Child Care

[Richard Cranium]

Why is it so hard to find good child care? We actually thinking about getting an Au Pair just so we have flexibility.

[Duper]

hehe. when we started looking for baby sitters for my daughter when she was 3, we got a list from the county that were \"registered care providers\". Thinking they offered some kinda filtering..we called a few... o. m. g...

of the 4 we called before giving up, one was wanting to help her find her \"inner guide\".. but thought my daughter was still a bit too young and wasn't sure she would be able to help.

... o_0 ... kthxbye!

[grizz]

We had a few years where we had to drive 30 miles to pick up a babysitter we trusted so we could go out.
Then drive 30 miles to take her back when we were done.
We were pretty picky about who watched our kids.
Now we have kids old enough to do it, so it's a lot easier.
My wife is a stay at home mom, so at least we don't have to worry about finding a day care we trust.(Just finding enough money to pay the bills, a much smaller worry )

[Richard Cranium]

We have tried a couple services like www.care.com as well as some more local ones. We have been at this for about two or three weeks now. I finally put up an add on Craigslist. In less that 24 hours we have received about 25 applicants for the job. After I get the contact info from them I send them a list questions for them to answer. It helps a little.

Here are my questions. Tell me if you think they are enough to filter on before making interview appointments. What would you remove or add? Remember these are just the questions I'm asking before we have a face to face interview.

• Will you submit to a background check or do you have a current one completed already?
• What appeals to you about taking care of children in their own home (vs. a day care center or your home)?
• Describe your last childcare experience and why it ended.
• Describe your vision of a typical day with our child. Schedule? Activities?
• What indoor and outdoor activities would you engage a 3 ½ year old child in? Describe how you interact in these activities?
• What was your worst experience in childcare and how did you resolve it?
• How were you disciplined as a child? What would you do differently with your own children?
• What do you find to be the most challenging (or interesting) part of working with children?
• Have you ever had to handle an emergency? If so, what happened and what action did you take?
• Tell me about your childhood and your current relationship with your family.
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• What kind of television shows or movies do you enjoy watching?
• How do you think your closest friends would describe you and your personality?
• Do you have any CPR or First Aid certifications?
• Are you comfortable installing and using a child car seat?
• Do you know how to drive a car?
• How would you handle a temper tantrum in a grocery store? In our home?
• How have you approached toilet training in the past? Were you and the family in agreement with the approach? How did it work out?
• What methods of limit setting or discipline do you find effective for this age? Tell me about how this has worked for you in the past.
• What television shows do you feel are appropriate for this age child? If my child was watching TV, what would you be doing?
• Describe ways you can turn everyday household activities (unloading the dishwasher, folding laundry, etc.) into learning opportunities for our child.

[Kiran]

I'm not sure if asking such personal questions would be a good idea. However, I can see why you'd be interested since childhood experiences can affect the way a caretaker takes care of kids.

You should also ask about how much nutrition they understand and whether or not they apply that knowledge of nutritional needs to feeding the kids.

[CDN_Merlin]

• Will you submit to a background check or do you have a current one completed already? -->OK to ask.
• What appeals to you about taking care of children in their own home (vs. a day care center or your home)? -->OK to ask.

• Describe your last childcare experience and why it ended. -->OK to ask.

• Describe your vision of a typical day with our child. Schedule? Activities? -->OK to ask.

• What indoor and outdoor activities would you engage a 3 ½ year old child in? Describe how you interact in these activities? -->OK to ask.

• What was your worst experience in childcare and how did you resolve it? -->OK to ask.

• How were you disciplined as a child? What would you do differently with your own children? -->To personal. This doesn't get asked in other type of jobs, shouldn't be asked here.
• What do you find to be the most challenging (or interesting) part of working with children? -->OK to ask.

• Have you ever had to handle an emergency? If so, what happened and what action did you take? -->OK to ask.

• Tell me about your childhood and your current relationship with your family. --> To personal and honestly none of our business.
• What do you like to do in your free time? -->OK to ask.

• What kind of television shows or movies do you enjoy watching? -->No revelant to job. IMHO

• How do you think your closest friends would describe you and your personality? -->OK to ask.

• Do you have any CPR or First Aid certifications? -->OK to ask.

• Are you comfortable installing and using a child car seat? -->OK to ask.

• Do you know how to drive a car? --> Should be, do you have a valid drivers license.
• How would you handle a temper tantrum in a grocery store? In our home? -->OK to ask.

• How have you approached toilet training in the past? Were you and the family in agreement with the approach? How did it work out? -->OK to ask.

• What methods of limit setting or discipline do you find effective for this age? Tell me about how this has worked for you in the past. -->OK to ask.

• What television shows do you feel are appropriate for this age child? If my child was watching TV, what would you be doing? -->OK to ask.

• Describe ways you can turn everyday household activities (unloading the dishwasher, folding laundry, etc.) into learning opportunities for our child. -->OK to ask.

This is what I think abotu the questions you are asking. I understand this is different from any regular job, but I find some of the question way to personal. Put yourself in their shoes and see if you would feel comfortable with them.