Questions to Ask When Choosing a Child Care Provider

At Lifelong Learning Centres, we understand that choosing the right early education provider is an important decision that requires you to consider a multitude of factors. Throw into the mix that there are dozens of centres to choose from — how do you know which one is right for your family?

There’s no better way to learn more and get a ‘feel’ for a centre than visiting for a family tour. Not only can you meet our early childhood educators, but you can also see firsthand the child care centre learning rooms and outdoor play environments, learn about the centre’s daily routines and ask those all-important questions.
 

Choosing Child Care Questions

No question is too big or small. We get it — this is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make for your child so you need to know all of the facts.

To help you out, we’ve put together some of the most commonly asked questions on our family tours, as well as a few lesser-known questions you’ll be glad to know the answer to.

Questions to Ask about the Child Care Centre 

• What are your opening hours? Are there any late fees for late pickups?

• What is this centre’s current National Quality Standards rating from their most recent assessment and rating?

• Can I claim the Child Care Subsidy?

• Does my child’s immunisation affect their enrolment?

• How many children attend this centre? Are children grouped by their age or developmental stage?

• What happens if we need to miss a day due to illness or a holiday?

• How is security into the centre managed?

• If someone other than myself or my partner need to pick-up my child, what is your policy?

• How do I raise any concerns about my child or the centre?
   

Questions to Ask about Early Childhood Educators

• What is the educator to child ratio?

• What qualifications do your early childhood educators have?

• Are all early childhood educators trained in infant and child CPR and First Aid?

• What attributes do you look for when hiring early childhood educators?

• How long have your educators worked at this centre?

Ask to meet the educators who will be caring for your child - it’s great to meet them in person and find out how they approach the early learning programs your child will enjoy!

Questions to Ask about the Centre’s Daily Routine

• How many meals are provided? Do I need to supply snacks? Can I see this week’s meal plan?

• How does the centre handle food allergies?

• How do you handle frozen/pumped breast milk or formula preparation?

• Do you provide nappies and wipes?

• Will the centre adapt to my child’s sleep routine?
   

Questions to Ask about Your Child’s Learning and Welfare

• What is an average day like here?

• Do you follow a particular curriculum? Will your activities prepare them for school?

• What type of educational programs, incursions, excursions, events and day-to-day activities will my child be involved in?

• Can parents pop in and participate in activities?

• How will I be updated on my child’s progress? Is there an App or a daily report?

• How much time is my child encouraged to spend outside?

• What happens if my child gets sick under your care? Do you have a qualified member of staff for medical care?

• If my child does something wrong like biting, hitting or bullying, how do you discipline their behaviour?

• How often do you sanitise the toys?

• Can my child attend a familiarisation session before I make my final decision about enrolling? 

As you visit each child care provider, don’t underestimate your judgement and intuition regarding how the centre ‘feels’.

However, if you do find the perfect centre early on in your search, it’s a good idea to visit and compare a few others so you are happy and confident in your decision. 

Lifelong Learning Centres warmly welcome parents to use our free Stay and Play sessions to enable their child to join the activities in a learning room for up to two hours to ensure they are comfortable, before a parent enrols.