Questions to ask a childcare provider before you enroll

Price is usually the first question a family asks a childcare provider, but it is rarely the only one that matters once you are comparing two real options side by side. This guide is a practical checklist of the questions worth asking before you enroll, grouped by category, none of which require any specialized knowledge to ask or to evaluate the answer.

Cost and billing

What is the full weekly or monthly rate, and does it change with your child’s age as they move up in classroom or age group? Is there a registration fee, and does it recur annually or only once? Are holidays and closures billed at full tuition, prorated, or free? Is a deposit required to hold a spot, and is it refundable or credited toward tuition if you enroll? Is there a sibling discount, and at what percentage? These map directly to the line items covered in how to read a childcare price quote.

Enrollment and waitlist

How long is the current waitlist for your child’s age group, and how does the provider prioritize spots (first-come, sibling priority, or something else)? What happens if a spot opens and you are not ready to start immediately, do you lose your place? Is there a required notice period to withdraw, and does tuition continue during that notice period?

Staffing and ratios

What is the child-to-staff ratio for your child’s age group, and how does it compare to your state’s licensed maximum? What is staff turnover like, and how long has the lead teacher in the room you are considering been with the provider? A stable staff team is one of the harder things to verify from a tour alone, so ask directly and ask for a specific, not a vague, answer.

Hours and schedule flexibility

What are the actual opening and closing hours, and is there a grace period before late fees start? Does the provider close early on any regular basis, such as staff training days, and how much advance notice do you get? If your work schedule is unpredictable, ask specifically how the provider handles drop-in days or schedule changes, since policies here vary widely and are rarely advertised upfront.

Licensing and inspection history

Is the provider licensed by the state, and can they show you their current license? Most states publish licensing and inspection records online through the state childcare licensing agency; it is reasonable to look this up yourself rather than relying only on what the provider tells you.

Getting it in writing

Once you have answers you are comfortable with, ask for the fee schedule, the holiday and closure calendar, and the withdrawal policy in writing before you sign anything. A provider that is transparent and organized about these details in writing is a reasonable proxy for how they will handle billing questions once your child is enrolled. If you want to see how the price you have been quoted compares to your state’s average, the cost explorer and budget calculator both use the same 2024 sourced dataset as the rest of this site.