Hello

[tashanabrown]

Hello, I have just opened my home daycare and would love some advice and tips on parent interviews and home tour

Thanks

[Lee-Bee]

The key is to remember that you are interviewing them as much as they are there to interview you. You need to be at your best and show yourself and your daycare off but you are using this time to get a feel for the parents and the child. Trust your gut if things seem amiss. Do not sign anyone up that comes along, sign up those that are going to respect your contract and you.

Spend some time on the floor interacting with the child. You don't have to take the child and smoother them with attention but show the parents you like kids. The child may not like you right away but stay cheerful and relaxed and try and show them some toys they may like.

I found it helpful to have my schedule printed out and my contract for the parents to look at while I interacted with their child. This gave me a few minutes with the kids and I find the contract answers a lot of questions before they are asked and also is a starting point for conversation.

I also printed off the list of questions for parents to ask daycare providers to ensure quality of care (can't remember if it was from the CCPRN or the OEY) but I pre-answered it all. The parents could read it and again have tons of questions answered without putting me on the spot. It also helped when you get the parents that really don't have a clue what to ask.

After they read everything ask them your questions. Confirm your hours of care and what hours they need. Ask about the child's current sleep habits. It is helpful to know how they handle sleep routine to give a sense of what you are up against. If the child currently puts themselves to sleep you MIGHT have an easier transition than the child that is still rocked and held all evening.

Ask about food...does the child self feed in any capacity. Any allergy concerns. Let them know what kinds of food you serve and what your expectations are.

I always do one visit to cover all the info and met them. Then they go home and I decide if I want to sign them on. If I do I send them an email letting them know I am willing to give the space to them if they are interested. They then need to come back (preferably without the child) and sign the contract. At this time we go over it in detail. They leave a deposit for 2 weeks of care to be used for the final 2 weeks of care.

I have interviewed people that really liked me but I did not like them. It is so much easier to screen them out now than to sign anyone up and regret it 10hrs a day, 5 days a week for months!

I also INSIST on meeting BOTH parents before signing a contract. I had one amazing mom come out with her adorable 9 month old. Perfect people...then her cell rang. It was her husband. I could hear him SCREAMING and threatening her. Clearly she was not supposed to have left the house without his permission and he arrived home from work to find her gone. The tone he used and the words he used made it clear he was not a nice man. There was no way in H#ll I would sign them on because it would mean that man would have contact with me, the kids and my home.

Remember, the parents you sign a contract with you need to be comfortable telling them that another child bit their child, or hit their child. You need to be comfortable reminding them they are late on payment or that they cannot be late at pick up! If they are giving you an uneasy feeling at the interview send them on their way!

[kindertime]

Wow, Lee-Bee, that's some really good advice. I would also like to offer that it can be a good idea to have a detailed conversation on the phone before you even meet them. I never used to do this until I joined this forum and got the idea from others. It can't solve all issues but a little pre-screening can go a long way. It might also be a way of finding the ones who are really interested vs. the looky-loos.

[torontokids]

Yes, good advice. I strongly agree with the phone interview. I always do this and I know before hand that the family already knows my hours, fees etc (I send them my policies after chatting on the phone). The only thing left to do is meet me and see the space.