4 Important Questions for a Day Care Provider
When choosing a day care provider, you entrust your child or children's well being to that person plus you are paying them good money to take care of your little one. Therefore you are more than entitled to ask questions from the day care providers that you narrow down.
It is important that you don not just settle on the first, cheapest or closest day care provider that you find. Unless you have some stellar references from a very trusted friend or family member, do not sign up at any place before you ask some important questions from a day care provider.
Are You Licensed?
This is a very crucial question for a day care provider because many states require that child care providers whether they be in a home setting or in a nursery type of setting be licensed by the state. This way they have to abide by safety and health guidelines required by the state and they can get updates on any laws and regulations. Do not feel embarrassed or hesitant to ask such questions for a day care provider; you would rather err on the side of caution.
Are Your Trained in CPR and First Aid?
Regardless of whether the day care provider is attending to a dozen children or just yours, he or she needs to be trained in emergency medicine just in case your child chokes on something, falls or has some other type of accident. Ask to see a certificate of CPR training and a first aid box if you feel there is a need to do so.
Is Your Home Child Proofed?
This question for a day care provider is better seen than asked. When you step in the home or facility, check if the electrical outlets are covered, if there are safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs and if dangerous choking hazards like small beads, coins and Lego pieces are not strewn on the ground.
Can You Provide Two References?
This is also a very critical question for a day care provider as when you speak with other parents whose children are currently going to or have been with this day care provider, you can ask them even more blunt questions and get more honest answers. You can even ask the references if you felt there were any areas where the day care provider lacked such as personal hygiene, meal preparation, temper control and the like.
