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Since there are a few interview threads about what parents or providers should ask -- I wondered what everyone has NOT been asked.
Some of the stuff really surprises me - that I have not been asked
i.e I have never been asked to show my first aid training certificate...parent s just ask if I have it
I have never been asked who comes in and out of the house during the day, what sort of males go through the house or whether my husband is home at certain hours etc
I think all parents have their own comfort levels with certain things too. Where one parent would be outraged that my own teenage son might come home for university for reading week and be here another would be excited that the kids had another adult to play with. As far as first aid goes there is an awful lot of the course that is practical and easily self taught so I don't think it is as red a flag as some would think. A lot of parents don't have CPR and would never think to worry about it. I have it for my own sanity not the sanity of the parents.
A lot can be learned about what the parents don't ask too. One they are either getting tired of interviews and just assuming that certain things are standard since the last 5 they visited had certain things. It also could be that they haven't done a lot of research and don't know that there are checklists out there or have decided that their gut feeling is more important than the check list.
A lot of parents go on the assumption especially when we have our own children in the home that we are not bringing anyone or anything into the home we would not want our own children exposed to.
I have NEVER been asked to see my police record check.
Also, not about interviews but you would also be surprised how many parents sign on to care but NEVER call my references that I freely give out.
I have never been asked for my references. Once a parent asked me if I had references but they didn't ask to have them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Judy Trickett
I have only ONCE had a parent ask to see the police check out of probably 20 interviews
Police check is another one of those things that sounds more important than it really is and a lot of parents realize that. If you had committed a crime against children and been convicted, children's aid would have stepped in to remove your own children from the home. So if you have your own children that pretty much serves the same purpose as the police check.
Quote:
Originally Posted by playfelt
Absolutely true. But if I were a parent seeking care I would still ask to see it. KWIM?
With the police check I wouldn't necessarily be worried or expecting something to come up related to kids....but even a DUI, something with drugs or some sort of domestic issue or something would make me worried as a parent
Then again....police checks don't mean someone is innocent - in some cases it is just a matter of someone not getting caught - right?
It is a security blanket that makes parents feel better but in the end is no guarantee of anything
Police checks started for agencies and groups that were trying to protect themselves with the idea if the police said the person was ok they weren't responsible if the person abused a child or whatever - we had to have them as Brownie and Scout leaders, those working in kids summer camps, and then it broadened to other things like to vollunteer in the school and a couple years ago our church even asked Sunday School teachers to get them.
It only goes back a few years so a caregiver that can show references dating back more years than that again can supercede the report with more relavant info. I still think we should be expecting daycare parents to have the reports done so we know what kind of adults we are letting into our homes on a daily basis.
I have never been asked for the police check or first aid certificate either. I have also only once had someone call references even though I give them out...I guess the fact that I gave them makes parents feel that I am not hiding anything so they don't need to actually call.
Again on references - parents know that we aren't going to give them names of people who are going to say bad things about us.
What I do try to do when I give references out is to point out the parent that might be most likely to identify with the new family in terms of most recent to start a child in care at a young age or the parent that has been with me for a long time and has two in care in that they have made the adjustments. Sometimes the parents have called my reference just to talk about the whole concept of childcare itself.
Ah, but that is a misnomer. Let me tell you, I used to work in a field wherein I had to call a lot of references for people seeking management jobs. You would be amazed at how many people are truthful when you call the even though the person thought they would say good things (otherwise why put them on your reference list). When people assume they are somewhat anonymous they DO tell the truth.Quote:
Originally Posted by playfelt
I don't care how great a daycare parent might be there will always be one or two things that they don't like about care. And that is just human nature.
no one ask for my police record. but wait, i posted a copy in the front bulletin board. LOL and so as a copy of my Red Cross CPR.
maybe they have seen it as they come in!
LOL ~ yup mine are in my portfolio binder along with all my other documentation like copy of my insurance, business license and diplomas and so forth.Quote:
Originally Posted by angelina
I also agree about the calling references being prudent ... I worked in HR too and sometimes it is not what they DO say glowing reports wise but what they DO NOT when asked questions as well ... the pause in the voice, the change in tone or evasion of some questions cause the person does not want to 'lie' but telling the truth might be seen as negative so they are thinking about how to word it to tell the truth and spin it positive!
When I was interviewing for staff members in a centre and calling references I once got to the question, after several that flowed off the tip of her tone, 'would you leave your child alone with this person' .... suddenly after having all the right answers about education, book smart type things they PAUSED ... seriously that is a NO BRAINIER so why would you have to pause before answering 'oh for sure I have left my kid with her dozens of times'? Basically sent the message that while this person was 'book smart' they did not yet have the PRACTICAL SKILLS that would allow the parent on the other end to entrust their own kid to this person they were 'referring' and since the position I was hiring for required the person to be 'alone' a lot I did not choose her for that job and offered her a 'supply staff' job instead to get some more practical experience ... and it paid off cause she had no 'group management skills' at all and needed a lot of mentoring before she could figure out how to apply her book smarts into practice in the classroom!
I have been asked ALL of the questions on this thread! Do I have an untrustworthy face?? :unsure:
LOL
I have also been asked if my DH would ever come into contact with daycare kids, and whether they could have police clearance for him and my PARENTS, for when they come and visit me in my private home. That irritated me, to say the least. I wanted to ask them for references. After all, they would be in my home doing pick up and drop off, and my own kids would be there, not to mention other peoples' precious babies. Ugh.:thumbdown:
Alpha, I think it's those 6 busy arms of yours that scare parents, hahaha! Maybe that just isn't a very good picture of you in your signature or whatever you call it. :laugh:
I had a daycare parent who got a call from my latest dcfamily and she asked her to tell her the best thing about my daycare and the worst thing and what she would change. So when the Mom was telling me about this phone call I couldn't resist asking her what she would change or didn't like. She said she was stumped and didn't know what to say and told her that she honestly couldn't think of a thing. The new Mom signed on so I guess my old dcMom was telling the truth.