Asking Families to Give Daycare Feedback or Comments?

Hi S., Yes I am a daycare provider, I have made questioners and let them fill them out, I have ask them all also for reference letters on the care I give their child and i have a folder of letters from past and present parents. it's always good to get feed back and or suggestions. J.

I think it is a GREAT idea! I think that you should form an evaluation sheet with topics to do with areas you want to discuss. Great idea.

I use a center, but am always giving feedback, whether they want it or not. :) I would let the parents know that you are always open to feedback, and maybe put a box out for them to make suggestions? Depending on the parents, you can even make it anonymous?

Or put together a survey and ask them to fill it out.

I go to a center, not a home daycare. And they ask us to answer a survey twice a year. I like it because I often take the survey in to the director and say - hey, this made me thing about XXX issue that I'm not thrilled about. Is there something we can do to address it?

Doing home childcare, and the nature of the small group and anonymity thing, I always worried it wouldn't go over big...that in a formal questionnaire format or conference setting they wouldn't be super honest with me about little (or big??) things so as not to make anything awkward from then out?? I know several providers who started something like that and had the awkward thing...

Like a parent brought up a particular item..say, wanting a project brought home every day..or X amount of times a week...or a daily chart each day (many I know do for babies/toddlers up till 18 mos or 2 years old, but not for older kids...many post one singular menu/"we did this today" sort of thing on a bulletin board, or simply TALK to the 3-5 families at days end about it)...but when a parent brought it up, they expected that change would occur. When that was not the point of the providers conferencing/feedback sessions (to definitely make changes occur simply due to parent requests)..so when it was not a change that was made, the parent was mad??

I do know one provider who did one of those online surveys you can create and email to specific people...survery-monkey or something like that? She loved that option...anonymous and all that by the parents (altho, again, with the small group, you can "figure" some things out??). With our relicensing, the county randomly sends surveys to a few of our parents..we can request those results. I never have. Sometimes they have them back before they do our visits. I had a licensor share a few comments once..things like "I have noticed the pan handles not turned in to the middle"...stuff like that, but that was about it?? Helpful..but not life changing as my kitchen is gated off when I cook...LOL. Does your state/county do this?

Personally my approach is to always be talking with parents...make sure they know they can ask me about stuff...like my now well loved and used potty training method...a parent brought this approach to me, we discussed it and gave it a shot! Now its my tried and true method I live by and LOVE (and formerly I hated potty training with every fiber of my being..LOL). I will share info with parents on topics I had training on and ask their opinions, offer articles...and always asking about curricula stuff (want more?, do they think its a good approach with them, should we try this, do that, change it up, etc).

I think for me I try to ride that fine line with "its a business"...and "my business is of a very personal nature".....you get involved in families and their lives to a certain degree...and come to love their children. Open communication and trust is such a huge part of that I guess..so for me most of this feedback stuff occurs in everyday conversations. Its what works for me....

I like the idea of a survey, and having parents rate 'on a scale from one to ten, how important...." , "If there was one thing you would change about this program, what would it be?" Ask questions which propose to gain the information you are specifically seeking, and leave some room for open-ended constructive criticism.

And don't take negative feedback too personally, unless you should!;)

If I had my kids in an at home daycare I would welcome the chance to give feedback. My preference would be in person - maybe you could meet one on one with the family to talk about their child, your observations, and discuss what each of you need from one another for the child. It is best when there is consistency at home and at daycare and communication about it is key!!! Good for you for asking for the feedback.

if you asked for feedback i would give it to you good and bad cause that means bad you will correct. now if i was to assess mine right now i would have nothing but positive to tell. she listens to my concerns and works with him on what eci asks us to do and everything else. he made a plate mask and loved it played with it till it fell apart. so she is doing very creative things with them and she has the same 4 kids all the time. she doesnt per se do a feedback thing but helps me as much as possible. if you have good communication with the parent feedback isnt really necessary

Well heck, I'll probably sound like a know it all and I don't want to. But I guess I kind of do too.

In my early years I always thought about and wanted to do this. But I didn't because I figured out early on that there are too many issues that have no right answer and 10 parents would come down to 2-3 ways of wanting to handle the same issues. But those ways may be in direct conflict of each other. Say about napping. One mom wants the child to come home exhausted and ready for bed as early as possible. But another mother wants to spend quality time with their child and doesn't want them to come home grumpy. So the first mom wants no nap or a short one. The 2nd mom wants a good restful nap. Or how about the issue of weather.... One mom wants the kids out in 35 degrees. Another mom wants their child in with a runny nose period if it's not 70 degrees outside. I could go on all day long about issues that ultimately I must be in control of. I can NOT make everyone happy.

I always hope that my parents will ask me questions and give me the chance to explain why I do things a certain way. When I truly don't know how to handle a current dilemma, I email parents, tell them what I am trying with this or that situation. But I'm open to hear ideas if it doesn't adversly affect the other kids. If I can't change anything I know they will eventually leave and try and find someone else they can have more control over.

If you don't realize that this is YOUR daycare, you will twist yourself up in knots trying to be everything to everyone all the time. If you do that, you can't sleep at night for the voices going through your head. You'll be laying there wondering what this parent or that parent really meant when they said this or that. You need to have the confidence to do what you have learned works, admit when you don't know the right way to handle a particular situation, and most importantly, the ability to let go if a parent and you don't see eye to eye.

I did home daycare for 5 years. I actually did this! I created a small survey with a few questions, a rate scale, and space for comments. I made a box and just had the parents bring back at their convenience and put in the box. So that way it would be anonymous.

It was great. I got all positive feedback and comments. It was just nice to hear that everyone was happy and satisfied!