Interview tonight! What are some things you do/don't do?

[CrazyEight]

I've got an interview tonight - finally! And another on Thursday. Hoping to sign both of them...we'll see!

What are some things you guys make sure to do/mention at an interview?
On the flip side, are there things you don't do or say?

Just trying to make sure I've covered all my bases....

[5 Little Monkeys]

Congrats!! I hope they both go well and you sign on both of them :)

For me, I send them my contract and policies to read over before the meeting. Than at the meeting they can come prepared for specific questions relating to me and my daycare. Most of the time they have very little to zero questions regarding the contract and policies because they tell me it is very thorough. They do usually have a few questions for me like, why I opened a home daycare, what's my favourite thing about having a hdc, what a typical day looks like etc.

I ask things like
-when and for how long the child naps and do they need anything to nap (soother, stuffy, blankie)
-any allergies
-what's their long term plan
-how are they with other children? with men? because my fiance is my back up
-what kinds of things have they been exposed to...glue, paint, scissors, sand, water/rice play etc (just to give me an idea of how they will react to when we do it here)
-what is their plan if their child becomes ill at dc and needs to be picked up
-what kind of holidays do they take (I have always had at least one teacher or student in my dc. Right now I have both)
-anything else that pops into my head as the meeting goes along

[ttremble88]

5LM pretty much covered my main questions. Some others that come to mind are:

Are your childcare needs going to change come summer, school breaks ect (I take b/a school)
Is your child allowed to participate in holiday crafts and activities? Eg, Easter, Christmas ect.
Has your child had eggs, fish, honey, peanut butter?

I am sure that there are more, but this pregnant mommy brain is tired...lol

[Lee-Bee]

For me the first interview is mostly about my deciding if I like the parents and if the child will mesh with my daycare. I found a copy of a parent checklist from the Ontario Early Years Centre and I pre-answered it, I give it to the families to read while I interact with their child. This keeps them busy, allows me to spend time with the child and the parents can see how I am with their child. It answers all the key things parents want to know, without me having to think on the spot and it also allows them to think up more questions. It discusses routines, discipline, sleep etc.

We briefly discuss my policies (hours, fees, paying up front, holidays etc) but I leave that to the second meeting. If I like them after the first meeting (which lasts about 45-60min) then I email my contract for them to read over and decide if they wish to pursue the spot.

I then have them back and discuss policies in detail before signing contract, taking my deposit cheque and post-dated cheques.

Typically there are numerous emails between the 2 meetings. I have not had any parents question or try to negotiate anything in my contract.

I do make sure that they know that I am the one deciding if their child gets the space. I tell them they are coming for me to see if their child will be a good fit. I don't do first come, first serve. So far it has worked well for me as my families are amazing. We are able to go without the income while waiting to find a good fit, which saves the headaches of filling with just anyone.

I also make sure I have met both parents. This is huge for me, I had one mom come with her son (when needed I allow the mom and child to come alone for the first meeting) and they both seemed perfect then the dad happened to call the mom's cell and he was screaming at her, scary mad. I ended it then and could not sign them on...as I did not want that man ever to step foot in my daycare not to mention his son would quite possibly grow up thinking it is okay to behave that way.

[5 Little Monkeys]

5LM pretty much covered my main questions. Some others that come to mind are:

Are your childcare needs going to change come summer, school breaks ect (I take b/a school)
Is your child allowed to participate in holiday crafts and activities? Eg, Easter, Christmas ect.
Has your child had eggs, fish, honey, peanut butter?

I am sure that there are more, but this pregnant mommy brain is tired...lol

I ask if they have had honey, pb and strawberries. I will have to add eggs and fish to the list!

[AmandaKDT]

I ask if they have had honey, pb and strawberries. I will have to add eggs and fish to the list!

Why ask about the honey? Isn't the only concern about honey that it shouldn't be given to babies under 1 year of age because of the chance of it causing infant botulism? From everything I have read as long as they are over 1 year old there is no concern.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Yes, Amanda that is the concern. I have had children under one in my dc though and I have also read conflicting reports that it is up to age two. It was actually a parent who told me about the honey and age limit as I was only used to restricting children under 2 from pb and strawberries as that is what did in daycare centres.

[Wonderwiper]

Exciting....good luck!!

I'm a bit like Lee Bee, I have super casual interviews. They come down to my daycare and have a little look around. Then we usually just sit on the floor and chat. My girls run around playing and their child wanders around checking everything out.

I don't show anyone my contract. I go over the basics but we really just have more of a "get to know you" chat. I always ask what they are looking for in a daycare. At they end I just thank them for coming, nice to meet you kind of thing!

I am insanely fussy and can tell within a few minutes if I would ever work with people. I do let parents know that I am doing lots of interviews and leave it up to them to get back to me if they are interested.

Good luck tonight, I hope they are both awesome and you get your spots filled!!

[nschildcare]

I go over my policies in detail and highlight (3 times, lol) the ones that matter the most to me: we get dirty, we go outside every day no matter the weather so come prepared, my illness policy, hours/late fees, discipline.

I spend a lot of time going over discipline. I ask how they discipline their child. I tell them my rules, explain my expectations and how I handle things. I gauge their response to what I am telling them.

I also go over our typical daily routine and ask about their child's. What does nap time and bed time look like in their house? I tell them about our meals and how I handle not eating.

I ask about their back up plan for when I am not available. Do they have one? Is it a good plan? What about when little one is sick?

That's usually it. I always ask for both parents and child to be present. I really watch how they react to what I am telling them. If they seem disagreeable or start negotiating, out they go :)

I have really honed my interviewing skills (it took me a long time!) and am really comfortable saying no to families. My last two families I screened are awesome and amazing :)

Good luck!

[ttremble88]

Why ask about the honey? Isn't the only concern about honey that it shouldn't be given to babies under 1 year of age because of the chance of it causing infant botulism? From everything I have read as long as they are over 1 year old there is no concern.

I have known a number of people allergic to honey, so I ask just out of precaution as I do serve it time to time here.

[Secondtimearound]

I am fairly laid back the first visit too , I like to sit and interact with the child . I usually gear most of my questions about him or her . My dd will join us to play . If I feel like I could work with the family based on my interaction and their expectations , I will hand out my contract . Usually I hear back that night or the next day and then follow with a call to confirm my policies and expectations . My first interviews were not professional at all , I was so nervous !! But found my way pretty quickly !!
I wish you success !!!!!

[Dreamalittledream]

Just wondering if the rest of you incorporate introducing your own family/tour of entire home as part of your interview? I do, as of course, my family will be interacting with their own children as well...my husband, for example, will take over on the rare appointment I have.

[CrazyEight]

Yep, I tend to schedule interviews for evenings when my husband isn't working, as in the event that I have something come up, he's my back-up. Even if he wasn't, he works odd hours and usually has a weekday off, so I think the prospective clients should meet him as he'll be around their child. My kids are all under 6, so they are a big part of the children's lives, so I always introduce them.
My house is clean, my kids are currently eating dinner so that they (hopefully) won't be cranky, and my contract and info package are all ready...I think we're good to go! It's been a while since I've had to do this, so here's hoping it goes well!

[5 Little Monkeys]

Just wondering if the rest of you incorporate introducing your own family/tour of entire home as part of your interview? I do, as of course, my family will be interacting with their own children as well...my husband, for example, will take over on the rare appointment I have.

It's just me and my fiance and he works evenings. I interview during the day whenever possible and he meets them as well. He is my back up so I feel it's important that they trust him. My daycare is the whole basement so that is where we spend the most time but I do show them upstairs as well as we will from time to time use the kitchen, living room and bathroom. I show them where the office and master bedroom are but we don't go in as there is no reason too.

[Lee-Bee]

Just wondering if the rest of you incorporate introducing your own family/tour of entire home as part of your interview? I do, as of course, my family will be interacting with their own children as well...my husband, for example, will take over on the rare appointment I have.

I have my husband 'pop in' and say hi if he is home. In my first interviews I tried to do a full house tour but I soon found most my parents didn't really need to see everything. My daycare is self contained so they see where we spend the large majority of our day. They nap in various rooms upstairs but even then the families didn't really have the great need to see it...so I tend to save that for when they come back and sign the contract...means less cleaning for me and is just that bit less awkward.

My daughter (12months) was part of the interviews...we started interviews when she was about 7/8 months and for some reason for every single interview she was on her absolute best behavior ever. It was somewhat creepy how well behaved she was for all of them :-)

Aside from occasionally coming down to get my daughter a bit early my husband doesn't really have any interaction with the daycare but I figure families should meet him. I'd want to meet the man living in the house I sent my kid to each day!