Questions to ask when looking for a child care provider.

 

All day care:

1. Is the program licensed by DHS (Department of Human Services)?

2. How long have you been in business?

3. What qualifies you to be a child care provider or company history? (don't laugh, ask it)

4. What is your adult to child ratio's?

5. Do you make all of your employees submit to a background check?

6. Are your employees CPR certified? (We require every employee to take a CPR class)

7. What is your employee age requirements?

8. Are your employees required to have a minimum amount of training hours each year?

9. What is your child biting policy?

10. Do you offer healthy food choices for lunch and snack?

11. Are you insured if a child gets hurt in your care?

12. How much notice do I need to give if I want to leave the program? (Standard is 2 weeks some are asking 4 - not cool!)

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School age:

1. All the above.

2. Do you provide transportation on early dismissal and snow days?

3. Do you offer full day care?

4. How long are your children staying on the bus? (45 minutes should be the max)

5. Are your transportation vehicles DOT certified? (Look for sticker front drivers side bumper)

6. Do you offer homework assistance?

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Note:

Being licensed by DHS is a big deal and not to mention costly. This is the one piece of advice I wish I could scream from the mountain tops. "Are you DHS certified?" DHS regulations apply to many different aspects of child care such as personaly meeting the minimal requirements to run a child care facility, what type of insurance we carry, child to adult ratio’s, background checks, transportation vehicle inspections, unscheduled surprise visits, training hour audits, yearly program evaluations and much much more all to insure the safety of your child!

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Waiting lists: (we do not charge for this)

Always put your name on a waiting list if possible even if it is a year in advance! This is the one thing that catches most parents off guard especially new parents. It's only a call in the future asking if you want the spot and if not do you want to stay on the list? It does two things for you. One is that you are more likely to get in a center of you choice and two if you don't like the center you are at you have a option to move.