38 Questions to Ask a Child Care Worker During an Interview (With Sample Answers)

38 Questions to Ask a Child Care Worker During an Interview (With Sample Answers)

Schools and daycare centres usually go to a lot of trouble to make sure they hire responsible, trained caregivers. During your interview for a job as a child care assistant, you might be asked some hard questions. If you know what questions an interviewer might ask, you can be ready to show how experienced and trustworthy you are. This article gives you examples of how to answer 38 interview questions about child care.38 Questions to Ask a Child Care Worker

General questions

Most recruiters start interviews with general questions that help them learn about your career goals, how you work, and what kind of person you are. Here are some general questions you might be asked at a child care assistant job interview:

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What’s your best skill as someone who helps take care of kids?
3. What is the worst thing about you as a person who works with children?
4. How would your former bosses or coworkers describe the way you work?
5. Why did you decide to work with kids?
6. Why do you want to work at this company?
7. What did you do when you used to look after kids?
8. What skills do you have that make you stand out from other people who are applying?
9. Why did you leave your last job?
10. How much money do you want?
11. What do you do when your boss tells you what to do?
12. Tell me about the things you can do at the same time.

Questions about your past and present

After finding out how hard you work and what kind of person you are, interviewers usually look at your past jobs and how well you did in them. Here are some questions about your background and past work that you might be asked:

1. Where did you go to school?
2. Do you want to keep going to school?
3. What kind of licences and certificates do you have?
4. How long have you worked as a day care worker?
5. How can a person who works with kids give good customer service?
6. Have you ever given extra help to kids who needed it?
7. Do you like how potty training is going?
8. When did you start cleaning?
9. How do you like to plan activities that teach?
10. Describe your communication style.
11. How do you take care of more than one child at the same time?

In-depth questions

Interviewers often test how much you know about taking care of children and how you would act in different situations. Here are some common, in-depth questions that are often used to test your skills as a child care assistant:

1. What do you think a four-year-most old’s important qualities are?
2. How would you react if you saw two kids fighting?
3. Tell me about a time you and your boss had different ideas.
4. What was the worst thing that ever happened to you in a classroom?
5. Tell me how you don’t lose your temper in class.
6. What would you do if a parent always brought their kid to school late?
7. How do you keep a medical emergency from happening in your classroom?
8. What would you do if a child had a medical emergency and you were nearby?
9. How do you keep the kids you care for from being mean to each other?
10. How important is it that everyone in the classroom follows the same schedule?
11. What would you do if you knew a child was being hurt?

Questions and answers for a child care worker job interview

Check out these answers to common questions asked at interviews for child care assistants to help you prepare for your own:

1. What would you do with a group of fifteen two-year-olds?

Depending on the job you’re applying for, the interviewer may change the age range or number of children in this question. No matter what, the point of this question is to test your ability to plan and see if you know what activities are good for kids your age. Try to talk about specific things about the group of kids, choose an activity that fits their skills, and explain how you would do it.

Example: “Two-year-olds can start to follow simple instructions, name different things, and do what others do. I’ve found that Simon Says is a good way to work on these skills and keep a large group of kids interested at the same time. This game also teaches kids to pay attention, use their big muscles, and learn about the different parts of their bodies.

I would start the game by putting the kids in a circle and telling them how to play. I would start by giving the kids simple directions and then show them how to do it so they could copy me. I can quickly tell a child what to do if I see them doing something wrong, so that everyone else stays interested.”

2. Give me an example of something a child didn’t want to do.

Most interviewers know that kids don’t always want to do something. Most of the time, they want to see that you can recognise these situations and come up with ways to get people involved. Think of a real-life situation in which a child wasn’t involved. Tell me how you knew they weren’t trying and what you think might have caused it. You can also say what you did to change their behaviour and what happened as a result.

Example: “Once, I had a kid who would sit on a bench while the other kids played on the playground. I know how important it is for kids to play with other kids and get some exercise, so I asked the child in a friendly way why they weren’t on the playground. They said they didn’t want to, but I thought it might be because they had just started school and were having trouble making friends.

I started planning group activities so that everyone would feel more comfortable talking to each other during recess. The child slowly made friends, and even when I wasn’t leading a group activity, he or she was more likely to play on the playground.”

What would you put in a classroom for preschoolers that was empty?

This is a question that a person interviewing you might ask to find out what you think is most important when taking care of a child. You can also show how creative you are and how quickly you can think with this question. You can choose any three things, as long as you can explain how they keep people safe or teach them something.

Example: “One of the first things I would put in an empty preschool classroom is a first-aid kit. I can fix small scrapes, paper cuts, or scabs with the bandages, and I can clean up body fluid spills with the gloves. I’d also put rest mats in the classroom so the kids could sleep, play, and learn in comfort. The third thing I would put is a small library with age-appropriate books. This part of the lesson would give me a chance to read stories out loud and help students improve their reading skills on their own or in small groups.”

4. Tell me about a time when you saw an angry parent.

Most of their time is spent with the children, but they also have to talk to the parents. Interviewers want to know how you handle angry parents and reassure them that their child’s needs come first. Try to think of a time when you listened to a parent’s problems, understood how they felt, and helped them find a solution.

Example: “One time, a parent was upset with me because their child wasn’t reaching the same developmental milestones as their peers. I was calm as I listened to their worries and let them know that the staff knew how their child was doing. I told the parent about the child’s personalised plan, urged them to study with the child at home, and promised to keep them up to date on the child’s progress. I was able to help the child do better in school by talking to the parent and finding out what the child needed.”