Conversation with Caregivers

Day camp (Photo credit: Ed Yourdon)

Along with summer fun, lengthy school vacations can provide families with a special set of challenges.  Parents who work outside of the home  are faced with a series of decisions about supervision and safety.

Whether you’re looking at day camp, a youth club or  home daycare, it’s not always easy to figure out whether or not an arrangement is going to work for your kids.

There are all kinds of decisions to make, not the least of which are  location, schedule and cost.  In some situations, licensing and or accreditation have done part of the work for you.  While the majority of providers have a list of guidelines regarding scheduling, drop-off and pick-up times, sick days, etc. most parents will want to have a conversation… to get a feel for whether or not there’s a “fit.”

Too many worry that asking questions will somehow offend the potential caregiver but nobody wants to leav loved ones in the care of someone with whom they can’t communicate.

Here are some other questions you might ask a potential provider.

• How did you decide to get into this line of work?  What do you like best about it?
• How do you help a child get used to this setting?
• What do you expect a child to be able to do for him or herself?
• Please tell me about your (your staff’s) experience  with children.
• When did you last have first aid training?
• Do you attend training during the year?
• What methods do you use to communicate with parents?  What works best for you?
• Is there something you’d like to tell me that I’ve forgotten to ask you?

Please use “comments” to share your own tips!