FOR KIDS' SAKE CHILD CARE & LEARNING CENTER

A child care & learning center dedicated to meeting the cognitive, emotional, and physical needs of the children we serve and children everywhere.

         A child care & learning center dedicated to meeting the cognitive, emotional, and physical needs of the children we serve and children everywhere.

         A child care & learning center dedicated to meeting the cognitive, emotional, and physical needs of the children we serve and children everywhere.

         A child care & learning center dedicated to meeting the cognitive, emotional, and physical needs of the children we serve and children everywhere.

The forms below are designed to help you obtain as much information as possible about child care/ learning facilities that your child may attend.  Learning as much as possible about a facility before enrolling can help you avoid unpleasant situations later. 

Many parents/guardians are hesitant about asking too many questions when looking at facilities for their children.  Quality centers are filled with people who will welcome your questions and respect your desire to thoroughly investigate any environment which may potentially serve your child.

If you do come across something that makes you uncomfortable, please be an advocate for all children and ask consult the director.  Parent comments, questions, and concerns are one of the best ways for directors to realize a need for change.  If the issue is a health or safety concern, please contact your state licensing representative.

No care facility may refuse you service due to the questions you ask or due to a complaint you raise.  By raising concerns and questions to your director or staff members, you may be able to improve the quality of care and education for your child and others.  See HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CHILD'S CARE.

Finally, trust your instincts, they are your best guide.

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CHILD CARE REVIEW QUESTIONNAIRES 
General Information  Much of the information on this form can be obtained either over the phone or during a weekend or evening drive by visit.   You can also use this time to drive around the neighborhood. Does the area appear safe, and, if not, does the facility have the appropriate security measures at the door and on the playground? Are there any undesirable neighbors (a sewer plant, a adult book store, etc.)?

General Review  Early in the evaluation of the facility you should visit, without your child if possible.  If you must bring your child try to bring along a second person to help attend to your child so that you can give your full attention to observing the facility.  If the facility passes you initial inspection(s), then you should come back for a visit with your child (see familiarization visit below).

Many care facilities are on the 'best' behavior during the time period when most parents are dropping off or picking up children. If your visit is during other times of the day, you may get a more accurate view of what really goes on at the center.  We suggest you schedule visits to child care facilities between 9:00am and 12:00pm or after naptime and before 4:00pm. At these times, the population of children is the largest and staff are least likely to be special behavior.

If possible, do one scheduled visit without your child and a second, shorter, unscheduled review visit.   Dropping off paperwork or picking up a duplicate of a 'lost' form is often a good excuse, if you feel you need one.  You can also just stop by with your child to introduce your child to the "new play place", the teachers and one or two children.   This will help you get a second look around and will also allow you to begin introducing the concept to your child before the familiarization visit.  All children need some time to adjust to a new environment.  A short visit before enrollment can help with this transition.  During the unannounced visit you may want to come during the normal drop off/pickup time to observe how children react.  If many of the children run to their parents without a backward glance at their playmates, their teachers, or the activity in which they were engaged, you may be more concerned than if the children seem to be interested in their activities and more hesitant to leave immediately. You will also find out whether the teachers provide information to parents and/or how they answer parents' inquires. If all answers are 'canned' or one word responses, don't expect much information on your child's day.

Recommendation / References   It is surprising how infrequently parents ask for references from a child care provider.  While written responses are often wonderful, please remember that the center would not be providing it unless it were glowing.  It is a better option to ask for a phone number or email address of one or several parents with children in your child's classroom.  That will give you the opportunity to ask any questions or raise any concerns with someone who has more experience with the facility and will give you honest answers.  Don't be afraid to ask detailed or follow-up questions.

It is recommended that you obtain at least two references.  Reference parents should have had children enrolled in the facility for at least one full year to ensure they are aware of any 'seasonal' issues, such as extra large groups during summer months or staffing shortages during key holiday times.   If the reference(s) has been with the provider for a few years they may also be able to identify key turnover times (i.e. at the beginning of school semesters, when staff is often lost to school districts).

Familiarization Visit Information  Prior to finalizing a choice / starting your child at a new facility it is a good idea to arrange a one hour familiarization visit for you and your child.  If possible set the visit between 9:00 and 12:00 or after naptime and before 4:00pm, in the room that your child will be in care at the facility.  This visit will help your child adjust to the facility and allow you to see the natural interaction between the children and teachers and also spot issues of concern which you may not have noticed during previous visits.

If you see anything which prevents you from enrolling your child, you should notify the director and call the state regulatory agency if you believe that the issue compromises the health and safety of the children.  Most care arrangements will allow you to do one or two familiarization visits before signing final paperwork / making payments. Think twice about the care arrangement if they will not allow you a familiarization visit.

This visit is extremely important regardless of your child's age - with an infant , you will learn how the providers react to crying infants, if they are allowed their own schedule or forced to follow a classroom schedule. With older children, a familiarization visit will help them adjust, allow you to observe the teachers' style and to actively discuss the facility with your child. in which they are participating.  Do they seem to be familiar with the activity or does it seem surprising to them?  Is the schedule you received during your initial tour or the one printed in the classroom being followed. Many States require facilities to have planned and displayed schedules which they are required to reasonably follow.

Care Giving Staff Information Getting to know which staff members will be working with your child is crucial to evaluating the quality of care. As noted above studies have found the consistency of care givers, number of care givers and training of care givers are the most important indicators of the quality of care.

Understanding the staff members' work schedules will help in two area. It should help you in evaluating the training level of staff at who are caring for your child during the child's day. Secondly, if staff are on duty too many hours during the week, the quality of interaction they can provide will be decreased.

Room Information

Playground Information

Activity Information

Fee Information

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Signs to Watch for once your child is in care:

1. High Staff Turnover

2. Anything/anyone that makes you feel unwelcome to drop by for a visit.

3. A negative reaction when you unexpectedly drop you child off late or pick your child up early.  If you drop your child off early or pick them up late this can sometimes cause the facility to be outside of their child to caregiver ratio (i.e. the number of children to each staff member).  A late drop off / early pick up is a great way to check up on the staffing and care giver interaction, if you can manage it. 

4. Inconsistent staff in your child's room.

5. Staff who are harsh, judgmental or  inattentive with the children.

6. Dirty children (beyond the normal level for active toddlers/preschoolers), dirty facilities or odors.

7. Your child should begin to adjust to the new care arrangement - even two year olds (who notoriously hate change) after a few weeks although it may take a month or two to reach a point when you can drop off without tears.  The child care staff should not loss patience with your child's adjustments needs - if they do then be cautious and check to ensure they do not have a cookie cutter model - one size fits all/one way to do things - my way (i.e. never the child's way).

8. Listen to your child - children at all age levels can communicate when they are not being taken care of.  

9. Ensure you receive proper updates on your child's day and do not accept one word or canned responses from staff.  This is often the first sign of a disinterested care giver.

10. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. 

If you encounter a problem check out our page on Solving Child Care Problems

Send mail to pat@pswebworks.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2009 For Kids' Sake Child Care & Learning Center
Last modified: 08/05/09

Send mail to pat@forkidssakecc.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2009 For Kids' Sake Child Care & Learning Center
Last modified: 08/05/09