Best Questions to Ask for After-after Care

Some good stuff from other posters. I agree that if your child is going to their house, you go to their house for the interview.

My questions would include:
What kind of structure will you provide? Will my child have homework time? Or all open play time? Will my child play outside every day? What will you do with him when the weather is bad? What will they feed him for dinner? What is their policy on snacks (especially if they are at their house and not yours)?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. But these are things for you to think about too. Would you prefer your child get to run around and simply play after being in a structured classroom all day? But that means you have to proctor homework at night. Or would you prefer your child get his homework done, then a little playtime. And then when you get home you don't have to do homework with him.

Are you interviewing for a licensed provider or rather seeking a babysitter? If they are licensed some of these questions may be irrelevant such as the CPR question.

Do they know CPR/First Aid
Are they smokers (if that is something that concerns you)
What type of activities will they be providing
What about outings to the park
Do they offer homework help
Do they cook/prepare meals/snacks

I would also ask about friends/family/associates they may invite over (esp. if providing care at their home) and have around your child.

If not licensed, I would require them to get fingerprinted.

I use to do in home daycare. Now that my girl's are both in school, I went back to teaching preschool and I babysit afterschool. Currently both families that I have, are either neighbors or our kids are friends. I take them home from school. They get a snack and wind down time for no more than 30 minutes, then it's homework time. Once that is done, they can play until pick up. I can tell you that if I were you I would want to go and see their house. Is it clean? Look around for potential dangers. Loose stairs or railings, Large dogs, or other animals. I guess the big factor is how well do you know this person that is watching your child? Things can happen in any situation, but if you know someone, it's less likely to happen. Do you know anyone that uses this person for afterschool care? Are your kids around the same age? Your child is old enough to be in school, do he is old enough to tell you if something makes him Uncomfortable or scared. Personally I think home care is nicer than making them stay in school for another 3 hours. It's still school. But, I am bias. Lol :)

If your having your son stay at their home then DEFINITELY you want to do the interview at their home. It gives you chance to see any safety concerns, things that they have to keep your son entertained besides TV, etc. Make sure to ask about after school and evening scheduling. The few times I have to work late I always pick up my son with a full belly cause they give him dinner and they begin to do a "slow down" type routine so the kids are relatively calm when you pick them up, almost ready for bed when I get home. Are you gonna be using different caregivers for different shifts? There are some daycare providers that I know have flexible scheduling and you can just turn your schedule in to them so they can prepare for the daily adjustments.