Interview Questions

I usually get resposes from parents through email mainly through kijiji. I dont always do phone interview before the meeting but starting to think it would be better and save some time instead of meeting with people that definitely do not suite your dayhome.
What sort of questions do you usually ask over the phone before first time meeting with the family? How do you destinguish between questions that should be done over the phone and the ones that need to be done in person. I have a hard time with interviews and want to improve these skills.
Thanks ladies

The questions I ask are usually schedule and time questions ? Should I be asking more about the child over the phone?

My phone interview typically covers the 'non negotiable things ... aka are they a match to abide by my contract and financial policies ... aka stay within my hours, understand my fees are for the space occupied, they have back up care for vacations and personal days, child is the AGE I am looking for and so forth ... I ask them 'what are you looking for in a childcare program - what are your priorities and how do you imagine y our child's day being spent' and than I go over a few 'highlights' about the program that might be a 'deal breaker' for some clients aka we do outings and field trips by foot, by public transit and in my vehicle, we spend A LOT of time outside in nature getting dirty and exploring and touching 'things' so if parent is a germ-a-phoebe I am not the program for them, quiet time is NOT an option here every child regardless of age is expected to rest after lunch and if they sleep during that time it is because they NEED it - if parents are not cool with that I am not the provider for them .... if after talking to them on the phone and hearing the kinds of questions THEY ask and how they answer MY questions if I feel we could be a match I invite them to tour the program in person - if I feel they are NOT than I am honest and say 'thank you for your time however I am not sure I can meet your needs at this time' and cut my losses at that point.

During the tour - I walk them through the typical day here as we walk through my home and I nonchalantly ask them questions so when we are in the kitchen I ask them about how meal time occurs at home - what is the child use to and so forth, I show them the sleep area and cots and ask about 'sleep schedules at home' quiet, show them the washrooms and ask about how potty training is handled at HOME and than after each of them has shared FIRST than I explain how it is handled HERE and WHY (if we are on opposite sides of the practice and after explaining my WHY they do not pipe in with a 'oh never thought of it that way - we could do that at home too to be consistent) I keep that in mind as 'red flag' of causing behaviour issues when we reach that stage of development - kids need consistency). I end the tour in my playroom where we can than 'sit and chat' ... I show them my portfolio and references and get them to ask any more questions the tour might not have covered naturally ... if there are lulls in conversation I will probe more questions about 'behaviour and guidance' values at home.

Basically I want to get a feel that we share the same values and goals for their child.

I admit I actually have a 'checklist' of info I like to cover with a client - either on the phone or during the tour to make sure all potential clients get the same 'information' and I get all the info I need .. I take notes when I am interviewing several clients to help me remember who said what and so forth ;)

Do you have a website? I always make sure they have read my website and understand my hours of business, rates, ask them where they live and work in the city to make sure it's convenient for them to come to me. I don't want to waste my time so I like to ask a few questions about the child over the phone or in emails, age, routine, naps, eating, and get a feel for the parent's childrearing philosophies. If they believe for instance that they should pick up their child every time they make a peep or they should just ignore bad behaviour for a couple of examples, I want to know things like that.

Once I'm sure the general questions are all answered I have an interview in my home after work hours and ask the whole family to attend so I can meet them all and see how they interact. It's good to know who's in charge of the family, Mom or Dad or BABY! Then I go over my contract and answer all their questions and ask all of mine.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Momof4

It's good to know who's in charge of the family, Mom or Dad or BABY! .

---

OMG ... the entire waiting room just turned to look at why I was laughing so hard I started coughing up my other lung ... do not want a client where the BABY is in charge .... nope nope nope!

Hey, you know it happens to all of us once in a while! The parents who cater to the baby way too much and let the baby dictate where and when they sleep and eat and whether the household is under control or total chaos. I like to help the families as much as I possibly can to realize that they are in control, not the baby or they are in for a world of hurting.

My list of phone interview questions is pretty much like this:

What is the age of your child?
Are you looking for full time or part time care?
When are you looking to start care?
Has the child been in daycare before?
What sort of hours were you looking for? Do you know what your schedule will be?
Are you located in this area or are you familiar with this subdivision?
Do you have to drive very far to work?

In between I make a little chit chat about how the year must have flown by if it was maternity leave or talk about how stressful it sometimes can be to return to work etc so I get a feel for the parent based on their response.

A lot of times the parent will then start talking like a waterfall and I get a wealth of info. Some of the things like asking what hours they need and then knowing how far they drive to work also helps me calculate if they are over-projecting their ability to be here on time.

I do not want someone who says they can do a 30 minute drive in 28 minutes. Well.....what about bad traffic,bad weather,, etc. Knowing these small things lets me form an opinion whether I even want to take that risk



DURING THE INTERVIEW
I ask more about what the child's routine is like at home presently
What time does the child nap? One or two naps?
Do they enjoy being with other kids?
Do they like going outside even in different kind of weather?
Does the child eat well, are they picky, any allergies???
Who would typically drop off and pick up and what hours (yes I ask again to be sure there are no red flags now that they had more time to think about it)
Are there any concerns?
What is important for them in a daycare?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spixie33

What is important for them in a daycare?

---

This is my favourite one...OR similarly, What do you expect from me as a provider?

I tend to pharase it as Can you tell me what kind of daycare you are looking for? This then gets answers from something close by, will be around kids his own age, will be the only baby in care, won't have to go out daily for school runs, spends lots of time outside. It is also where I usually learn the mother/child relationship and family dynamics. I try to ask dad the same or similarly phrased question so he gets some input if he hasn't been allowed to speak up to that point.

It also draws a blank from some families and then I know ok I need to walk these parents through the process first and give them different daycare scenerios so they can start to form an opinion.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spixie33

DURING THE INTERVIEW
I ask more about what the child's routine is like at home presently
What time does the child nap? One or two naps?
Do they enjoy being with other kids?
Do they like going outside even in different kind of weather?
Does the child eat well, are they picky, any allergies???
Who would typically drop off and pick up and what hours (yes I ask again to be sure there are no red flags now that they had more time to think about it)
Are there any concerns?
What is important for them in a daycare?

---

Along with my Manual & Contract I have a "All About Me" form (about the child) and it asks a bunch of these questions for the parent(s) to fill out. It covers eating, sleeping, playing, waking up, routines at home. DO they try new things or is it all over & over & over again...that will also let me know how child will like changes, if they aren't used to them.

I give it all to the parents while we are in the playroom together to look over since I'm there to answer any questions they have. A) no misunderstandings via email or text etc. and B) I get to warm up to the child and see them in action when the parents aren't paying attention.