A daycare tour entails visiting a daycare center to vet and analyze if it is a great fit for you and your baby. During the tour, you can see the facilities the center has, their staff how they handle children, and generally how the daycare runs among other things.
Why A Daycare Tour Is Important
A daycare tour is very important for working moms. If you are looking to enroll your child into daycare, you need to conduct a daycare tour for the following reasons;
- It is an opportunity to experience the real daycare environment- especially when you just drop in without an appointment
- You get an opportunity to ask the owners questions regarding care and other important aspects relevant to you
- Learn about the different facilities that the daycare has that are of interest to you and your child
- Get a chance to meet the employees and the teachers who will care for your child – a very good start at bonding and forming a good relationship
- You can make a comparison of daycare on select factors of interest to you such as payment, facilities etc
- It helps you in choosing the right daycare center for your toddlers/infants/preschoolers
Therefore from the daycare tour you identify things you don’t like or like and arrive at a daycare center that closely or fully matches your needs and that of your child.
As a working mom, especially one working full time, this fit is critical since the daycare will be your baby’s primary caregiver while you are working. Therefore, it needs to be convenient and practical for you given your working schedule and home/office location.
How to Conduct Daycare Shortlisting
Before you embark on a daycare tour, you need to have the questions that you will ask ready. You also need to have a ready list of the several daycares that you may visit. It is recommended that you visit several daycares, but not necessarily on the same day if you are going to get the best daycare for your child.
Therefore shortlisting your potential daycares for a tour is important. As such includes the following daycares
- Only daycares that are within the location of your home or office- it makes dropping off and pick up your child easier. No need to enroll in a daycare that is too far out of your reach
- Daycares whose charges are reasonable within your budget- No need to visit daycares that you willl not afford to enroll into
- Daycares that have the facilities that are of interest to you and your child- No need for daycares which are not serving your needs
- Daycares that have ease availability for your slot- some daycares are high demand and require you to wait for very
Top Questions to Ask on Daycare Tour when Looking for a New Daycare
The aspects you need to look for when seeking daycare for your infant/toddler are related to the center’s working hours, costs involved, safety, availability, and their extra activities among others. You can create a daycare tour checklist if you need, so that you have everything covered during the tours.
Below is a list of questions you should ask a daycare provider if you are planning to enroll your toddler/ infant:
1. Working Hours – Opening/Closing , Closing Days
You need to find out the operating hours of the daycare. This is important as you shall need the daycare to be open during the hours you are commuting to and fro home/office. The right daycare for you offers you a convenient drop-off and pick-up timeline that does not interfere with your work schedule.
Some questions on working hours to ask during a daycare tour include;
What are your daycare operating hours?
What are your drop off and pick up hours?
Do you offer early daycare drops off and late pick ups upon request?
What are your daycare closing days?
Can non-parents pick up kids from the daycare?
2. Cost of Daycare- Rates, Deposits, Mode of Payments etc.
One of the main reasons why working moms choose day cares is because of their convenience and great affordability compared to other options such as hiring a nanny. Therefore you need to find the best value for money on childcare that you can get.
Some questions relevant to costs to ask during a daycare tour are;
What are your daycare charges per day/week/month?
Are there any other charges at the daycare?
Do you require a deposit?
What do i need to provide (diapers, food, etc.)?
Are there late daycare fees? how do they work?
Read: How Single Moms Afford High Daycare Costs
3. Safety of the Child – Policies, Facilities etc.
The safety of your baby at the daycare, while you are working, is very important to you. Generally, daycares are safe as adults are watching them throughout.
However, you need to know how they are watched, how accidents are minimized and handled, and their sickness policy among other safety concerns you may have.
Some questions to ask during a daycare tour regarding safety of your child are;
How many kids do you have in a class at the daycare?
What is your children’s ratio per caregiver? What is your staff turnover?
Is your daycare operating license valid and up to date?
What are your qualifications & how long have you been in business?
What is your daycare sickness policy? Are sick children allowed in daycare?
How do you handle accidents & fights among children at the daycare? What forms of discipline do you use?
Do you have cameras at the daycare? Can I stream and watch how the baby is doing?
What are your daycare hygiene protocols? How do you handle allergies?
What are your site safety precautions? What is your daycare emergency evacuation plan?
The above are very important questions to ask your daycare center especially because infants/toddlers are highly sensitive and vulnerable.
4. Availability- How Long do i Wait?
Availability of the daycare services is a key aspect that you need to look out for as a working mom when touring daycare centers for your infant/toddler/preschooler . This is because finding a daycare slot can be very hard especially around the towns where the demand and competition for the services is high.
Hence you may not find a slot immediately at your preferred daycare. In addition , the wait for a booked slot may be longer than expected or convenient for you as a working mom. You therefore need to know if you can find a slot immediately or how long you have to wait.
Some questions to ask during a daycare tour regarding their availability or ready slot include;
Do you have a slot available immediately at the daycare?
Do you have a waiting list? If yes how long?
Do I need a deposit to book a slot?
Read: How to Get a Daycare Slot Fast and Easy
5. Facilities & Extra Activities for Toddlers/Infants/Pre-Scholars
An all-round approach is good for infant/toddler/preschooler development. In addition to the interaction with other babies , your toddlers need a more rounded approach for optimal development .
As such the activities your baby will engage in are an important aspect to consider during your daycare tour. Some daycares have more and age appropriate activities than others. You may therefore opt for a daycare offering diverse activities.
Some things to find out during the daycare tour about their facilities and extra curricula activities are;
Do you have educational activities for infants/toddlers/preschoolers at the daycare?
Do you have music, swimming, language, art classes at the daycare?
What are your play activities? Are they indoor or outdoor or both?
6. Other Questions for Daycare Tours
- Does the daycare inform the parents about daily activities?
- Does the daycare offer meals? What type? How are they prepared?
- What is the daycare sleep routine? How do you handle kids who can’t sleep? Find out this at your preferred daycares
- Does the daycare support potty training?
- Does the daycare practice sleep training?
What to Look Out for during Daycare Tour
The above questions/daycare aspects are important to ask a daycare provider that you are intending to enroll your baby in. In addition to the responses, you will learn a lot more by looking around during the daycare tour.
Some of the things to be on the look out for during a daycare tour include;
- Tell tale signs of a good or bad daycare. You can tell this just through observation. Look out for the aspects paramount for your preferences and for your infant/toddler. You must trust your instincts and check out for red flags.
- How you are welcomed. You can tell a lot by how the management receives you and cares for your concern. You can tell the honesty of the answers you are receiving by looking at them in their eyes.
- Watch how the caregivers are interacting with the babies, are the caregivers really interested in the babies? Pay attention to the children who are currently enrolled and observe if they look happy.
Also you do not necessarily need to make an appointment when conducting a daycare tour. Some daycares may require you to call before visiting them. But you will get the best result when you just drop in unannounced.
An appointment gives the daycare time and opportunity to prepare a show to impress you which might not necessarily be what happens in reality. You will be able to tell genuinely how the operations are run at the daycare when you find them unaware.
Therefore the best and genuine results come from impromptu visits and not tours that you have an appointment for. Also you may decide to bring along your child during the daycare tour and see how comfortable they get in the environment.
Generally, go with your gut and how you feel about the place when you are there. In addition, ask around and read their reviews from other working moms.
