What to ask on every daycare tour
A tour is easy to steer. These questions are how you steer it back — grouped the way a visit actually flows.
Before any tour, check the provider’s license and inspection history on Nevada’s public child care licensing lookup. Every provider in a Care Caller report links straight to its record.
The people
What are your staff-to-child ratios?
Don’t take a number from a website — ask, and check it against Nevada’s licensing standards yourself. Every provider in your report links to its state record.
How long have the staff worked here?
Turnover is the single most honest signal a daycare gives off. A room where the teachers have been there for years tells you more than any brochure.
A typical day
What does a typical day look like?
Listen for outdoor time, free play, and rest — a real rhythm, not a schedule taped to a wall. Ask what happens when a child doesn’t want to nap.
What do the kids eat? Can I see a sample weekly menu?
A provider proud of its food will show you. One that shrugs is telling you something too.
How do you handle toilet training?
Ask whether they work with you on it or expect it done. The wrong answer here is a daily fight you don’t need.
Safety
What are your safe-sleep practices for infants?
Backs, empty cribs, nothing soft. Ask them to describe it — you want to hear the practice recited without hesitation.
What happens if my child is injured or sick?
You should be contacted immediately, every time. Ask how, by whom, and what gets written down.
Staying in touch
How do you communicate with parents day to day?
An app, texts, daily reports — the medium matters less than the habit. Silence is a red flag.
Do you have cameras or a parent app, and who can view them?
If cameras exist, ask exactly who has access and for how long footage is kept. “Parents can look anytime” and “the office can pull footage” are very different answers.
The money
What is the full fee structure?
Tuition is the start, not the total. Ask about registration fees, supply fees, late-pickup fees, and what happens to your deposit if you leave.
What are your real operating hours?
Not the sign — the practice. When does drop-off actually open, and what happens at one minute past close?
Every Care Caller report comes with this sheet — and a real person who made the calls.