Questions to Ask an In Home Daycare
Questions for a parent visiting a home daycare, covering licensing, ratios, who else is in the house, sleep and safety arrangements, illness rules, rates, and closures.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Are you licensed or registered, and can I see the certificate?
Why ask it
Home providers may be licensed, registered, or legally exempt depending on how many children they take and where they live. Seeing the document also gives you the number to check against the public register yourself.
How many children do you care for at once, and what are their ages?
Why ask it
One adult with four toddlers is a very different day from one adult with two toddlers and two school-age children. Ask what the count is on the busiest day of the week, not the average.
Who else is in the house during the day?
Why ask it
Partners, adult children, lodgers, and relatives all spend time around the children in a home setting. Ask which of them have been background checked, since parents often assume this has been handled and it frequently has not.
Do you have help, and who covers if you are ill or have to leave?
Why ask it
This is the structural weakness of home daycare: one person is the whole service. A provider with no named substitute means you need your own backup plan for several days a year.
Are you current on CPR and pediatric first aid?
Why ask it
Certifications expire, usually every two years. Ask when it was last renewed rather than whether they hold it.
What happens if a child is hurt? Tell me about the last time it happened.
Why ask it
The general policy tells you little; the specific incident tells you whether they call parents immediately, write things down, and describe events without defensiveness. A provider who says no child has ever been hurt is not being accurate.
Where do the children sleep, and can I see the setup?
Why ask it
Sleep is where the most serious risks in infant care sit. Look for each child having their own firm, flat surface, and ask directly how infants are placed down.
Are there pets, and how do they interact with the children?
Why ask it
Home settings mean the family dog is part of the arrangement. Ask whether animals are separated during play and mealtimes, and watch how the animal behaves while you are there.
Is there a pool, a trampoline, a pond, or stairs the children can reach?
Why ask it
These are the features that turn an ordinary house into a hazard, and they are easy to miss on a short visit. Ask to see the barrier, gate, or lock rather than taking the reassurance.
How are medicines, cleaning products, and any firearms stored?
Why ask it
A blunt question with a factual answer, and hesitation in answering is itself information. Ask to see where, since a locked cabinet is verifiable and a promise is not.
What does a normal day look like from drop-off to pick-up?
Why ask it
You are listening for a rhythm of meals, outside time, rest, and play rather than a curriculum. A day that cannot be described hour by hour usually means the television fills the gaps.
What do the children eat, and who provides it?
Why ask it
Settles whether you are packing food, paying for it, or accepting whatever the household cooks. Raise allergies here and ask how they keep the children's food separate.
How much time do the children spend outside, and where do you take them?
Why ask it
A garden, a walk to a park, and never leaving the house are three different offers. If they walk anywhere, ask how they manage crossing roads with several small children.
Do you ever drive the children anywhere?
Why ask it
Car journeys introduce insurance, license, and car seat questions that most parents never think to raise. If the answer is yes, ask to see the seats.
How much screen time is there on a typical day?
Why ask it
Ask about the typical day rather than the policy, and ask what happens on a rainy afternoon or when they are on the phone. The honest answer is rarely zero.
When do you send a child home sick, and when do you ask them to stay away?
Why ask it
You need the exact thresholds, such as a temperature reading or a number of hours after vomiting, because these decide how many days of work you will lose. A vague policy tends to become a call at eleven in the morning.
How do you handle biting, hitting, or a child who will not do what you ask?
Why ask it
Every home daycare deals with this weekly, so a provider who has no method has not thought about it. Ask specifically what they do rather than what they believe.
How will I hear about the day, and how would you reach me if something went wrong?
Why ask it
Establishes whether you get a conversation at the door, a written note, an app, or nothing. Also ask who they call if they cannot reach you.
What are your rates, which days are you closed, and what do I pay when my child is out?
Why ask it
Holiday closures, sick days, and unfilled places are usually still charged, and this is where most parent disputes start. Get the answer in the written agreement, not just in conversation.
Can I visit unannounced, and can I speak to two families using you now?
Why ask it
A provider comfortable with both is confident about what happens on an ordinary Tuesday. Restrictions on visiting deserve a clear explanation, and current families give more useful answers than past ones.
Visiting and Checking a Home Daycare
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
How to Assess the Place
Visit in the Middle of the Morning
Ask to come when all the children are present and awake, not during nap time. You want to see how one adult manages the actual group, including a diaper change, a disagreement, and getting everyone into coats.
Check the License Yourself
Take the license or registration number and look it up with the state or local authority that issued it. Inspection reports and any substantiated complaints are usually public, and they cover things no visit will show you.
Watch a Crying Child
If a child gets upset while you are there, watch what the provider does. How quickly they notice, whether they stay calm, and whether the other children are left unattended tells you more than any answer to any question.
Look at the Rooms the Children Actually Use
Ask to see the sleep space, the bathroom, the kitchen, and the garden rather than just the play area. Note gates, outlet covers, cords, medicines in handbags, and whether the smoke alarms have batteries.
Get the Agreement in Writing
Rates, deposit, notice period, hours, late collection fees, closure days, and payment for absences should all be in a document you keep. Verbal arrangements between neighbours are where relationships break down two years later.
What to Notice While You Are There
- Whether the children look at ease with the provider or wary of her.
- How the provider talks about the child she finds most difficult.
- Whether the television is on when you arrive unannounced.
- Where the babies sleep and how full the cots or mats are.
- Whether outside doors and stair gates are actually closed rather than present.
- How she interrupts your conversation to attend to a child, which is a good sign rather than rudeness.
Common Pitfalls
Choosing on Warmth Alone
A provider can be genuinely kind and still be over capacity, uninsured, or without a plan for the day she is ill. Warmth is necessary and it does not answer any of the questions above.
Skipping Current Families
References provided by the daycare are chosen, so ask for two families using it now and speak to them without the provider present. Ask what they would change if they could.
Not Planning for Provider Absence
Home daycares close for illness, holidays, and family emergencies. Parents who have no second option lose several days of work a year and sometimes make rushed decisions about who watches their child.
Ignoring How Concerns Are Received
Raise something small early, such as a nap time or a snack, and watch the response. How a minor request is handled predicts how a serious one will be, and defensiveness now is worth taking seriously.