What to Ask on a Child Care Tour: A Comprehensive Guide

By
Wonderschool
August 31, 2023

Child care tours can feel intimidating at first. How could one meeting and a walk-through help you decide whether or not an environment is an ideal place for your child to learn and grow? How can you cover all of your concerns, from safety to school readiness, in such a short time frame? 

But by doing some of the prep work ahead of time, you can arrive prepared, knowing exactly what to ask on your child care tour. 

Click here to get the consolidated list of questions and observances to look for at your next tour. Copy or screenshot the list so you have it handy!

Must-Ask Questions When Touring a Child Care Program

Below, we’ll walk through some of the most important questions to ask, moving through nine different areas of concern. We’ve collected all these questions at the bottom to make it easy to copy or screenshot. Bring this list with you on your child care tour to make sure you remember to ask these. We often hear from parents that it’s easy to get distracted and forget key questions to ask on the day of the tour.

1. Safety

Safety is a top concern when attending a child care tour. Some specific questions to write down and ask include:

  • Is your child care business licensed (if licensing is a requirement in your state)?
  • Are all staff members background-checked?
  • Who else lives in the home?
  • Do you have any pets? If so, what breed? Are they up to date on vet care/vaccinations?
  • Are you trained in first aid and CPR for both infants and children?
  • What is your injury response protocol?
  • Do you have plans in place for emergency scenarios like severe weather or an intruder?
  • Are there clear check-in and check-out procedures?

Some of what you need to know will be visible without even asking a question. Put on your “safety” viewpoint while walking through the facility and look out for:

  • Outlets that are covered
  • Any choking hazards; making sure any hazards are out of reach, 
  • Cords that are contained instead of being left loosely
  • Furniture items that do not have sharp corners or have a protective covering
  • An environment that is designed with children’s play in mind

Wonderschool works with providers to meet high quality standards. You can learn more about these quality and safety standards here

All providers should also have an open-door policy. Make sure you can visit to see how your child is doing during their care. Even if you don’t think it’s a good idea to visit during the day because of your child’s separation anxiety, it’s important to know that you are able to. This open-door policy shows that the same level of care is being provided whether or not parents are watching.

While discussing safety with the provider, keep in mind that it should be one of their top focuses. Answers to these questions should come easily. If several of your questions lead to long response times or unclear answers, safety may not be a priority in the provider’s environment.

2. Illness Prevention

It’s a given that children will get sick more often at daycare than they would if they were staying home. This isn’t always a bad thing, as it helps to build strong immune systems early in life. However, the constant illnesses can, and should, be minimized with the help of the provider’s illness prevention procedures. Some questions to ask on a child care tour that can tell parents a lot about illness prevention are: 

“How do you handle hygiene practices to prevent illnesses, such as handwashing?”

When it comes to handwashing policies, the provider should prioritize teaching proper hand hygiene practices to the children in their care. This involves demonstrating and guiding children through the correct way to wash their hands. The provider should encourage regular handwashing at key times, such as when the children arrive, before meals, after using the restroom, and after outdoor play. 

“Can you tell me about your cleaning schedule?”

This question seems simple, but the way the provider responds can give you a goldmine of information. Each child care center should have a dedicated cleaning schedule that they follow each day. They may need to have their schedule written down and posted for licensing standards, though this isn’t always the case. Whether the provider shows you a daily checklist or clearly shares each of the cleaning steps they take each day, you can trust that the environment will be tidy. If they don’t have specifics in their answer, it could mean that they don’t spend as much time cleaning and sanitizing as they could.

“What is your sick policy?”

Another important piece of illness prevention is the provider’s illness policy. Children should be required to stay home while sick, as well as for a period of time after having a contagious illness, to prevent spreading germs. This can feel like an inconvenience to parents, but in the long run, the policy will play a role in your child getting sick less often. In addition, you can ask what the communication policy is to notify parents of contagious illnesses. 

This isn’t to say that you will never see a sick child when you pick up your little one from care. Sometimes it can be out of the provider’s control. But, the policies should be put in place to prevent as much illness spreading as possible. 

This question can also help you to understand the types of absent days that you will still be required to pay tuition for. Most child care providers charge for sick days, since they need reliable income in their business. However, some will provide discounts for extended illnesses or other extreme circumstances.

Other questions to consider:

  • Do you have records proving that the other children enrolled are up-to-date with all required immunizations?
  • What are the policies for notifying parents about illnesses?

3. Health and Wellness

Along with safety and illness prevention, you want to make sure your child is eating well and participating in healthy activities during the day. 

  • Do parents provide lunches and snacks, or are meals provided?
  • What health factors or nutritional standards do you consider when serving meals (home-cooked, organic, all food groups, etc.)?
  • What is your policy for children with food allergies or dietary restrictions?
  • Will I receive updates regarding how much, or how little, my child eats each day?
  • How much time will my child spend outside?
  • Do kids of all ages spend time outside?
  • What types of gross motor activities will be provided?
  • Are there expectations or requirements around potty training?

4. Level of Experience

Not all caregivers have been in business for decades, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of providing the best environment for your child to learn and grow in. However, all providers should have some type of experience working with children. This may include teaching experience, working in another daycare center, or even simply being a parent themselves. 

  • How many years have you been working with children?
  • How long has your own child care business been open?
  • Do you have any references who I can contact?

It’s not necessary for every family to contact references, but it can add peace of mind for those who are feeling extra nervous about their child’s transition to child care.

5. Ratios

Ratios are one of the most important questions to ask on a child care tour. Every provider should have a set number of children that they can care for. The number should also be broken down by age group. 

On your tour, simply ask:

What is your ratio?

For example, they may be able to care for one infant, two toddlers, and four preschoolers. Before your tour, you can look up your state’s guidelines on child care ratios to make sure the provider’s answer matches the standard.

6. Infant Schedule Accommodation

If you have a baby at home, you know how important infant schedules can be. Some providers will match your family schedule as much as possible, while others will have set nap and feeding times for all infants. Decide which option works best for your family and ask the following questions to determine if the provider that you are touring with is a good fit:

  • Do you match infants’ home sleeping schedules?
  • Are infants fed on demand or on a schedule?
  • How and when are solid foods introduced?
  • How often do you change infants’ diapers?

And of course, feel free to add in any questions that are important to you regarding your baby’s at-home routine.

7. Children’s Development

When you first begin your child care tour, it should be obvious that the provider holds a heavy focus on children’s development. Look for toys that suit all age groups, children’s artwork hung on the walls, a library full of books, and circle time props such as calendars.

As far as questions go, here are a few that can give you a better picture of how the provider handles development:

  • Do you follow a specific educational philosophy?
  • Do you use a preschool curriculum for kindergarten readiness?
  • Do you have themes to help kids engage in learning?
  • Do you have separate learning plans for kids of various ages?

8. Enrichment Opportunities

Enrichment opportunities aren’t offered everywhere, but they can be fun and educational add-ons for kids. Common enrichment options for child care include yoga, second languages, nature exploration, soccer or other sports, and field trips.

You can ask on your child care tour if these opportunities are offered and if your child will be able to participate in any of these.

9. Communication

It’s important that you receive updates on your child’s day, whether that be through afternoon notes or a child care communication app. It’s nice to see pictures of your child playing happily throughout the day, but it’s even more important that you hear about how often their diaper is being changed, how long they are napping, how much they are eating, etc. If they do not use an app or text message method of keeping in touch throughout the day, that is okay. Many providers want to stay focused on your child’s care and prefer to give in-person updates at pick-up. 

The following questions can help you gauge communication efforts on your child care tour:

  • Do you use a communication app for parents during the day?
  • Do you share updates about the children’s days?
  • How will you contact me in the case of emergencies?

Good Signs on a Child Care Tour

As mentioned above, not all of the information you learn on a child care tour will come from asking questions. Some visual signs you can seek out include:

  • Happy children (if you are touring during a work day)
  • A clean environment
  • Healthy meals and snacks
  • Low provider-to-child ratios
  • Clear daily schedules

Red Flags on a Child Care Tour

A few things that may make you want to stay away from a particular provider include:

  • Unclear answers to your most important questions
  • Untidy environment
  • Lack of safety training or experience
  • A chaotic environment or teachers yelling
  • An uneasy “gut feeling”
  • High turnover rates

Even though child care tours can feel overwhelming, they’re a helpful tool in finding the right place for your little one to learn and grow. By creating a personalized list of questions with the help of the guide above, you can feel fully prepared to get the most out of your tour. And don't forget to rely on your intuition as well - this can guide you to the right care option, as told by a parent who tells her child care finding experience.

If you need help finding quality preschools or child cares to tour, check out Wonderschool search today. Our directory makes it easy to find and contact high quality providers from all over the country.

The Full List of Questions for your Child Care Program Tour

Copy or screenshot this list of questions and observances for your next tour.

Safety

  1. Is your child care business licensed (if licensing is a requirement in your state)?
  2. Are all staff members background-checked?
  3. Who else lives in the home?
  4. Do you have any pets? If so, what breed? Are they up to date on vet care/vaccinations?
  5. Are you trained in first aid and CPR for both infants and children?
  6. What is your injury response protocol?
  7. Do you have plans in place for emergency scenarios like severe weather or an intruder?
  8. Are there clear check-in and check-out procedures?

Illness prevention

  1. How do you handle hygiene practices to prevent illnesses, such as handwashing?
  2. Can you tell me about your cleaning schedule?
  3. What is your sick policy?
  4. Do you have records proving that the other children enrolled are up-to-date with all required immunizations?
  5. What are the policies for notifying parents about illnesses?

Health and wellness

  1. Do parents provide lunches and snacks, or are meals provided?
  2. What health factors or nutritional standards do you consider when serving meals (home-cooked, organic, all food groups, etc.)?
  3. What is your policy for children with food allergies or dietary restrictions?
  4. Will I receive updates regarding how much, or how little, my child eats each day?
  5. How much time will my child spend outside?
  6. Do kids of all ages spend time outside?
  7. What types of gross motor activities will be provided?
  8. Are there expectations or requirements around potty training?

Level of expertise

  1. How many years have you been working with children?
  2. How long has your own child care business been open?
  3. Do you have any references who I can contact?

Ratio

  1. What is your ratio of children to care takers?

Infant schedule accommodation

  1. Do you match infants’ home sleeping schedules?
  2. Are infants fed on demand or on a schedule?
  3. How and when are solid foods introduced?
  4. How often do you change infants’ diapers?

Children's development

  1. Do you follow a specific educational philosophy?
  2. Do you use a preschool curriculum for kindergarten readiness?
  3. Do you have themes to help kids engage in learning?
  4. Do you have separate learning plans for kids of various ages?

Enrichment opportunities

  1. Do you offer fun and educational add-ons for kids such as yoga, second languages, nature exploration, soccer or other sports, or field trips?

Communication

  1. Do you use a communication app for parents during the day?
  2. Do you share updates about the children’s days?
  3. How will you contact me in the case of emergencies?

Things to observe while you're on the tour

  1. Outlets that are covered
  2. Any choking hazards; making sure any hazards are out of reach, 
  3. Cords that are contained instead of being left loosely
  4. Furniture items that do not have sharp corners or have a protective covering
  5. An environment that is designed with children’s play in mind
  6. Unclear answers to your most important questions
  7. Untidy environment
  8. Lack of safety training or experience
  9. A chaotic environment or teachers yelling
  10. An uneasy “gut feeling”
  11. High turnover rates

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