What happens on a daycare tour, and how to use your thirty minutes well

A tour takes about thirty minutes. You see the classrooms, the outdoor space, the nap area and the washrooms, meet the educators, and talk through your child's age, start date and the hours you need. It is by appointment, and you are welcome to bring your child along.

That is the short version. The rest of this page is what each part actually looks like, and what to do before you go.

Book ahead, and ask for a quiet time

Tours here run by appointment only. Call or message us, and we will find a time that works.

The best slot is outside drop-off, pick-up, outdoor play and nap. At drop-off the room is full of arriving families and a little chaotic in the ordinary way that mornings are. During nap it is quiet because everyone is asleep, which shows you nothing about a normal day. A mid-morning slot on a weekday, once the room has settled into its first activity, is usually the clearest window into what a day here actually looks like.

If you can, bring your child. Walking through the rooms once, meeting an educator, and seeing where the coats go means the first real day is not the first time your child has seen any of it.

What we show you

The classrooms, the learning and play areas, the nap space, the washrooms, and the outdoor environment. You meet the educators who would be working with your child's age group, and we talk through the daily routine, the language programs, safety practices, extended hours, and weekend care.

None of that is staged for the visit. You are seeing the same rooms the children use every day, at whatever stage of the morning they happen to be at when you arrive.

Bring a list if you have specific questions. Thirty minutes moves quickly once the conversation starts, and it is easy to walk out having covered everything we planned to show you but not the two things you actually wanted to ask.

Asking about the language programs

If a language program is part of why you are touring, ask specifically rather than assuming every centre runs immersion the same way. Here, French, Mandarin and English run as separate programs rather than combined in one group, so an educator gives focused instruction in whichever language your child is enrolled in. You can state which language you prefer, and we try to accommodate it, though placement depends on scheduling and availability at the time.

A fair question for any centre claiming a language program is who actually teaches it and how. Ask which educators lead each language, whether they are fluent, and whether the language is taught as a separate lesson or built into the ordinary run of the day. The answer tells you whether the program is a real daily practice or a label on the sign outside. If you are weighing whether a second language belongs in daycare at all, what learning two languages actually does for a toddler goes through what paediatric and speech-language bodies say about it.

What to ask about ratios and group sizes

This is the single most useful question a tour answers, and it is one you can check independently before you even book.

British Columbia sets maximum group sizes and staff-to-child ratios by care type in Schedule E of the Child Care Licensing Regulation. Ask how many educators are in the room with your child's age group, and how many children are in that group, then compare the answer against the published rule rather than taking a general reassurance at face value. A centre that is following the regulation will give you a straight number, because the number is public either way.

The same goes for the facility's licensed capacity and its inspection history. Fraser Health publishes both online, and the Province's own guidance is not to rely on that alone: contact the facility, observe the program in operation, and ask the licensing officer if you want a second source. Reading the public list before you tour means you walk in already knowing what the centre is licensed for, and the tour becomes a chance to see whether the room matches the paperwork. How to check a daycare's licence walks through exactly where to find both documents.

Parents keep the right to see their child, always

One rule is worth knowing at any centre you consider, not this one alone. Section 49 of the Child Care Licensing Regulation requires a licensee to ensure a parent has reasonable access to their child while the child is in care. It applies at every licensed facility in the province, and it is worth asking a centre directly how that works in practice: whether you can call ahead, whether drop-in visits are welcome, and how quickly someone can reach you if your child needs you.

The same section requires a licensee to be able to reach a parent or emergency contact while a child is in care, which is the other half of the same idea: access runs in both directions.

What we ask you at the end

Your child's age, your preferred start date, the days and hours you need, and anything particular to your family. We invite your questions and talk through availability, registration, and the waitlist for your child's age group.

Availability changes through the year, and it depends on your child's age, the start date you want, and the schedule you need. Some age groups, particularly children under three, can have a longer wait than others. We will tell you where things stand for your situation rather than a general number, because a general number would be out of date within weeks in either direction.

If nothing is open when you tour, adding your name to the list costs nothing. British Columbia banned waitlist fees for licensed providers, effective April 1, 2024, after some providers had been charging non-refundable amounts of $25 to $200 or more just to hold a place in line. That practice is no longer allowed anywhere in the province, and it was never something we did here.

The part that is easy to skip: checking before you call

A tour works best when you have already done a little homework, and it takes less time than the tour itself.

Look up the facility on the Fraser Health public list, which shows the licensed capacity and care types. Search for inspection reports, which Fraser Health also publishes, and read the Province's own caution alongside them: a report is one input, not the whole picture, and it is worth pairing with a conversation and a visit rather than treated as a final verdict on its own. Write down the two or three questions that matter most to your family, whether that is ratios, the language programs, weekend care, or something about your specific child. Questions to ask on a daycare tour groups a fuller list by topic, with a strong and a weak example answer for each.

None of that takes the place of walking through the rooms. It just means the thirty minutes goes toward the things a document cannot tell you: how the educators talk to the children, whether your child settles into the space, whether the pace of the morning matches what your family needs.

What a tour cannot tell you

A single half hour is a snapshot, and it is fair to say so plainly. You are seeing one morning, with one group of children, on one day of the week. A centre having a good morning during your visit does not guarantee every morning looks the same, and a centre having a hard morning does not mean it always does either.

That is exactly why the public documents matter alongside the visit. An inspection history covers a longer stretch of time than any tour can, and a licensed capacity figure does not change based on which day you happened to walk in. Use both together: the paperwork for the pattern, the tour for the feeling of the place and whether your child settles into it.

A tour in one season also will not show you every season. Outdoor time here generally runs one to two hours a day, depending on weather, air quality and the schedule, and children do not go outside during rainy or snowy weather. If you tour on a dry summer morning, ask directly what an indoor day looks like when the weather turns, rather than assuming the garden you just walked through is where your child will spend every afternoon in January. A centre that has a clear answer for the wet-weather routine has thought about the months a single tour cannot show you.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a tour actually take?

About thirty minutes. That covers the classrooms, the outdoor space, the nap area and washrooms, and a conversation about your child's age, start date and the hours you need. Bring a list of questions if you have specific ones, since half an hour goes quickly once you start talking.

Can I bring my child on the tour?

Yes, and we encourage it. A tour is by appointment, so we can plan around a time that is not the busiest part of the day. Bringing your child means the first real day is not the first time they have seen the room.

What time of day is best for a tour?

Outside drop-off, pick-up, outdoor play and nap. Those are the times a room is either full of arriving families or quiet because children are resting, and neither shows you a normal morning. A mid-morning slot on a weekday usually works best.

What will I actually see on the tour?

The classrooms, the learning and play areas, the nap space, the washrooms, and the outdoor area. You also meet educators and hear about the daily routine, the programs offered, safety practices, extended hours and weekend care.

What will you ask me at the end of the tour?

Your child's age, your preferred start date, the days and hours you need, and anything specific to your family. We also invite your questions and go over availability, registration and the waitlist for your child's age group.

Can I see the licence and the inspection history before I tour?

Yes, and it is worth doing before you call. Fraser Health publishes both the licensed capacity for every facility and the inspection reports online, so you can check what a centre is licensed for before you ever walk in.

Do I have to book in advance, or can I just drop by?

Tours are by appointment only. A drop-in visit during the middle of an activity is disruptive to the children already there, and booking ahead means we can pick a quieter time and make sure someone is free to walk you through properly.

Is there a fee to book a tour or join the waitlist afterward?

No. British Columbia banned waitlist fees for licensed providers effective April 1, 2024, and a tour itself has never had a cost. If you decide to add your name to our list for a future space, there is nothing to pay to do it.

What should I ask about ratios and group sizes while I'm there?

Ask how many educators are in the room with your child's age group, and how many children are in that group. British Columbia sets maximum group sizes and ratios by care type in regulation, so you can compare the answer against the published rule rather than taking a general assurance on faith.

What happens after the tour if I want to move forward?

We talk about current availability for your child's age group and, if nothing is open yet, add your name to the list so we can contact you as a space comes up. Nothing about the tour itself commits you to anything.

Before you visit

We are at 1103 Confederation Drive, in the Citadel neighbourhood of Port Coquitlam. You can read about our programs, the centre itself, and the people who work here before you come, and see the day laid out hour by hour on our schedule. When you are ready to book a time, get in touch, and bring your child along if you can.