them, and how do you protect the other children from catching their illness?
What are the primary reasons that children are absent from your center?
Do you routinely ask parents to evaluate your center? If so, may I see the results of the most recent evaluations?
What do you think are the best aspects of your center? What are you most proud of?
Do you have any goals for improving any aspect of your center or the care you provide?
