Observing and Questions to Ask Preschool Daycare Provider

Be a quiet observer. Write your questions down so that they can be answered at the end of the day. This way you are not breaking the flow of the class or taking the teacher's attention way to answer things as you think of them.

Do not offer to help out unless asked to.
Do not correct or reprimand a child (hard to not do!). You are there to see how the teacher will handle it day to day ... if you do it, you don't get the result you're looking for.

Instruct your son to ask the teacher for any and all help. Again, you are there to just observe. The teacher is the one your child should turn to for things.

One big thing for me was meals. What is the policy for if they offer a breakfast/snack/lunch that your son won't eat?

They should have given you a "Handbook" that explains a lot about their approach to children and their facility's rules and activities they do daily.

Then based on that, if you have other questions per the handbook and your observations, then ask them.

Keep in mind, all children have a 'transition' period. Where they will cry or miss you etc. But they are merely getting used to, the routines/school/other kids/and being away from you.

Just observe not only your child, but the others, See if they are happy. Talk to the other parents... see if they are happy with the school too.
That is what I do.

I would want to know how they deal with issues. My son's preschool never used time out. They redirected and reminded young children what they should be doing. How do they help the kids transition from a free play time to a more structured time? How long do they expect kids to sit in a circle time activity? How do they deal with kids who dont want to do a group activity? Do they let then go their own way? insist they take part or keep encouraging them to try? even after other kids are nearly through? Also keep in mind your son will act differently when you are there then when you are not, so dont expect too much of him the day you are observing.

I noticed some great questions from the other posts. I would chime in and have the teachers talk about how they get children to play together, to solve problems together, and to work out difficulties together.My own children made some unbelievable friends when they were in daycare (sadly, my youngest is now about to be a first grader!!), and much of this was because of the specific steps that the teachers took to have children make friends with each other. How do teachers bring the students together in a community of learners? In addition to the social issues which are key, you might want to know how they promote independence on the part of children. My own kids, who are average at best, became really good at dressing themselves, buttoning their own coats, putting things away, etc., again in large part because of the steps that the teachers put to make the kids less dependent on teachers and more dependent on themselves. If it's a good preschool, the teachers should have lots of information on how they handle these issues.

-I would want to ask about snacks/meals--what time? what if your son doesn't eat that food?
-Quiet/nap time--is it mandatory? how long? what is their nap/quiet time policy?
-What kind of schedule and/or structure? Like to they follow a pre-k curriculum with learning incorporated?
-Illness Policies
-Incident/Accident policies--I worked in a daycare many years ago & their guide for handling incidents/accidents was ridiculous to me!! So, now with my own home daycare I handle it much differently.
-How much independence do they give the children? At that age, they should be able to "try" things on their own before a teacher steps in.
-If there's a chance of separation anxiety from your son, how will they handle that?
-Potty training!! Especially at his age, I'd find out when and how they approach potty training when the time comes.

That's all I can think of right now, but if I think of more, I'll reply again!
Good luck!! It is a tough, yet rewarding transition!!

This might seem obvious for a preschool classroom, but I would watch to make sure the the teacher is up and moving around the classroom. We had one negative experience with a teacher at our son's school. This teacher tended to sit in one place with a small group of kids around her. This was fine for the kids that were near her, but everyone else was missing out. She was not redirecting minor behavior issues or guiding the students as they were trying new things.