Checking Babysitter References -- What Questions to Ask

never had to do it, but I would probably ask about reliability, trustworthiness, and what their work ethic was like. :)

C., I am reading your question a bit differently than the other posters so far. I am thinking you are trying to determine questions to ask the people listed as references for the 3 providers you are deciding between AND these providers have their own in-home daycare centers. Based on that, I would (and have) asked the following questions: How do they know the provider (just as provider or are they friends/relatives)? If not related, how long have they known them and how long have they been their child care provider? Are they happy w/ the provider? Are the kids happy there? How is she with the kids? What else can they tell you about the provider (anything regarding experience/qualifications is great)? Do they close often? If they do have to close, do they have a back up in place? Does she provide age appropriate stimulation, experiences, etc.

If you are deciding between providers in your home I would still ask the same questions but also those that Bethany posted.

1. How reliable are they?
2. Were your kids happy and comfortable with her?
3. Do you have any complaints??
4. Was she on time and clean up after herself?
5. Is she family to you? (literally)
That's all I can think of right now. Good luck. It's an important decision.

Hello C., As the mother of 5 and having been both a Nanny and had in home Day Care, I really wanted to give you my 25 cents worth of information.
Some of these things are interchangeable with your asking the person and the referances.
1. Ask are they willing to be given a backround check/ life scan? I do not care if its a young woman or an older one like myself. Did the last person give them one? Remeber that they are only good for a short time as they can change.
2. If they are to be driving your children anywhere I have been either given a car by the family to use or they have made sure that I have the proper insurance, registration, and legal drivers licence. What did thier last employer do and how did it work for them?
3. Make sure that their referances are real and not phoney. This is helped with the life scan.
4. I would suggest that you want to know how they handled unexpected situations like you being consistantly late, sick children, helping in the class room on your behalf,. Ask if you paid in cash or always by check -- this is important at tax time. Make a decision what tax plan you will take so the employee is not surprised at the end of the year.
5. You want to know if they are on time, dependable and flexable, and how happy were thier children with this person. For example I have little ones that hate to see me go home, but it could just as well be that hate to see me come.
6. If none of the people they give have children they work with then know that yours will be the learning field..
7. Did the priorpeople use a Nanny Cam?
I know that you will get many more suggestions from others and hope that you make up a great list of questions~~~ so that the greatest treasures of your life , your children are with the best possible person.
Good Luck

I would pose different scenarios and see how they would handle it. Ex: If my child pooped in his pants, how would you handle cleaning him/her up. What would you do if there was a fall and the baby isn't responding? If you received a phone call on your cell phone, and you are in the middle of changing my child, what would you do? Do you love to play, what types of play do you do? Do you have a problem with me calling to check on my child every so often? How do you deal with situations when you get angry? What would you do if my child is crying constantly and you can't figure out what is wrong?

Hi C.,

I see a wide range of questions for both the sitter and previous clients. I have to say I don't advise you ask the obvious questions as suggested. If I were a care giver and you started asking me what I would do if your child pooped, I would probably think you were too anxious and going to be a pain and let you know this may not be the best fit for you and your child...thus dismissing.

Have you googled the name/daycare name and address? See what comes up. Take a look at the county records and see if she owns the house or rents. Sometimes the county records will tell you if they have ever been sued or sued someone.

Here is one of my experiences while trying to narrow down my search. I asked who lived at the house and she said it was just her. Then I pulled county records and saw a males name on the house. She had her books open and had her brother listed with licensing to assist. Personally, I am skeptical of a male care provider, don't know why, but I am. Then she said the brother stays there sometimes. After listening and no mention of the person showing as owner of the house, I asked who it was. She said it was her husband who didn't live there. As she openly walked me around the house, I didn't see a bedroom set up for the brother. I don't know if this triggers anyone else as odd, but it did me. Strike on that sitter.

You've gotten lots of good suggestions for questions to ask. Two that I don't see here, and that can give you a lot of information are as follows: Ask references- Would you hire this provider to care for your child again if you were in need of a provider today? Why or why not? L. S.

Hi C.,

I would ask the following:

1) What is the staff ratio parents have noticed through out the day, not just pick-up & drop off times.
2) How are emergencies & appointments handled, like the day care provider has a doctor's appt or is sick.
3) If there is an age range, how does the provider ensure the babies are safe AND the toddlers are able to explore.
4) How often has the parents found the TV on?
5) Has their child had any accidents? (falls etc) As well as, how has the provider responded? Did they call the parents, tell at pick-up...
6) Is the provider OK with check in calls during the day?
7) If you run out of diapers/ wipes, (assuming they do not provide them), are there back-ups to use?-- My friend's in home day care did not have back-ups, and would use the poopy diaper to "wipe" the child when he ran out of wipes at the center. As you can imagine, it did not work well, and the poor baby got a rash = (
8) Is the provider willing to do things the parent's way. Often providers want all the kids to be on a schedule, so if your 3 year old takes a nap at 12:00, but everyone else is at 2:00, some will make the other child wait.

I hope this helps.

R. Magby