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Part 1 Organizing a Quality Child Care Program
contacts can serve as a source of new information, can help you identify trends, or
may even help you avoid trouble. Keeping in touch with others who have the same
types of responsibilities, frustrations, and concerns can give you new ideas and help
you keep problems in perspective.
Questionnaires
A questionnaire is often a helpful tool in determining whether or not there is a
need for child care services. When using a questionnaire, you can assess the needs of
families and the type of services they are seeking.
Responding to a questionnaire is completely voluntary on the part of the family.
Therefore, you must design a questionnaire that reflects concern for children and their
families, sensitivity, and commitment to quality care. If parents feel they will be criti-
cized for their answers, or that they will be pestered for a commitment, they are not
likely to respond. If parents feel that the questionnaire is too personal or too “nosy,”
you won’t obtain much helpful information. Even families who need child care may
be reluctant to answer a questionnaire if they know nothing about who is planning to
operate the center.
The questionnaire must ask questions that will provide the information you need
to know. Questionnaires must be written carefully so that the responses are mean-
ingful. Questions should be clear, concise, and user-friendly so that parents are willing
to answer them.
Most questionnaires ask for information related to the number and ages of chil-
dren in the family. Information about parent work hours, type of care needed, nature
of job, and location of employer can provide knowledge about potential center loca-
tion, hours, and tuition, 2-5. Many people will not answer questions that directly ask
for their income level or what they are willing to pay for child care. However, if you
know the number of wage earners in a family, the nature of their jobs, and their
employers, you can usually figure out a rough
estimate of the income of families.
When developing a questionnaire, you will
need to think about the parents who will be
answering the questions. It is usually not realistic
to aim a questionnaire at a whole community.
Instead, try to identify which families or groups of
families are most likely to need your program. For
example, if you want to set up a program pri-
marily for the employees of a particular company,
contact the company. They may allow you to
enclose a questionnaire with the paychecks. If you
are interested in serving a specific neighborhood,
you may be able to distribute questionnaires
through neighborhood religious organizations,
clubs, or stores. These sources may also help you
obtain the names, addresses, and phone numbers
of families with young children, 2-6.
Director’s Dilemma
You currently operate a successful
center for 45 children. Your location
is close to malls, the hospital, and
major office buildings. Many of the
parents who work in these locations
must work evenings, on weekends, or
even through the night. Several of
your families have asked you to con-
sider keeping the center open through
the evening, on weekends, and pos-
sibly on a 24-hour basis. How could
you decide whether or not to expand
your hours? How could you find
information about the number of
families who might need care during
these hours?