XP Daycare Questions

[cats]

I usually post on Got Pregnant or sporadically on ML, but I have read a lot of older posts on here as a lurker lately and thought I might find some sound feedback.    TIA.


We live in a small, rural community and would ideally like to find a daycare here in town. (For size think 1,300 people and no restaurants.) H works here and has the autonomy to leave work at the drop of hat if needed, whereas I commute about 20-25 minutes to a nearby city and while I'm salaried, I can't really leave whenever I want. We thought close to home and his job would just work better all around.



There are currently three in-home daycares in the town and all of them are full with babies coming this winter. We heard in passing that a gal might be starting one up this winter, so I reached out to her. (Turns out I went to HS with her DIL, so I passed my info through DIL and possible daycare lady called me this morning.) We will go and to meet her some evening this week/early next week.



The thing is, is that I don't really know what I'm looking for as she isn't operating yet.



Her background: She ran an in-home center when her kids were young and is currently a para in a large preschool center and has worked there for ten years. She is a grandma (early 50s) and watches her grandkids during the summer and will be opening the daycare to also watch her new grandbaby due this winter, so she would have two infants. She is working to become licensed before opening.



So what do I ask/look for when we go to visit? Most of the checklists I have found all have to do with established centers and I don't think she probably has finalized a lot of her guidelines yet.



Here's what I have so far:



Hours

-dropoff/pickup times

Pay

-What happens if baby/DCP is sick?

-vacation days

-holidays

Supplies

CPR training (I'm sure this will be covered in her licensing.)





TIA for any ideas.



ETA: I know pay varies greatly by location and COL, but what are some numbers that you have heard/pay?

[sporklemotion]

We use a center in a VHCOL area, so I'm no help on cost. I think it's fine to ask about things she may not have finalized, just to see which way she's leaning

I would ask about:
-- other providers/people in the home: will there be assistants? Family around? I think licensed providers have guidelines on this, but in comes up a lot on Judge Judy.
-- activities and containment devices, if you care: are there limits on the use of containment devices? TV/video? Will there be time outside? This seems to vary widely by provider.
-- vaccination policy: do they take unvaxxed kids? That was a deal breaker for me.
-- in my area (MA), snow cancellations are a big thing. If you live in an area with weather issues, you may want to ask about that.