What I have learned from my daycare search....

[Marie999]

I interviewed A LOT of providers. I thought I would post some advice for those starting on their search as I defiantly learned a few things along the way.

1) Pre-screen and pre-interview
- Sit down with your significant other and create a list of "must haves"
- Check websites, ask for contracts to be emailed to you before the interview and quickly run through your "must haves" on the phone before setting up an interview. Don't waste time in the interview asking questions about things you already know (i.e. policy for sick days, operating hours, etc).

I wasted a lot of time interviewing providers that would have never been a good fit because I didn't take more time with for a quick pre-interview on the phone. I also wasted time in the beginning of my search because I didn't specify pet-free and then found out later my husband was anti-pet in a daycare home (he has trouble trusting other people's dogs).

2) Insist on current references (at least three) and actually check references
- Everyone can come up with three people who will say something nice about them, so make sure their references are relevant and current or very recent families.

My current provider gave me the names and numbers of all the parents whose children were currently in her care, including the family that was leaving and opening up a spot for my son. She also gave me the name and number of two past families who had used her services for five years +. I called all of her references (9 sets of parents total) and they all said very similar things and said she was fantastic (and she is).

3) IMHO is better to choose someone who is a mother themselves and preferably they have had a home daycare open for 2+ years. This is just personal preference and I'm sure there are many excellent providers with no children and little experience, but I feel like another mother, one experienced in childcare, knows better what to expect and won’t become easily overwhelmed. Childcare is difficult and requires the kind of patience and understanding that only a seasoned mother can summon.

4) When interviewing you should see the entire daycare area, including the sleeping area and have an eye out for safety issues (like broken gates and toys, hazards, etc). After that you should be asking questions that gain you insights into your potential provider’s personality, behaviours and values. This is why it's important to pre-screen so you already know the essentials. IMHO a provider’s personality and approach towards issues around discipline, potty training, napping, bullying, feeding, self soothing, etc.... is much more important than whether or not they have and ECE diploma, circle-time or tons of toys.
You want a partner who will work with you, and if you and your provider have very differing view-points on key issues how will you ever work together?
Ask providers how they approach discipline, what behaviours do they think are not appropriate and their strategies to avoid/address them, how will they assist with potty-training (which should be started at home of course) and how will they address accidents in daycare? How will they communicate with you? Questions like, if my child doesn't like lunch and refuses to eat what will you do? If my child is misbehaving what strategies do you use to address his/her behaviour? If you feel strongly your child should not be punished for potty training accidents but can go a little hungry if they're being picky at lunch time then you should find a provider that feels the same way.
Remember that there are no right or wrong answers; you are simply looking for someone who is similar to you, within the constraints of providing group care. No provider can give the one-on-one attention or care that you can while they have 4-5 other children so your expectations must be realistic. Additionaly, you will have a hard time finding the right provider if all of your time during the interview is spent on operational questions, like fees and late policies, instead of the stuff that really matters.

GL!