What to Look For on a Childcare Tour: 25 Questions Parents Should Ask

Choosing care for your child is a big call. A good tour gives you clear evidence about safety, relationships, learning and day-to-day routines. If you’re touring services in Melbourne, you might be comparing options for Malvern East childcare. The checklist below helps you ask pointed questions and make sense of what you see on the day.

1) Safety, compliance and ratios

Quality starts with meeting the National Quality Framework and the National Quality Standard. Ask how the service demonstrates this in practice, not just on paper. Ratios and supervision patterns should be easy to explain and visible while you walk through rooms. In Victoria, educator-to-child ratios for centre-based care are set in law; for example, 1:4 for children under three in many rooms and 1:11 for preschool age groups, calculated across the service.

Questions 1–5

1. Which National Quality Standard areas has the service prioritised for improvement this year, and how is progress tracked?
2. What educator-to-child ratios apply in each room during the day and at peak drop-off and pick-up times?
3. How are children supervised in outdoor spaces and when rooms combine late in the day?
4. Who is the responsible person on site at all times, and how is leadership covered during breaks?
5. How are visitors signed in and monitored while children are present?

2) Child-safe culture and staffing

A strong child-safe culture shows up in everyday habits, from greeting children by name to knowing who can collect them. All educators should hold current Working With Children Checks, with systems that flag expiries and new risk information. Recent announcements point to tighter national alignment on Working With Children Checks, so ask how the service stays ahead of changes. If you’re comparing options for daycare Malvern East, this due diligence matters just as much as the look of the rooms.

Questions 6–10

6. How do you verify and record Working With Children Checks and updates for all staff and regular contractors?
7. What induction and ongoing child-safety training do educators complete each year?
8. What is your process for reporting and escalating any allegation of harm or misconduct? New national measures tighten reporting timelines, so I’d like to see your policy.
9. What is the average educator tenure in each room, and how do you support continuity for children?
10. How are children’s rights and participation reflected in everyday decisions, like consent for photos or toileting privacy?

3) Health, hygiene and incident management

Look for clear cleaning schedules, first-aid signage and calm, rehearsed responses to bumps and scrapes. Early childhood services must keep policies for incidents, injury, trauma and illness, and you should see how these translate into practice. In Victoria, enrolment requires an up-to-date immunisation history under No Jab No Play. If you’re searching “childcare near me”, check that local immunisation and incident policies are current and visible to families.

Questions 11–15

11. Can I view your incident, injury, trauma and illness policy and see how families are notified on the day?
12. What first-aid qualifications do room leaders hold, and when do they expire?
13. How do you manage outbreaks of gastro or respiratory illness, and what is your exclusion policy?
14. What documents do you require to enrol under No Jab No Play, and how are records updated?
15. How are medications stored, double-checked and administered during a busy session?

4) Sleep, food and allergy safety

Safe sleep set-ups should align with Red Nose guidance, with staff able to explain how they position and check infants. Allergy procedures should refer to ASCIA plans and training, with practical steps for mealtimes so children eat safely without being isolated.

Questions 16–19

16. How do your infant sleep practices follow Red Nose recommendations, and how often are checks recorded?
17. What training do educators complete for anaphylaxis and allergy management, and how often is it refreshed?
18. How are ASCIA Action Plans stored and accessed quickly in an emergency, and where are autoinjectors kept?
19. How are menus adapted for allergies and cultural needs, and who verifies ingredient labels before serving?

5) Learning program, outdoor play and daily rhythm

High-quality programs build on children’s interests, scaffold language and social skills and make room for unhurried play. Ask to see how the program links to outcomes and how observations are used to plan next steps. Outdoors, you should see hats, shade and sunscreen routines that reflect SunSmart guidance. When visiting a Malvern East childcare centre, check the balance between quiet nooks and active spaces, and how educators interact while children explore.

Questions 20–23

20. How does your program show evidence of intentional teaching and child-led learning across the week?
21. What’s today’s plan in this room, and how will it change if children take the play in a new direction?
22. How do you support early language, numeracy and social problem-solving through play?
23. What is your SunSmart policy for hats, shade, clothing and sunscreen reapplication during outdoor play?

6) Relationships, privacy and family communication

Families should feel welcome, informed and able to contribute. Look for respectful greetings, real-time updates that don’t interrupt supervision, and clear rules for photos and digital media, including consent and secure storage. New national guidance tightens expectations around devices, vaping bans and incident reporting, so ask how policies were updated and how staff were trained. If you’re weighing up a Malvern East early learning centre, a quick look at room documentation, daily reflections and the tone of conversations will tell you a lot.

Questions 24–25

. Which channels do you use to share learning stories and daily notes, and how do you obtain and record photo consent?
25. How do educators partner with families on routines, toilet learning and behaviour guidance so strategies are consistent at home and care?

Final tour tips

Arrive a few minutes early to see the natural rhythm of drop-off. Watch how educators position themselves, whether children seek them out and how calmly transitions run. Bring this list, take brief notes and trust what you observe as much as what you’re told. If a service answers these 25 questions openly, shows strong ratios and safe practices, and offers warm, playful learning, you’ll leave with confidence about the fit for your family and your child.