Choosing a daycare is choosing the people who will share your child's smallest everyday moments. A tour is your chance to look past the brochure. Bring these five questions — and watch how the classrooms feel while you ask them.
1. What is the real teacher-to-child ratio?
Legal maximums and real practice differ. Ask how many children each teacher cares for during the busiest hour, and how the room is covered during breaks. At Hazelwick, toddlers enjoy a 1:6 ratio all day — never just on paper.
2. What does a typical day actually look like?
Ask for the rhythm, not just the schedule: how long is outdoor time, how are naps handled for children who don't sleep, and what happens when the plan meets a rainy day? Our day plan shows ours hour by hour.
3. How do you handle big feelings?
This is the question that reveals everything. Listen for calm-down corners, named emotions, and teachers who get down to eye level — not time-outs and raised voices.
4. What will my child eat, and who cooks it?
Ask to see a weekly menu and where meals are prepared. Fresh, on-site cooking with allergy plans posted in every room is the gold standard.
5. How will I know about my child's day?
Daily photos, nap and meal logs, and a teacher who greets you by name at pick-up — communication is care you can see.
The best sign of all? Children who don't notice you. When a classroom is warm and busy, little ones stay absorbed in play instead of staring at the visitor — that's the room you want.
