Touring a daycare is one of the most important steps to take when picking a place to trust with your child. It allows you to get a feel for the facility and the teachers, as well as gives you an idea of what your child will experience on a day-to-day basis.
While tours are a pretty common practice for daycare facilities, many parents don’t know what they should be paying extra attention to. Here’s what to look for in a daycare to ensure that you leave no stone unturned!
Best Questions to Ask When Touring a Daycare
How Flexible Is the Tour Signup?
Interestingly enough, one of the first things you should pay attention to is how the daycare acts before the tour. Many facilities have very specific times and days that they’d like you to walk through. The reason for this is that they want to impress you with a good first impression, and will often strategically pick times when the kids are napping or doing a fun activity. If a daycare facility isn’t being flexible about the times you can come and visit, know that they might be trying to only show you their good side.
Here at Cornerstone Academy, we give tours without a signup—in fact, we’re the only daycare center in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that does that! If you’re interested in a tour, you can either give us a call to let us know you’re coming (which we still appreciate), or you can just arrive at any time and we will show you around. We have nothing to hide, and want you to rest easy knowing that you get a real understanding of what your child will be doing every day!
When You Arrive, Is It Easy to Get In?
When it comes to the safety of your child, security is one of the most important things you should be looking out for during a daycare tour. When you arrive, is there a fence surrounding the property where the kids play? Are there security cameras and front door locks? Are you able to walk right into the building? It’s a weird thing to say, but the more difficult it is to actually go in and take your tour, the safer it might be.
You’ll also want to find out if the daycare has security checks for adults picking up children. If so, you can rest easy knowing it’s a safe place to leave your child every day. At Cornerstone Academy, we take those security steps (and more) to ensure that your child is safeguarded from harm. Safety is our #1 priority and is at the forefront of everything we do!
What Do You See on the Walls or Floor?
While you’re going to see many interesting facility features while on your tour, don’t forget to take the time to look at the walls and the floor! By looking at the walls and seeing if there are projects or pieces of artwork displayed there, you can get a better understanding of what activities your child will be engaging in. Same with the floor—if you look down and see lots of educational toys, you can guess that your child is in for an enriching and entertaining experience!
Make sure to also keep an eye out for things that may seem dangerous or unsafe for your child, such as easy-to-access electrical outlets or broken toys. If the walls and floors seem barren or not properly child-proofed, it may be a sign the daycare isn’t a good fit.
If a Child Is Being Fussy, How Do the Teachers Handle It?
Another important thing that many parents may forget to look for is the teachers. Specifically, how that teacher might be handling fussy kids. Even the happiest of children are going to have their temperamental moments, so it’s important to know that if the situation arises they will be properly cared for. It may not be easy to catch one of these instances while on your tour, but if you do, it can be very telling.
Pay attention to how the teachers and staff react when they see that a tour is coming through. Many times, teachers are warned ahead of time that a tour is coming and will adjust their mannerisms accordingly. Try to read the nonverbals and see if you are getting a real view of the room. If your gut is telling you something is amiss, listen to it.
How Do They Respond to Your “Silly” Questions?
Once you start at a daycare, communication with the staff and director is crucial to ensuring that you and your child have a positive experience. But how can you tell if that communication will be good? By the responses you get to your questions on the tour.
No matter what the question is, the daycare director should be happy to answer it. Remember, there is no such thing as a silly question while on a daycare tour. If the director of the person giving you the tour makes you feel uncomfortable for asking a simple question, then how are they going to respond in the future when you have a problem or concern regarding your child?
We’ve given thousands of daycare tours at Cornerstone Academy and have been asked every question under the sun! Even if a question seems a little silly to you, we know that you are just trying to get the most information possible. So please, ask away!
Schedule a Tour With Us Today!
We love giving tours of our daycare facility, and can’t wait to show you around. Feel free to stop by whenever you have the time—we are available to give you a tour at any point in the day! However, if you would feel more comfortable scheduling something in advance, then contact us today and we will set up a time.
Don’t have time for an in-person tour amidst your busy schedule? No problem! That’s why we have a virtual tour available. We pride ourselves on providing a safe, educational, and fun experience that your child will love.
