Daycare Worker

It is a fairly common practice to have a prospective teacher come in and teach for a morning in order to see them at work. However, you should consider also asking them to perform a written observation on a specific child. When they are done you'll not only have a sample of their writing (no, they won't have to time to correct their work) but you'll be able to have a glimpse of what they see when they look at children in the program. Do they catch nuances of emotional displays by the child? Do they notice how a child connects with other caregivers or children? What have they said about how a child uses a specific toy? Gathering and sharing information about the child with the parent is a critical function of every teacher. As the applicant answers this question try to determine what observation skills and techniques they've used successfully. Find out if, in their previous jobs, was there time to do observations, or will this be a fairly new skill to them that they'll need to develop? What, if any, observation tools have they used? You may use a specific tool in your program and you'll want to try to gauge how much training you'll need to do.

This is a little like asking "Tell me everything you know" about quality early childhood education. Obviously no one can fully answer this question in the few minutes allotted to each question, but their selection of what they mention and, perhaps even more importantly, what they forget or leave out will tell you a lot about their values and perspectives as a teacher. You, of course, must be clear about your values and priorities in your program in order to determine if the candidate is a good match. I know that I like to hear each candidate include health and safety first and foremost. While we may all like to hear them explore the more exciting areas of curriculum, parent work, diversity, etc., if they don't start the job with an awareness of safety, the rest doesn't matter too much because you may have hired an accident waiting to happen. I'm also looking for them to talk about more than the children. What do they have to say about their relationship with and the role of the parents in their classroom? What do they mention about supporting the home culture? How do they develop curriculum? Have they talked about positive and healthy relationships with their co-workers? This question can also be a lead-in to more follow-up questions about specific skills. Take good notes as they answer this question so you can review it and compare with your own list later on.

In my experience as a childcare worker I have found the best way to get children interested in food, if they are old enough, is to involve them in the food preparation. By doing this you will increase the chances of them eating the food they helped to prepare. You could also try making pictures out of the food, for example faces or use fun shaped pastry cutters to cut shapes in food to encourage them to eat. Vegetables are usually the food type that children dislike the most but clever tricks such as blending them up with something they do like ensures they are getting a balanced meal. Use your own instincts and remember that you are their biggest influence, so if they see you tucking into a wide range of foods, they are more likely to want to copy you and try new foods themselves.

☛ How long have you been providing care?

☛ Do you have first-aid/CPR and child development training?

☛ Do you have a current state license or registration?

☛ How many children do you care for? What are their ages?

☛ Do you care for the same group of kids every day?

☛ What is a typical day like for the children? How much time do they spend outside?

☛ What meals and supplies do I need to provide?

☛ Can I drop my child off early or pick him up late sometimes?

☛ What happens if you are ill?

☛ If my child gets sick, would you give him medication?

☛ If my child misses a day, do I still have to pay?

☛ Do you let children watch TV?

The employer is asking this question to get a sense of whether you would take the job if it were offered to you, and how long you’d be likely to stay for.

While it might sound like an opportunity to talk about yourself, it’s actually the time to demonstrate to your potential employer how much you know about them.

With this in mind, expressing your passion and excitement to work for this particular organisation is a must!

Avoid vague answers like “it seems like a great place to work”, and get specific.

Do your research so you’ll know about the various projects the organisation is involved with, who their clients are and what their plans for the future are (most annual reports on an organisation’s website can tell you this).

For example: “I know you’ve just launched a program focussing on working specifically with young people with mental illness and that this role is linked to that project. I’m extremely passionate about mental illness and have experience working with young people so I would be very excited to be part of your work in this area.”

☛ What days and times are you available and how many hours are you looking for?

☛ What are your vacation, holiday, or time-off needs?

☛ Do you have a car and are you comfortable driving my parent?

☛ Are you a legal resident?

☛ Does the salary work for you?

☛ Are you bonded?

☛ I plan to do a background check on all applicants who are strong contenders for the job. Is there anything you'd like me to know first?

☛ Are you comfortable signing a work contract?

☛ If we offer you the job, can we agree on a two-week trial period to see how we all feel -- you, me, and my parent?

☛ Can you provide at least two references?

The dreaded “weaknesses question” doesn’t need to be as feared as it is.

The hardest part of being able to answer this question is actually identifying what your weaknesses are and how you would go about overcoming them.

Here’s what you need to do to prepare a great answer:

List three of your weaknesses. If you’re struggling to think of one, cast your mind back to previous jobs or your time as a student and think about the tasks that you really didn’t enjoy – those are a good indicator of a potential weakness;

List “why” you think they’re a weakness and why it’s important for you to develop your skills in those areas;

Think of three examples of what you’re doing to overcome those weaknesses.

There’s no need to try and avoid an honest answer for this question. The most important things are to show the interviewer that you can be self-reflective and that you can identity problems and overcome them – not that you’re a perfect human being without weaknesses!

☛ What are your greatest strength and your biggest weakness?

☛ (Look for patience or similar qualities)

☛ How do you think children at the various age groups should be disciplined?

☛ What experience do you have with children?

☛ What can you bring to our center that would be an asset?

☛ What types of activities would you do with the children as infants, toddlers, preschoolers, schoolagers?

☛ What do you think is most important in taking care of infants?

☛ If two children were disagreeing over something and became physical what would you do and how would you deal with the situation?

☛ If there was a child whom just would not sleep at naptime what would you do?

☛ How would you try to calm an infant if they were crying but they were not hungry, wet or sick?

☛ What types of stimulation do you think are important for babies, toddlers, preschoolers?

☛ How do you think a typical day would be scheduled in the infant, toddler, or preschool rooms?

☛ If you had to deal with a parent each day whom just was not ever happy what would you do to make them happy?

☛ How would you help new parents of infants feel that you are providing the best care to their baby?

☛ How do you feel that you communicate with parents?

☛ Do you think that babies should be on a schedule? ( The answer should be "No" for the younger ones, they should make their own schedule for the older infants it should go by the parents request).

☛ Do caregivers have first-aid/CPR and child development training?

☛ Is each child assigned to a primary caregiver?

☛ How many children do you serve, and what are their ages?

☛ What is the range of activities in which the children participate?

☛ How large is the center? (There should be 35 square feet per child in order for each child to have enough room to play comfortably.)

☛ Is the center licensed?

☛ What happens if I need to bring my child early or pick him up late?

☛ Do you let kids attend if they're not potty-trained or if they have a runny nose or a cough?

☛ How do you discipline kids?

☛ Is there an outside play area? Do kids use it every day?

☛ Do you ever take children on outings off-site?

☛ Will I be charged if I take a vacation or my child is sick?