Daycare interviews........

Hello ladies,

I have 1 spot left and have had 2 interviews in the last couple of weeks.......that being said i find it so difficult to do an interview when i have all my kids.......carrying them upstairs and then back down, keeping them happy while i TRY to talk to the mother.......I need advice....When do you guys do your interviews? and should i be doing them on the weekends instead? or is this just the way it is?

HELP!!
mommylove :)

I always do my interviews after hours....I just find it too hard to actually have any sort of conversation with the Mom & Dad with kids everywhere!

I do all interviews in the evenings and on weekends and I only do them when my husband or older daughter is home to help with my youngest and keep her upstairs while we are down in the playroom. I tell parents that I can not devote my attention totally to them to have them come during the day nor is it fair to the kids already in care to constantly have their playtime disrupted by visitors. There is also an element of safety in this day and age where I like to have another adult in the home when I am letting strangers in.

I will do an interview as soon as daycare day is over and let family fend for themselves more or less for supper. I actual prefer this because they new family is not expecting perfection knowing it is the end of the day and I had naptime to straighten up a bit and the interview is over and done with by the time the evening news comes on. I usually do a crockpot on interview nights so when it is done my supper is hot and waiting too. And then the rest of the night is still my own.

Thanks,
Great advice thus far I dont know what im thinking doing it during the day from now on i will be doing my interviews on weekend or in the evening :) I thought for some reason it would be important for the parents to meet the other kids but i guess that doesnt make much sense

Not right at the beginning, anyhow. Let them come for a quick play date if you place them.

I almost always do my interviews on Sunday mornings. I have time to clean my house, I can focus on the parents and the child and there are no other distractions that I have to worry about.

I never do I get iras during daycare hours for security reasons. These people are strangers and as a parent I wouldn't want a stranger brought Into the daycare where my child was. Evenings and weekends only!

I always do the initial interview after daycare hours as well. I explain to parents that I cannot give them my full attention during working hours. I do say they are more than welcome after that interview (if we both decide my daycare is the right place for them) to come for a visit during daycare hours to see me in action and meet the other children.

I agree with most of you........definatly feel like I didnt say all i wanted to say today and was distracted making sure the kiddies were ok feel like if it was more 1 on 1 we would have held a much longer and meaningful conversation. As for security im not sure that its unsafe as i am watching them, its not like i am leaving them alone.......there are also lots of strangers at the park, play groups and splash pads but that doesn't mean I wont take them to those places as long as there under my supervision at all time they are safe :)

The unsafe part is the strangers in the home with no one to hear you if you scream etc. In reality the chances of there being an issue are close to nil but also are you willing to take the chance that this man and woman with a baby in tow aren't actually pedophiles. Also if only the mom and baby came then once she has narrowed down her choices she is likely to ask for a second visit so hubby can come and that would be at night so you end up giving up two visits.

Doing the visit at night gives you the chance to talk with the family, assess them too. They go away contact your references and make up their minds that way. In the grand scheme of things the numbers in care change so often that what is there today will be different when she starts anyways since assuming you have one leaving and need a new one to start so group dynamics will be different.

Also even when they do get to the ready to narrow it down and ask for a daytime visit it is done first thing in the morning as if they were going to work ie when kids just get there and everything is ready for the day. They stay for an hour and it is strictly freeplay with us mingling with the kids - everyone is usually on their best behaviour not tired, not hungry, not craving my attention. I do not do a circletime or "perform" in any way for the parent other than how I interact with the children. Make sure toys that normally cause issues have disappeared for that hour and then it is done and they are gone and you can start your day with only a limited delay. If you really must do an interview during daycare hours this is also the time to do it since the kids generally come happy to play.

When I first started I did my interviews with the kids there and it was definitely not ideal! And then I thought about the safety concerns and since then only do evenings or weekends (weekends are better for me because I have young kids of my own and evenings are when they need my attention most). I also make sure my husband is home for interviews. Not only is it unsafe to be alone in the house with strangers (again, not likely, but if they turn out to be axe murderers, who would hear my cries for help?) but it also gives them a chance to meet him and it helps them feel comfortable with us as a family because their kid will see my husband coming and going and it is sometimes a concern parents have.

I agree with the others. I also started out doing interviews during daycare hours. It is nearly impossible to carry on a conversation/interview at the same time as watching other children.
I would lose my train of thoughts and forget to say a lot of important things because I kept getting interrupted from the children.
I never had anyone sign on who came during daycare hours because the interviews were so hectic.
I then changed to evenings only.
A lot of my evenings became busy with my own kids and their sports so I started doing weekend interviews and I have really appreciated those the most. You have time to tidy up in the morning, you have a fresh and sound mind and it is relaxed.

I did one interview while my dCks were here and they ALL acted out! It was kind of funny because I didn't want the family in the end anyway. I have one DCk who is especially sensitive to changes in the routine and she really struggles with new people in her space. I also after with what everyone else is sayin in terms of it being a safety issue. As a parent I wouldn't be comfortable knowing that strangers had access to my child.

I schedule interviews at 5pm so I have a bit of time after the last child leaves to vacuum and change my clothes and fix myself up a bit. I want the interview over by 6:30ish so I still have the evening because I still have dishes and a lot of other work to do.

My second step is a morning playdate with the Mom & child if I'm interested in having the family join my daycare. The third step is another evening appointment with more questions at the contract signing and we go over every policy together so they can ask questions.

During all 3 of these interviews I'm asking about their parenting philosophies, styles, giving little tidbits of advice on how they can prepare their child to fit into daycare and so much more.