Questions to Ask for Daycare
Twenty questions for parents touring a daycare. They cover staffing and turnover, what an ordinary day looks like, licensing records, illness and injury, discipline, pickup security, fees, and how to reach other families.
The questions
Open any question for the note
How long have the teachers in my child's room been working here?
Why ask it
Continuity of one or two familiar adults matters more to a young child than anything on the walls. Two teachers who have each been there four years is a different place from a room that has turned over twice this year.
What is the ratio in that room, and what happens to it at opening, closing, and during breaks?
Why ask it
Centres usually meet the required ratio in the middle of the day and combine rooms at the edges of it. Ask what the ratio is at 7:30am and at 5:45pm, which are the hours most parents actually use.
Who covers when a teacher calls in sick?
Why ask it
The answer is either a floating staff member the children know, or an agency stranger, or the director stepping in and the office going unstaffed. Each tells you something different about how thin the operation runs.
Can you walk me through today's schedule for that room, and tell me what a hard day looks like?
Why ask it
A printed schedule is aspirational; what happens when three children are crying at once is the real programme. Listen for whether the answer describes a plan or an improvisation.
Can I see your most recent licensing inspection report and any citations?
Why ask it
These records are generally public, and a centre that produces them without hesitation is telling you something before you read a word. The pattern matters more than a single finding: repeat citations on ratios or supervision are the serious ones.
What is your policy on sending a child home sick, and who makes that decision?
Why ask it
You need the specific thresholds, such as the temperature, the number of loose stools, and how long a child must stay away afterwards. Loose policies mean more illness in the room, and strict ones mean more days you cannot work.
What happens when a child bites or hits, and how are both families told?
Why ask it
Every toddler room deals with this, so a centre that suggests it does not happen is managing you. A clear answer covers what is done in the moment, what is written down, and what each set of parents is told.
How do you handle a child who will not nap?
Why ask it
Non-nappers reveal the underlying philosophy quickly, because the options are quiet activities or two hours lying still on a mat. Ask what specifically happens at 1pm for a child who is awake.
What would I hear you say to a two-year-old who is throwing food?
Why ask it
Asking for the actual words gets past the vocabulary of positive redirection and into practice. If the answer includes removing the child from the group, ask where the child goes and for how long.
Who is allowed to collect my child, and how do you verify someone you have not met?
Why ask it
You want a system with identification checks and a written authorisation list, not recognition by face. Ask what happens if a person not on the list arrives claiming an emergency.
If a child is injured, what happens, and how quickly would I hear about it?
Why ask it
There is a large difference between a call within minutes and a note in the bag at pickup. Ask where the line falls, who is trained in first aid, and whether that person is always on site.
Who has keys or door codes, and how do people get in during the day?
Why ask it
Look for a controlled entrance that does not rely on whoever is nearest opening it. Ask how codes are changed when a staff member leaves.
What is the food arrangement, and can I see this week's menu?
Why ask it
Whether meals are provided, cooked on site, or brought from home changes both your mornings and your costs. A real menu shows you what is actually served rather than what the policy permits.
How do you handle allergies, and is there anything you cannot accommodate?
Why ask it
You want to hear about how food is separated, how staff are trained, and where medication is kept. An answer that promises to manage anything without describing the system is not reassuring.
What do you send home at the end of the day, and can I see a sample?
Why ask it
Daily reports vary from a photograph and a sentence to a log of meals, sleep, and nappies. Seeing a real one tells you how much you will actually know about your child's day.
How much time do the children spend outside, and at what point do you stay in?
Why ask it
Ask the temperature and weather thresholds, and look at the outdoor space while you are there. Centres with limited outdoor access often describe a lot of gross motor activity indoors instead.
How do you handle the first two weeks for a child who cries at drop-off?
Why ask it
You are asking about their settling process: whether you can stay, how they phase up hours, and how long the crying usually lasts. A centre that asks you to leave immediately and offers no updates will make those weeks worse.
What is the full fee schedule, including deposits, late pickup, closures, and vacation weeks?
Why ask it
Monthly fees are the smaller part of the question. Whether you pay for weeks your child is away, for public holidays, and per minute after closing decides your real annual cost.
How much notice do you give before a fee increase or a room change?
Why ask it
Moving a child up a room can mean new teachers and a different ratio, sometimes with little warning. Ask what notice you get and whether you have any say in the timing.
Can I speak to two families whose children have left, not only current ones?
Why ask it
Current parents have reasons to be positive about the place their child is in every day. Families who left will tell you why, and reluctance to share any contact is itself an answer.
How to run a daycare tour
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
What to do on the visit
Go mid-morning, unannounced if permitted
Between 9am and 11am the rooms are fully staffed and fully occupied, which is when you can see how the place actually runs. A centre that only offers tours after hours or during nap time is showing you an empty building.
Watch the adults, not the equipment
Note whether staff are on the floor at child height or standing and talking to each other, and whether they speak to children by name. Toys and murals are the easiest part of a nursery to buy.
Listen to the room
Busy noise is fine. What matters is how an adult responds to a crying child, how long it takes, and whether anyone is shouting across the room.
Use the bathroom and look at the changing area
Nappy changing, handwashing, and toilet areas tell you about hygiene practice more reliably than a policy document. Check whether sinks are where the staff actually need them.
Visit twice, once with your child
A second visit at a different hour catches the shift changes. Bringing your child shows you how staff engage with a nervous newcomer, which is exactly what you are buying.
What to verify away from the tour
- Look up the licence and inspection history with your state or local regulator rather than relying on the copy on the wall.
- Check the ratio and group size rules that apply in your area, so you know whether an answer merely meets the legal minimum.
- Ask what background checks staff undergo and how often they are repeated.
- Confirm whether the centre carries liability insurance and what it covers.
- Read the enrolment contract before paying a deposit, particularly the notice period for withdrawal.
Common pitfalls
Accepting a policy answer to a practice question
If you ask what happens when a child bites and hear the anti-biting policy read back to you, ask for the last time it happened and what was done. Follow-up questions are where tours become useful.
Judging by the building
New premises and good marketing correlate weakly with the thing that matters, which is the adult in your child's room and how long they intend to stay. Ask about turnover in that specific room.
Waiting until the offer to ask about money
Deposits, notice periods, closure weeks, and late fees are easier to get in plain language before you are on a waiting list. Ask for the full schedule in writing.
Only speaking to parents the centre chose
Ask at pickup time in the car park, or in a local parents' group, and ask what people wish they had known before starting.