Questions to Ask When Looking for a Preschool or Daycare
Understand the preschool or daycare's daily routine.
Learn what about staff-to-child ratios and safety measures to consider.
Explore the lesson plan, teaching methods, and how to judge if the learning experience will be a good fit for your child.
When your child is approaching preschool age, you may start having a lot of questions for what to look for as they start school. Here are some of the questions to consider, to see if they would be a good fit for your little one.
What is the daily schedule like?
Some preschools will only have classes 2-3 days a week, for a few hours at a time, while others have a different set-up. Ask about:
The school schedule (pick up, drop off, school days, etc.)
What kids do during the day (free time, class time, etc.)
Is there meal or snack time?
How many staff members are there for every child?
Depending on the size of the preschool or daycare, they will have various staff members who are interacting with the children. Ask about:
The ratio of staff to children. In some places, there may be laws about staff to child ratios. Make sure those are met.
Training and continuing education for staff members.
Safety and background checks for staff members.
What are the ages of children here?
“Preschool age” can mean anywhere from 2-5 years old. Make sure your child would be in the right age group. Often, children will be put in groups or classes with children of a similar age. Ask:
What age do kids start preschool?
How are kids grouped?
How do staff/teachers decide when to move a child to a different group?
How can they meet your child’s needs?
This can mean a lot of different things—it all depends on your child. Depending on what matters to you and your child, you may ask about:
Allergy protection
Physical accessibility
Learning needs
How do they make sure children will be safe?
Safety may look different for every child. Think about what would keep your little one safe, and ask:
How children stay safe during play time
If they ever travel off-site or play outside
What rooms and toys your child will have access to
How will children learn?
What will your child be learning during the day, and how will they be taught? Will they learn through play? Different daycares have different ways of teaching and spending time. You can ask:
Are they learning pre-academic skills like shapes, drawing, writing, alphabet, or will they be learning something else?
What skills are encouraged?
Will there be play-based learning?
How do they deal with behavior issues?
From temper tantrums to separation anxiety, preschool age children may have a range of behaviors at this age that may need a little support. To find out how these are dealt with, you can ask:
Which behavior management strategies they use. This is helpful for parents to know how children will be disciplined or how challenging behavior will be handled.
How separation challenges are handled, especially in the first few weeks. The transition can be so hard for little ones, and that’s ok! Knowing how the daycare will help support the child through those first few weeks of a transition gives big peace of mind!
Other Questions to Ask
Depending on the set-up, you may also want to ask about:
Meals and snacks: Find out if those are provided, or if children are responsible for bringing them.
Screen time: Children should have limited screen time, so ask how often screens are used in this environment and what they are used for.
Potty training: Some preschools provide potty training, while others require children are potty trained.
Naps: Depending on how long children are at this place each day, they may have a nap time. Naps are great for children to get some rest throughout the day, and manage their energy levels. Ask if there is a nap time and if so, when it is. At home, consider having your child’s nap time at a similar time each day.
Cost: There are different costs depending on the services, length of day and if it is public or private.
Sick Policy: Asking about rules and policies around illness is also important, so parents understand clearly the parameters of when to bring their child to daycare and when they need to stay home.
Parent/Staff communication: Ask how teachers/staff will communicate your child’s progression of skills and/or any changes in schedules and routines with parents.
