If you’re choosing a childcare centre for your little one, your head is likely buzzing with questions. And there’s nothing worse than driving home after a tour and realising you forgot to ask half of them.
To help you remember, we’ve put together this list of 12 questions to ask at every centre you visit, plus 5 things to watch for.
The checklist
Save this to your phone before your next tour.
Ask:
- How many orientation sessions can we do before we enrol?
- What child safety standards do you follow, and how do you monitor them?
- How does the kinder program work, and what age can my child start?
- What subsidies are we eligible for?
- When should we apply for the Child Care Subsidy?
- What’s included in the daily fee?
- How do you screen and train your educators?
- What happens if my child gets sick or hurt during the day?
- What’s on the menu?
- How will I know what my child got up to during the day?
- How do you settle a child who’s upset at drop-off?
- How far ahead should we join the waitlist?
Look for:
- Toys and books on shelves
- The menu
- How educators talk to and engage with children
- Artwork on the walls and tables
- The outdoor space, including shade
Questions to ask on your childcare tour
How many orientation sessions can we do before we enrol?
Orientation sets the tone for how a centre works with your family, not just your child.
At Child’s Play, there’s no cap on orientations. You can visit before you’ve even enrolled, and keep booking sessions until your child feels ready. Most families start two to three weeks before their official first day.
Read more in our guide to childcare orientations.
What child safety standards do you follow, and how do you monitor them?
Child safety should be every childcare provider’s top priority, so this is an important question to ask.
Every Child’s Play centre is Meeting or Exceeding the National Quality Standard, follows the 11 Victorian Child Safe Standards with quarterly audits, and sticks to regulated staff-to-child ratios of 1:4 up to 36 months and 1:11 through to preschool age. Staff members are trained to hold each other accountable and always act in the best interests of each child.
Read more about how we keep children safe.
How does the kinder program work, and what age can my child start?
Kinder programs differ a lot between providers. Some limit you to two or three days a week, others fold it fully into long-day care.
Even if your child is too young for kindergarten, ask the centre about their program. Choosing a childcare provider with a kinder program means that when your child is ready, they can move up alongside their friends and familiar educators.
Our funded kinder program runs five days a week for three- and four-year-olds, built into your child’s regular day at Child’s Play.
See how it works on our kindergarten program page.
What subsidies are we eligible for?
Generally, subsidies are standardised across centres statewide, but it’s still a great question to ask. The staff member taking your tour should be able to give you a clear picture of your eligibility.
Most families qualify for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) through Services Australia, and if your child is in our three or four-year-old kinder program, Victoria’s Free Kinder initiative stacks on top, saving up to $2,101 a year.
There’s a full breakdown on our fees and subsidies page.
When should we apply for the Child Care Subsidy?
Timing catches a lot of families out, since the application itself takes time to process. Ask early so you know what to expect before your child’s start date.
Our advice is to apply as soon as you start considering childcare, before you’ve even chosen a centre. This matters especially for families who’ve recently moved from overseas and are still setting up their myGov and Centrelink accounts.
Apply early so you don’t have to pay the full rate while your subsidy is being processed.
What’s included in the daily fee?
Even when childcare providers have similar daily fees, what’s actually included can vary widely. Ask for a full list of inclusions before you compare prices.
At Child’s Play, meals, nappies and sunscreen are all included, so you’re not restocking a nappy bag every week or packing lunch every morning. Your child will also have access to milk and water all day, and our five amazing weekly incursions are also included!
How do you screen and train your educators?
Educators are the most important aspect of your child’s safety and education, so ask for specifics here, not just general reassurance.
Before starting, every educator at Child’s Play undergoes a police check renewed every six months, a Working with Children Check, qualification verification, and reference checks. They also complete annual Child Safe Standards training plus ongoing modules on mandatory reporting and child protection.
We never use agency staff; your child sees the same familiar faces every day.
What happens if my child gets sick or hurt during the day?
It always helps to know the process for illness or injury before something happens, so you’re not left trying to work it out in the moment.
At Child’s Play, educators are trained in first aid, and any injury or illness triggers immediate contact with you, along with an incident report. Any minor bumps and grazes are noted on our OWNA app, so you see them as they happen, not just at pickup.
What’s on the menu?
Food makes up a big part of the day, so ask to see a real menu, not just a general description of what’s on offer.
Our in-house chefs cook fresh meals daily with no budget limits, on a four-week rotating menu that changes with the seasons. Water, milk and fruit are available for children to serve themselves all day.
See Child’s Play’s rotating menu.
How will I know what my child got up to during the day?
It can feel a little stressful not knowing how your child is going throughout the day, especially when they first start childcare.
Some centres communicate with families via an app, some through conversations at pickup.
We use the OWNA app for photos, meals, sleep and daily highlights, and you’re always welcome to call the centre or chat with educators at pickup.
How do you settle a child who’s upset at drop-off?
Almost every child has a rough drop-off at some point. Knowing how educators manage it can help the situation feel less overwhelming for both you and your child.
At Child’s Play, our educators learn your child’s comfort cues, and we keep goodbyes warm and brief rather than drawn out. If settling in is bumpy, we check in with you and develop a plan to make future drop-offs smoother.
Here are some tips for settling in at childcare.
How far ahead should we join the waitlist?
Wait times vary a lot by location and age group. It’s best to organise tours and join waitlists as soon as you can to avoid missing out on a spot at your desired centre.
Book a tour to get the process started at Child’s Play.
What to look for during your childcare tour
Toys and books on shelves
Are shelves stocked with a real variety of resources? Are they designed for play-based learning and sensory play? Are there plenty of books for children to choose from?
Open shelving that children can reach themselves is a good sign that the centre encourages independent play and learning.
The menu
Does the centre serve healthy, nutritious food? Is there plenty of variety on the menu? What do educators do if children don’t like the food being served?
Rather than simply asking about food, ask to see an actual menu. A centre confident in its food will have it on display.
How educators talk to and engage with children
Seeing educators interact with children on an actual day of childcare tells you more than any brochure.
Do the educators know the children by name? Are they involved in the activities or just observing from a distance? Do they respond to children with kindness or abruptness?
Artwork on the walls and tables
Look around the room at a childcare centre, and you’ll likely see evidence of the kinds of activities that fill their days. Artwork on the walls, current projects left out on the tables.
If there’s nothing on the walls, it may be a sign that the centre doesn’t prioritise creative activities.
The outdoor space, including shade
The outdoor spaces are just as important as indoor ones, especially at centres with indoor-outdoor policies like Child’s Play.
Check that there’s plenty of shade coverage over play areas, and ask the centre how they stay SunSmart. Are there plenty of things to use and play with outside, like bike tracks, playgrounds, water play areas and sandpits? Or does the yard feel more like an afterthought?
Now you’re equipped for a tour!
Bring this list to your next childcare tour, and make sure to add your own questions. You can never be too curious about how people care for your child.
If you’d like to take a look around one of our Child’s Play centres, book a tour. We’d love to answer your questions. The more, the better!
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