Some things I look for in a parent...
*Do they bring their child to the meeting....if not, I wonder why??? lol
*Do they ask questions that a concerned parent would ask or an overprotective one would ask? (I once had a parent question a space between our fence and our garage. It is only like an inch or two and has to be their due to our downspout on the garage. There is a bush in front of it. The parent asked if I thought a child could get threw there...I said no, my yard is small and I would see a child doing that if they even did. IMO, that was overprotective. They asked a few more questions that I thought were more overprotective than just concerned)
*Do they have a back up if I'm sick or take holidays
*Do they plan on this being a long term dc placement if everything works out?
*What are their hours of employment, will it fit into my dc?
*How do they interact with their child while in the meeting (this can be hard to gauge because some parents will put on a show)
*How do they deal with misbehaviours at home, if any yet
*How do we interact? Does it feel right?
Things I look for in a child...
*How do they interact with the other children
*How is their temperament (watch for the way they play with the children and with the toys)
*How do they interact with the parent? with me?
*Do they listen to the parent when it is time to go
*Again, does it feel right?
However, there have been times I have taken on children because I needed the spot filled and wasn't quite sure on the family and have been surprised to see that it worked out great.....and times I thought I chose a great family and I was wrong! Never completely judge a book by it's cover...but it's a good start!