Interview questionsRead at source, 24 September 2026

Childcare Interview Questions: Daycare, Infant Room and Preschool Teacher Hiring

This page is for childcare center directors, daycare owners and preschool administrators, not for candidates preparing for an interview. Whatever the title (infant room caregiver, toddler assistant, preschool lead teacher), the interview has to establish three things: that the candidate keeps children safe by habit (supervision, safe sleep, allergies, reporting concerns), that they guide behavior without harshness, and that they will work well with parents and co-teachers. Education and training can be added after hire. Before anyone starts, a licensed or subsidized provider also has to get a comprehensive background check under federal child care rules, and that decides your hiring timeline.

What your state and the background check decide first

BLS says childcare workers typically need a high school diploma or equivalent, though some states have no formal education requirement, and that many positions require background checks, immunization records and CPR and first aid certification. Preschool teachers typically need at least an associate’s degree, and public school programs generally require a bachelor’s. Your state licensing rules decide the rest, including who can be a lead teacher and who must work under one.

The federal background check for child care staff

For licensed, regulated or registered child care providers, and providers eligible for Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidies, 45 CFR 98.43 requires a background check for each child care staff member, including prospective staff, that includes:

• An FBI fingerprint check;
• A search of the National Crime Information Center’s National Sex Offender Registry;
• In the state where the person lives and each state they lived in during the previous five years: the state criminal registry or repository, the state sex offender registry, and the state child abuse and neglect registry.

The provider must request the check before the person becomes a staff member, and at least once every five years for existing staff. States must complete it “as expeditiously as possible, but not to exceed 45 days.” A new hire may start after receiving qualifying results on either the FBI fingerprint check or the fingerprint-based state criminal check in their state of residence, but until every part is complete they “must be supervised at all times” by someone who has a qualifying check from the past five years.

The rule also lists who is ineligible: anyone who refuses the check, knowingly makes a materially false statement in connection with it, is on a sex offender registry, or has been convicted of specified felonies (including child abuse or neglect, crimes against children, spousal abuse, rape or sexual assault, kidnapping, arson, physical assault or battery, murder, and drug-related felonies in the preceding five years) or of a violent misdemeanor committed as an adult against a child. Your state may add more.

Two practical consequences for interviewing: tell candidates at the interview that the check is required and what it includes, so no one is surprised; and plan your schedule so a new hire can work supervised while the full check comes back. See what a background check covers.

Childcare interview questions for every role

Ask these of every candidate, whether for the infant room or a preschool classroom, and score the answers as you go. Then, if your rules allow it, watch the candidate for an hour in a classroom with a qualified staff member present. How someone gets down to a child’s level tells you more than any answer.

“You’re on the playground with 12 children and you realize you can only count 11. What do you do?”

Supervision is the job. A strong answer is immediate and ordered: alert the co-teacher, keep the other children together, search, follow the center’s missing child procedure, and tell the director. Ask what they do to prevent it: headcounts at every transition, name-to-face checks, positioning to see the whole area. A weak answer is “that wouldn’t happen to me.”

“A toddler bites another child. Walk me through the next ten minutes.”

Strong answers: comfort and care for the child who was bitten first, calmly and briefly tell the biter “biting hurts,” redirect, write an incident report, and tell both families without naming the other child. Experienced toddler teachers treat biting as behavior to guide, not a crime. Weak answers involve punishment, shaming, or telling the bitten child’s parent who did it.

“How do you handle a child who keeps hitting other children?”

Listen for positive guidance: noticing what triggers it, staying close, teaching words for feelings, praising gentle behavior, and working with the family. Any mention of spanking, rough handling, withholding food or long isolation is disqualifying. Ask what they would do if a co-teacher yelled at a child.

“Walk me through putting an infant down for a nap.”

Essential for infant rooms, and a good test for any candidate. Federal CCDF rules require training in “prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleeping practices.” The NICHD Safe to Sleep guidance says to place babies “on their backs to sleep until they are 1 year old” on a firm, flat surface, and to remove everything from the sleep area “except a fitted sheet covering the mattress.” A strong candidate says this without prompting and adds checking on sleeping infants. A candidate who would prop a bottle, add a blanket or let a baby sleep in a swing needs training before they work in an infant room.

“A child in your group has a severe peanut allergy. What is your routine at snack time?”

Tests whether safety procedures are automatic. Strong answers: knowing which children have allergies and where their care plans and medication are, checking labels, keeping the child’s food separate, handwashing, and knowing the emergency response. CCDF health and safety rules cover “prevention and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions” and administration of medication with parental consent.

“You notice a bruise on a child, or a child says something that worries you. What do you do?”

The strong answer is to document what they saw or heard, in the child’s words, report it according to the law and center policy, and not investigate or confront the parent themselves. According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway’s summary of state statutes (current through May 2023), child care providers are named mandatory reporters in 36 states and the District of Columbia, and approximately 17 states require any person who suspects abuse or neglect to report. A candidate who says they would wait until they were sure, or ask the parent first, needs training on your state’s reporting law before they start.

“A parent is upset at pickup because their child came home with paint on a new shirt. What do you say?”

Tests family communication under mild pressure. Strong answers: listen, acknowledge it, explain the activity briefly, offer a practical fix such as a spare smock, and loop in the director if needed. Weak answers are defensive or dismissive. Follow with a harder version: a parent who says their child is being bullied.

“Your co-teacher runs the room differently from you. How do you handle it?”

Many classrooms have two or more adults, and friction between them shows up in children’s behavior. Strong answers describe talking privately, agreeing on consistent rules, and going to the director only if needed. A candidate who describes past co-teachers as lazy or wrong, one after another, will be difficult to schedule.

“Why this age group?”

A short question that tells you where to place the person. Some people love infants and dread four-year-olds; others are the reverse. Strong answers are specific about what they enjoy and what they find hard. Put people where they want to be and they stay longer.

Daycare interview questions for assistants and infant and toddler caregivers

For entry-level daycare roles, weight safety habits and reliability over curriculum. Add:

• “Walk me through a diaper change.” Listen for gathering supplies first, never leaving the child unattended on the table, handwashing for both, and cleaning the surface.
• “What would you do if you were running late for an opening shift?” Ratios depend on people arriving. A strong answer is calling ahead, as early as possible.
• “How do you comfort a baby who has been crying since drop-off?” Listen for patience, holding, routines, and not taking it personally.
• “Have you completed CPR and first aid, and when do they expire?” If not, tell them whether you provide training. Under 45 CFR 98.44, states set pre-service or orientation training in health and safety for staff of CCDF providers, to be completed within three months.

Many good assistants have no childcare job on their resume. Parents, older siblings, camp counselors, babysitters and retail workers can all bring the patience and reliability the job needs. Screen for safety instinct and train the rest.

Preschool teacher interview questions

For lead teachers, add questions on planning, assessment and classroom management:

• “Tell me about an activity you planned for four-year-olds. What did the children learn, and how did you know?” Strong answers link the activity to a skill (counting, letter sounds, taking turns) and describe observing children, not just running the activity.
• “How do you manage transitions, like cleanup to circle time?” Listen for songs, warnings, visual schedules and giving children jobs.
• “A child isn’t talking much compared with peers. What do you do?” Strong answers: observe and document, talk with the family, follow the program’s process for referrals. Not diagnosing.
• “How do you support a child who is learning English?” Listen for visuals, routines, the home language as a strength, and patience.
• “What curriculum or assessment tools have you used?” Brand names matter less than whether they can describe using one.
• “Walk me through your ideal daily schedule.” A balanced day with play, outdoor time, meals and rest shows experience.

Red flags

• Any acceptance of physical punishment, shaming or withholding food.
• Hesitation about reporting a concern, or a plan to “handle it” with the family first.
• Unsafe sleep practices described as normal.
• Talking about children or families from a previous job by name or in identifying detail.
• Vagueness or discomfort about the background check.
• Every previous director or co-teacher described as the problem.

Not red flags: no degree for an assistant role, a first job in childcare, or nerves. Reference checks with a previous director or family add what the interview cannot.

Questions not to ask

Childcare interviews drift easily into personal topics: whether the candidate has children, plans to have them, is pregnant, their age, religion or health. Do not ask. Ask whether they can meet the job’s physical demands (lifting children, getting down to the floor) and your hours, in the same words for every candidate. Hiring teenagers as aides? Check child labor laws by state and interview questions for teenagers. The full list is on illegal interview questions.

How to score it

Rate each answer 1 to 4 immediately. Weight the supervision, safe sleep, allergy and reporting questions most heavily, because a weak answer there is a safety risk, not a training gap. Score the classroom observation on the same sheet. The interview scorecard template works for this. Then make the offer quickly: good candidates may be talking to other centers and to schools at the same time.

Pay, and what it means for your offer

For preschool teachers, BLS reports a median of $52,800 in educational services, so your lead teacher candidates can compare your offer with school-based programs. BLS projects preschool teacher employment to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,700 openings a year, and childcare worker employment to decline 2 percent while still producing about 150,300 openings a year. Candidates weigh pay, hours, whether you pay for credential coursework, and discounted care for their own children. For more on that last point, see childcare benefits for employees, and for the wider picture, childcare staffing shortage.

Writing the post first? Start from the teacher aide job description or teacher job description, and see paraprofessional interview questions for school-based aides.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, childcare workers and preschool teachers (May 2025 wages, last modified 27 August 2026); 45 CFR 98.41, 98.43 and 98.44 (eCFR, current to 22 September 2026); Child Welfare Information Gateway, Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect (current through May 2023); NICHD Safe to Sleep; Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark. General information, not legal advice. Read at source 24 September 2026.