Best time to call

Hi,

When do you feel is the best time to call a prospective daycare provider? During the day when she also has to take care of the children? Or during the evening at the risk of disturbing her during her family time?

:huh:

For me personally, it doesn't matter that much because I just don't answer the phone if I am with the kids. If I am busy, I appreciate a message being left and then I call back when it is convenient for me. Emails are always good too because they can be answered on my own time.

I love emails and messages. I always answer the phone during naptime too...12-2pm all my children are sleeping or in school, so I am free to chat with prospective clients or return the call for messages left. Evenings are also good...between 7-9.

Emails are the best if you can because it also puts the information in writing. It is hard for a provider to concentrate on answering a parent's questions while keeping an eye on the kids, fixing a snack, changing a diaper or all of the other myrid of things we manage to do while still talking on the phone when necessary. Mostly when a parent calls in the morning my preference is to ask them to call back in the afternoon during naptime. My fear though is that if I do that they will move on to the next names on their list and may never get back to me. Having a daycare space to fill is a stress that is best taken care of so we can go back to focussing on the children already in care. Naptime is usually an ok time to call but please keep it brief as this is our time to eat lunch etc. Early evening is also a pretty good time to call. Again if the caregiver doesn't answer leave a message if you can. When she is done eating, bathing her kids or otherwise has a free minute she will call you back and if she doesn't get a chance to check messages till too late she will call you the next day. Because of playing phone tag with prospective parents in the past it is actually my preference to communicate via email till we establish a desire to move forward and actually meet or arrange a time to call and discuss needs.

I prefere recieving email apposed to phone calls... this way I can be sure that all of the information is "on paper" as pp said. It also helps to prevent inturrupting family or childcare time because emails can be responded to even late at night.

I don't answer the phone when playing with the kids. I prefer parents leave me a message and I then return their call between 1-3 while the kids nap.