Who Do You Call When Something Goes Wrong?
When families tour a child care center, they naturally focus on the classrooms, the teachers, and the environment.
But there is another question that often gets overlooked:
Who do you call when you need help?
At some point during your child care journey, something unexpected will happen.
Your child will have a difficult transition.
You’ll have a question about a classroom decision.
A teacher will move on.
A schedule will need to change.
Your child will need extra support.
A concern will arise.
When those moments happen, the quality of a center’s leadership becomes incredibly important.
The best child care leaders aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest offices or the most impressive titles. They’re the ones who are accessible, responsive, and genuinely invested in helping families navigate both the big moments and the small ones.
As you tour programs, pay attention to how leadership interacts with families.
Do you know who the director is?
Would you feel comfortable reaching out to them with a concern?
Are they visible throughout the building?
Do they know children’s names?
Do they communicate openly?
Do they seem invested in building relationships?
The same questions can apply to ownership. Some owners are involved behind the scenes. Others are active participants in the daily life of the center. Neither model is necessarily right or wrong, but they often create very different experiences for families.
One of the best indicators of a strong program is not whether challenges occur. Every center experiences challenges. The question is how leadership responds when they do.
Do families feel informed?
Do they feel heard?
Do they feel supported?
Do they feel like someone is available to help find solutions?
Child care is ultimately built on relationships. While children spend their days with teachers, families often build trust through their interactions with directors, managers, and leadership teams.
Before choosing a center, don’t just ask about curriculum or schedules.
Ask yourself:
“If I needed help tomorrow, would I know who to call?”
The answer may tell you more about a program than you realize.
One Last Peek:
Every child care center will face challenges. The difference is often found in how leadership communicates, responds, and supports families through them.
Peek-A-Boo, How Are You?
Think about someone your child feels safe with outside of your family. What makes that relationship special? Trust is often built the same way between families and the people leading a child care program.