First Friends Family Child Care
Good Infant Interview Questions and My Responses
Be sure to find out how much experience the child care provider has with infants. Are they certified in infant CPR and first aid? I have 24 years experience in the child care field. I am CPR certified and First Aid Trained-which is updated every 2 years.
Get an understanding of what the caregiver knows about infant development. This is important because the daycare provider must be able to provide age and interest level appropriate activities and expert, loving care.
Social: How your baby interacts to the human face and voice. Examples include learning to smile and coo. A social delay may indicate a problem with vision or hearing or with emotional or intellectual development.
Language: Receptive language development (how well baby actually understands) is a better gauge of progress than expressive language development (how well baby actually speaks). Slow language development can indicate a vision or hearing problem and should be evaluated.
Large motor development: Holding their head up, sitting, pulling up, rolling over, and walking are examples of large motor development. Very slow starters should be evaluated to be certain there are no physical or health risks for normal development.
Small motor development: Eye-hand coordination, reaching or grasping, and manipulating objects are examples of small motor development. Early accomplishments may predict a person will be good with their hands, but delays do not necessarily mean they are going to be all "thumbs" later.
It is important to know your daycare provider’s stance on nurturing and stimulating infants. Infants require a lot of sleep the first few months, but when awake being held, talked or sung to is comforting and reassuring. Babies are fasinated by light and shadows. That is why mobiles keep their interest so long. Reading to a baby can not start early enough.
Find out how the caregivers will interact with the infants and how responsive they will be to each child.Even though I may have toddlers and preschoolers in care-and love teaching them.....that always comes second to the infants. Their schedule may not always be ours so we adapt. Babies DO need lots of attention and I make sure they get that. Infants are along for the ride with the rest of the kids-during circle time-they are right there with us. Art--they can sit in an infant seat to see and hear all that goes on. I NEVER use the playpen to contain a child, only for sleep.
Get information about the daycare provider’s schedules for infants. I do try to get an infant on a schedule, but babies can definately have a minds (schedule) of their own. And that is what we do~~adjust OUR learning time. Infants need us to do everything...so I try to be there when they do.
Determine if the environment is clean and safe.Come and see for yourself!
It is important to know what type of equipment and materials are available for infants. I have playpens that are used just for sleeping, baby swings, bouncy seats, and walkers. I use strollers a lot for outdoors. Babies also need plenty of 'floor' time for stretching, strength of their necks and it helps them learn body control. I hold them too...how can you NOT want to hold a baby?
Consider how the daycare provider communicates with parents as well as what their expectations are of parents.I expect open and honest communication and you will get that from me. Any changes in the schedule or day care openings or closing--I try to give as much advance notice as possible. I will alway tell you what kind of day your baby has had. I use daily reports for the first month of care, just so you can get an idea of the schedule they are on and an exact diaper/feeding count. Newsletter are sent home on occassion as well.
Get an understanding of what the caregiver knows about infant development. This is important because the daycare provider must be able to provide age and interest level appropriate activities and expert, loving care.
Social: How your baby interacts to the human face and voice. Examples include learning to smile and coo. A social delay may indicate a problem with vision or hearing or with emotional or intellectual development.
Language: Receptive language development (how well baby actually understands) is a better gauge of progress than expressive language development (how well baby actually speaks). Slow language development can indicate a vision or hearing problem and should be evaluated.
Large motor development: Holding their head up, sitting, pulling up, rolling over, and walking are examples of large motor development. Very slow starters should be evaluated to be certain there are no physical or health risks for normal development.
Small motor development: Eye-hand coordination, reaching or grasping, and manipulating objects are examples of small motor development. Early accomplishments may predict a person will be good with their hands, but delays do not necessarily mean they are going to be all "thumbs" later.
It is important to know your daycare provider’s stance on nurturing and stimulating infants. Infants require a lot of sleep the first few months, but when awake being held, talked or sung to is comforting and reassuring. Babies are fasinated by light and shadows. That is why mobiles keep their interest so long. Reading to a baby can not start early enough.
Find out how the caregivers will interact with the infants and how responsive they will be to each child.Even though I may have toddlers and preschoolers in care-and love teaching them.....that always comes second to the infants. Their schedule may not always be ours so we adapt. Babies DO need lots of attention and I make sure they get that. Infants are along for the ride with the rest of the kids-during circle time-they are right there with us. Art--they can sit in an infant seat to see and hear all that goes on. I NEVER use the playpen to contain a child, only for sleep.
Get information about the daycare provider’s schedules for infants. I do try to get an infant on a schedule, but babies can definately have a minds (schedule) of their own. And that is what we do~~adjust OUR learning time. Infants need us to do everything...so I try to be there when they do.
Determine if the environment is clean and safe.Come and see for yourself!
It is important to know what type of equipment and materials are available for infants. I have playpens that are used just for sleeping, baby swings, bouncy seats, and walkers. I use strollers a lot for outdoors. Babies also need plenty of 'floor' time for stretching, strength of their necks and it helps them learn body control. I hold them too...how can you NOT want to hold a baby?
Consider how the daycare provider communicates with parents as well as what their expectations are of parents.I expect open and honest communication and you will get that from me. Any changes in the schedule or day care openings or closing--I try to give as much advance notice as possible. I will alway tell you what kind of day your baby has had. I use daily reports for the first month of care, just so you can get an idea of the schedule they are on and an exact diaper/feeding count. Newsletter are sent home on occassion as well.
