103 Questions To Ask Daycare Providers

Choosing the right daycare provider is crucial for the well-being and development of your child. As a parent, it’s a good idea to prepare a list of questions to ask potential daycare providers to ensure they meet your child’s needs and align with your parenting philosophy. When visiting a child care center or interviewing a childcare provider, consider the following questions as a guideline to gather a lot of information and make an informed decision.

What Questions Should I Ask Potential Daycare Providers?

Questions About General Childcare

1. Are there any rules about what my child can bring to childcare, like snacks and drinks from home? If so, please explain.
2. Do you provide transportation services for children attending daycare at your facility or do parents need to arrange their own transportations (i.e., carpools)?
3. Can I ask about what type of toys are available?
4. Is there an emergency plan should something happen on premises during childcare hours? May I see it or ask questions about it now before placing my child in care?
5. Are there any child care form I need to fill in before my child starts?
6. Is there a waiting list, and what are the chances of getting a spot?

Questions About Child To Staff Ratios & Qualifications

1. Is there a limit to the number of children that can be placed in one room?
2. What is the child-to-caregiver ratio, and how does it vary by age group? 
3. How many children and staff are on site at a typical time of day?
4. What qualifications do the caregivers have in early childhood education?
5. How long have you been teaching preschool children or working with young toddlers?
6. Do all child care workers hold certifications such as CPR or First Aid training for emergencies?
7. What training procures do you provide for your staff?
8. Do all staff have background checks?
9. What is your level of staff turnover?

Questions About Childcare Costs

1. What are the costs associated with various levels of childcare, such as part time versus full time, and how much is it per month/year? For example, does the cost include any special education services?
2. Do I have to pay for my child’s sick days?
3. Are there additional fees for late pick-up?
4. What type of payment methods do you accept (e.g., cash, credit card)?
5. Can I make payments online or over the phone with a third party service provider instead?
6. Do you accept childcare vouchers?
7. What is your policy on sibling discounts for multiple children in care at this daycare facility?
8. Do you have a refund policy?

Questions About Behaviour and Discipline Policy

1. How will your child be disciplined if he/she misbehaves in the in daycare?
2. How will my child’s behaviour be monitored at daycare?
3. What are the consequences if a child misbehaves in daycare (i.e., do they get sent home, punished with time out)?
4. What about more severe misbehaviour like hitting or biting another child? If so, please describe how you might react and any steps taken to prevent this from happening again.
5. What consequences can happen as result of repeated infractions of bad behaviour?
6. Can there be positive reinforcement strategies implemented by staff members?
7. What’s the worst thing that could happen as a consequence?
8. Does your policy allow parents access to manager/staff member conversations regarding discipline procedures so they’re made aware of what took place and how it was handled?

Questions About Food & Nutrition

1. What is your feeding schedule?
2. Does this facility provide meals to all of its children during their stay here or do we need to bring our own food each day?
3. What type of meals do you offer at your day care?
4. Does this facility offer snacks throughout the course of the day as well as meal times between breakfast lunchtime and dinner time?
5. What about food allergies? Will my child’s special needs diet plan change if they attend your daycare?
6. How much do the meals cost?
7. How is food prepared for children in care?
8. What type of food preparation takes place before it’s served during meal times?
9. Does anyone prepare meals on site or off-site when needed?
10. Where will my child be eating his/her meals at during care hours and what types of snacks are offered between lunchtime and dinner time?
11. Are any food items served to the children that may not be nutritionally sound or classed as junk food?
12. Can you store and feed my baby breast milk from bottles?
13. Can you prepare a milk formula or does it need to be pre-made?

Questions To Ask About Nap Times

1. What is the nap schedule?
2. Are there any other times of the day where they offer naps, like before lunch, after lunch, or before bedtime? If so, please explain when this might happen.
3. What is the duration of a nap?
4. Do your staff members help children to sleep if they have difficulty falling asleep on their own?
5. Where will my child take his nap?
6. Will a member of staff be in the room whilst my child sleeps?
7. Do you follow safe sleep practices?

What Are You Potty Training Procedures?

1. Does the daycare offer potty training for toddlers?
2. Is there a policy on when to start toilet training and how it’s done during the first few days?
3. What happens if they have an accident or don’t do their business while in class even though they know what is expected of them, such as running into the bathroom before being told to go?
4. Do you provide any potty training supplies like pull-ups or diapers? If so, what is the cost for them?

Questions To Ask Regarding Preschool Curriculum

1. What is the curriculum for your preschool program?
2. What are the benefits of a structured early-learning environment like this one?
3. Do you offer any general education classes on site (i.e., art, music)?
4. How will my child be transitioned into a full-time school environment when the time comes?
5. Do you offer counselling/therapy services for children in daycare?
6. If I need someone who speaks other languages than English, do you offer bilingual care or know sign language?

Questions About Daily Structure

1. Do you have a daily schedule for your daycare?
2. What are your pickup and drop-off times?
3. What are some of the activities that happen during care hours (i.e., circle times, playtime)?
4. Will there be someone available so I can speak with them before picking my child up?
5. What daily activities do you do with the children?
6. Do you provide age-appropriate activities during the day?
7. What creative activities do you provide?
8. Do you let children have screen time?
9. How much time will my child get to play outside?
10. How much time will my child get to play outside?
11. What will a typical day be like for my child?
12. How will the provider communicate with you about your child’s day and progress? Do they provide a daily report?

Questions About Security Measures & Safety

1. Is there a monitoring system at this daycare facility or is it just supervision by staff members? If so, what type of monitoring do you have in place – cameras or live feeds from some areas of the building, such as bathrooms/other high traffic spaces?
2. What security features does your facility offer, like keyless entry points, motion detectors, etc?
3. Do you use child locks on cupboards and windows at this child care setting?
4. Do you use other safety measures such as safety gates and safety plugs for socket?
5. What is your policy on preventing accidents – are there any safety precautions in place for children with special needs who may be more at risk of having these types of incidents?
6. What happens if my child becomes injured while they’re playing or being supervised by staff members?
7. Will someone call me to let me know what happened and how it’s all been handled accordingly so we can talk about the next steps together (e.g., emergency room visit, follow-up care etc.)–if not, why not?
8. Do you have a privacy policy?
9. What’s your policy about sharing photos of children online?

Questions About Cleaning Policy

1. What is your cleaning schedule like – how often does this daycare get cleaned throughout the week or month.
2. What happens if there’s an accident that requires a more intensive clean up such as vomit, urine etc?

Questions About Communication

1. How often will I receive updates about what my child is doing during their stay at this daycare facility?
2. Are there any photos or videos of them while they’re here that can be shared with me as well?
3. What are some ways you’ll communicate with me on a daily basis (e.g., phone calls, text messages)?
4. Is it okay for me to contact staff members if I have questions and concerns during work hours?

Outside Play Policy

1. What are the hours of outside play offered during weekdays?
2. Is there any equipment available like swings, slides and tunnels in the outdoor space?
3. Do you have designated areas for different age groups?
4. What’s your policy on playing out in the rain?
5. What’s your policy on playing out in the sun?
6. Does my childcare need any special items for playing outside, such as wellington boots, waterproof clothing, sun hat or sun lotion?

Sick Policies

1. How do you handle a sick child?
2. Can my child attend if they have been sick?
3. If they are sick how long do I have to keep them home for?
4. Can your staff administer medicines?
5. Do you have any policies on how to administer medicines?

What Are Some Daycare Interview Questions?

1) What is the number one reason parents chose this provider over others in your area?

2) Does your daycare centre provide any specialized services that make it better than others offered near me? For example: bilingual care, Montessori environment.

3) Is there anything I can do at home to prepare my child to be successful in their new setting?

4. Do you offer daycare tours of your facility?

Final Thoughts On Questions To Ask Daycare Providers

Besides these questions to ask daycare providers, it’s important to have a tour of the facility and speak with the providers. This will give you an idea whether this daycare is a good fit for your family!

Feel free to ask more or less questions as needed; some things may not be relevant depending on if you are looking for care while at work or wanting a long-term provider who can help with homework when necessary. We hope that everyone finds their perfect match in childcare!

Finding the right child care centre for your child can be difficult. There is no one size fits all answer, and parents often have to ask a lot of questions in order to make an informed decision about who they want looking after their children each day. Above are some of those important questions to ask daycare providers. Every parent should consider these when deciding which provider may best fit their needs!