← Guides

10 Questions to Ask When Touring a Daycare

The licensing record tells you the official history. A tour tells you the day-to-day. Bring this list — and trust how the answers feel.

1. What are your staff-to-child ratios, and how do they change through the day?
2. How do you handle staff background checks and training (CPR, first aid, mandated reporting)?
3. What's your staff turnover like, and how long have the lead teachers been here?
4. Walk me through your safe-sleep, medication, and allergy procedures.
5. How do you handle discipline, and what's your policy on restraint?
6. What are your sick-child and illness-exclusion policies?
7. How do you secure the building and manage pick-up/drop-off?
8. How will you communicate with me — daily updates, incidents, injuries?
9. Can I see your most recent licensing inspection and any correction orders?
10. May I do an unscheduled visit during the day before I decide?

Do question #9 before you even arrive

You don't have to take a center's word for its record. Look it up first on Childcare Alerts — you'll see every public licensing action in plain English, with links to the official documents, so you can walk in already knowing what to ask about. If the center mentions a past correction order, you'll know exactly what it was.

Look up a center → What violations mean →

After you choose, keep watching

Records change. Follow your center on Childcare Alerts and we'll email you for free the moment a new public licensing record is posted — so a problem never slips past you.

This checklist is general guidance for Minnesota parents, not legal or safety advice. Childcare Alerts surfaces public records and is not a safety judgment about any center.