Ask:
1) RATIOS. that is always a big part, because 1-on-1 is the best, but that being said, a GOOD teacher may not need an assistant to deal with the children. The state sets aside a particular number of children per each teacher that they KNOW is not harmful or hurtful for the children and can provide care for each child individually as well as for the whole group. BUT OF COURSE, one-on-one is ideal.
2) CURRICULUM. will you child have a planned out day? what kind of things will they learn? how long does a theme last (a week, a day, a month)? What kind of tasks can the children complete at each particular age group (1yo can paint, glue, color, etc, but 3yo... they can do all that & better & MORE)? Is there freedom for creativity? Is arts & craft skills planned out for them? Do they have science & math time? Is there sensory time?
3a)DIAPERS. The state requires diapers to be changed EVERY 2HRS, no less than every 2HRS!! How do teachers keep track? Will you know your child's diaper routine? Is it changed more often?
3b) POTTY TRAINING. How often are children taken to the potty? At what age is it appropriate to start training? Do they have to be potty trained before they move up to a specific class?
4) PLAYGROUND. Always check out the playground first hand. See what kinds of activities the children are allowed to do? Is there multiple choices for activities or are they required to participate in one thing only? Is there grass, is there shade, is there a street to cross? Check out the safety of the equipment! How often is the grass cut? Are my children secure in this space? Can they get out?
5) EXPERIENCE. How many years of experience do the staff members have? Directors, Asst Directors included! How long have you been in child care?
6) TRAININGS. The state of Arkansas requires each staff member completes TEN HOURS of training. How much training has the staff completed so far this year? How many hours of training has the supervisory staff completed this year? How many hours does that facility require each staff member to complete a year-- yes the state requires 10, but different facilities require more for their own staff. Heck, ask them what was their favorite training they've ever attended?-- it'll give you a good sense of if they paid attention, what kinds of trainings they attend, and what they might have learned and how they brought it to YOUR CHILD'S CLASSROOM. for instance, i LOVED the relaxation class. yep, i took a class on relaxation! and after that class I taught my 2 & 3yo students how to do stretches and unwind after a busy day! we would turn on our meditation music and stretch out on the floor and reach out toes, we did our daily Calisthenics to work out our body-- good for them physically-- and ease our mind-- good for them mentally!
7) PHYSICAL GOALS. A child who is going from BABY to TODDLER does not meet many intelligence goals-- i mean they aren't going to be able to complete the sentence for you or add 2+2. BUT they do need to meet physical goals to keep them on track with other children their age. You may want to keep them a BABY, but do you want them to fall behind other children their age? So, while you may be scared to get them off that bottle because of nutritional value or because they are your precious, sweet, widdle, iddy, biddy, tiny little baby.... they really don't need A BOTTLE. They can get their nutritional values out of a sippie cup, just like a bottle, so don't be scared, it's ok to let them grow. and by letting them grow you are teaching them independence and giving them SELF-ESTEEM!!! ohhhh, does your little tiny pumpkin need good self-esteem or what?! i mean, seriously, no one looks at their baby and says "man, i hope i hold him back! i hope he becomes emotionally turbulent, socially inept, and depressed all the time!" So with this long definition I think what I am trying to say is: Do you help get my child trained to use a sippie cup before they become little toddling children? If my child is behind on walking will you help them walk or hold them back? If my child is quick to walk, will you move him up or hold him back?
8) TESTING. Once your sweet little iddy biddy baby becomes a toddler the focus is more on learning the basics. Talking. Counting. Dancing. Jumping. Sharing. etc. How does this particular facility know if your child is meeting the goals of that particular age? I'm sure you've heard "20 in 20" 20 words by 20months of age. That's how your child's physician tests them, but does the school? And can you see it? For instance, at the age of 1 a child can scribble with a marker, but by the age of 4 they should be able to hold the marker correctly and not only scribble but make diliberate marks on a piece of paper-- perhaps spell their name!!! So as your child grows with that facility can you SEE how YOUR child has progressed?? How do they know if your child knows his colors? his ABCs? is he going to be kindergarten ready?
9) BITING!! No parent ever wants to think their child is a biter, but it'll happen! No parent wants to think that they send their child to school to be bit, but it'll happen! Do not stress about this, children are resilient, they will get bit, they may cry, it will turn into a bruise, but they will be ok!! Please do not single out children, or bad mouth a child because they bit your precious baby! They do not realize what they are doing is hurting, all they realize is it got YOUR CHILD to let go of THEIR TOY! These children typically have no words to convey what they want or need and the only way to get their point across is to dig their shiney little teeth into your baby's arm, neck, back, etc. I will promise you, you are doing NO ONE any favors by threatening to remove your child from daycare, because no matter where you take them, there will be biting. And it is not ok to kick a child out of a facility just because they bite. I will be the first to admit children have bit and been bit on my watch and I FEEL GUILTY! It is MY job to watch them and teach them. I should have been there to intervene. but I FAILED! Your child who did the biting, he isn't the problem, he isn't the failure, he isn't "THE BITER" HE is, however, still your precious baby, who just needs some guidenance on how to deal with their teething, aggression, frustration, etc. And your child who got bit... more than likely they weren't perfect little angels who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time-- although i have actually witnessed that once or twice!! Sometimes they are the aggressor, sometimes they are the bully, but their bullying does not leave marks, so that being said, ask: What is the biting policy? What kind of training do the teachers have with biting? Will a child be kicked out for biting? Will I be notified if my child was bit?
10) POLICIES. This refers to any policy the schools may have... inclement weather policies. misbehavior policies (time out, redirection, seperation, etc). Late fees. Late pick up times. Perhaps your daycare closes at 530p but you're running so late one day... do they charge? and is there a certain amount of times you can be late before you are asked to find a new center? (Seriously, these are questions you need to know answers to... because a simple miscommunication between mom & dad about who's picking up baby could happen more than once). Payment policies. PLAYGROUND policies. (how often, when, cold weather, rainy weather? I was once told "there is no such thing as inappropriate weather, just inappropriate clothing" and at first I disagreed, but then I realized I spent HOURS playing outside in 4ft of snow, in 5degree weather when I was growing up. So, if I bundle up babies why can't they enjoy the craziness mother nature has to offer us?!... that being said, thunder & lightning-- no! that's just stupid. You don't PLAY in a tornado!)
ooohhhhhh.... i'm sure there are more that i left out, but this is a basic 10 question starting point and i think they are all very informative. Goodluck my friends on finding the BEST daycare for you....
