By Jenniffer Paez
Quick Answer: Start with the essentials: confirm the daycare is licensed, check its quality rating, and ask about caregiver ratios and the daily routine. Then visit in person, ideally with your child, and notice how caregivers talk with children. This checklist walks through each step, including what to look up on Washington’s Child Care Check.
Choosing a daycare is one of the biggest decisions a parent makes, and it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed by it. Whether you’re looking for a bilingual daycare near Sultan, WA or comparing programs across Snohomish County, what should you actually be looking for? Here’s the checklist we’d use for our own family, starting with the non-negotiables and moving toward the things that make a program feel like the right fit.
Is the Daycare Licensed and Can You Verify It?
In Washington, child care providers are licensed by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), and you don’t have to take anyone’s word for it. DCYF’s Child Care Check lets you look up a provider’s licensing status, how long they’ve been licensed, and their licensing inspections and valid complaint findings from the past three years. It also shows Early Achievers ratings and, when providers share it, the languages spoken in the program.
Look up any provider you’re considering, including us. We’re a licensed home childcare provider, and we’d encourage you to check.
What Does Quality Look Like Beyond the License?
A license tells you a program meets the state’s licensing requirements. Quality goes a step further. Early Achievers is Washington’s quality rating and improvement system, and Child Care Check shows a provider’s rating and what it means.
At Pequeños Genios, we’re currently an Early Achievers Level 3 Plus program, and we’re continuing to grow toward Level 4. For us, that’s not a finish line. It’s a commitment to keep learning, keep receiving coaching, and keep strengthening how we teach and interact with children. When you’re comparing programs, ask each one how they keep improving.
Who Will Be Caring for Your Child?
Ask about each caregiver’s education, training, and experience, and whether they’re certified in CPR. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ checklist of questions for choosing child care also suggests asking for current references from other parents you can contact, and asking whether you can visit before enrolling and drop by anytime the program is open.
Then look for something a checklist can’t fully capture: does the caregiver truly know your child?
«I think one of our biggest differences is that we truly know each child. We know what they like, how they learn, what they need, and how we can help them grow.» — Jenniffer Paez, Owner, Pequeños Genios
How Many Children Are There Per Caregiver?
Ask every provider about staff-to-child ratios and group size, and what happens if a caregiver is sick or on vacation. In Washington, licensed family home programs like ours must follow DCYF’s capacity and staff-to-child ratio requirements, which depend on the ages and mix of children in care. Rather than comparing programs against a single number, ask each provider how those requirements apply to your child’s age group. You can also ask whether children are supervised by sight and sound at all times, even when they’re sleeping.
In a home-based program like ours, it’s also worth asking how many children are in care at once and how the space is set up for different ages.
Does the Daily Routine Make Sense for Your Child?
Ask for a walkthrough of a typical day. Is there a predictable schedule with time for play, outdoor time, meals, and rest? Children feel calm and secure when they know what comes next, and they enjoy learning more when they feel that way.
Ask about meals, too. We prepare homemade, varied, and nutritious meals, because we believe feeding a child well is another way of caring for them. Our curriculum is also designed for mixed-age groups: everyone shares the same experience, older children find age-appropriate challenges, and younger children take part at their own pace.
What Educational Approach Fits Your Family?
There isn’t one right philosophy. Montessori, Reggio Emilia, play-based learning, and other approaches each have real strengths, and the best fit depends on your child and your family.
At Pequeños Genios, we’re a Montessori Hybrid program. We embrace core Montessori principles—independence, child-paced learning, a prepared environment, and hands-on materials—and we blend in play-based learning, outdoor and sensory experiences, group activities, project-based learning, and social-emotional development. Our goal isn’t to fit into a single methodology. It’s to offer the best of each for the children in front of us.
If language matters to your family, ask how a bilingual program actually works day to day. In our routines, during playtime, meals, and everyday conversations, we primarily speak Spanish, and we use English whenever it’s needed so every child understands and feels safe.
What Will It Cost, and Is Financial Help Available?
Ask for the full tuition structure in writing, along with policies on hours, late pick-ups, holidays, and sick days. If you use childcare assistance, ask whether the provider accepts DSHS/WCCC subsidy. We do, and our current rates are always posted on our Tuition page so you never have to guess. We’re open Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
Should You Visit in Person?
Yes, and whenever possible, bring your child with you. Once you’ve narrowed your list, a tour is your chance to see the space, but it’s also your child’s chance to meet the caregivers and explore the environment. Children can tell you a lot during that first visit. Some start exploring right away and get curious about the materials, while others need a little more time to warm up. Both are completely normal.
While you’re there, notice how caregivers talk with the children, and especially how they interact with yours. Does the space feel clean, safe, and welcoming? Do the children look engaged? Do the adults welcome your questions? At Pequeños Genios, we see the tour as a chance for both parents and children to feel whether the environment is right for them. Trust what you see, and trust your instincts. The right program should feel right for your child and for you.
Your Daycare Checklist at a Glance
Verify the license and review recent inspections on Child Care Check
Ask about the Early Achievers rating and how the provider keeps improving
Ask about caregiver training, CPR certification, and references
Ask about ratios, group size, and supervision
Ask for a walkthrough of the daily routine, including meals
Understand the educational approach and how language is used
Get tuition, subsidy acceptance, hours, and policies in writing
Visit in person, bring your child if you can, and notice how caregivers know and talk with the children
What Should I Look for in a Licensed Bilingual Daycare in Sultan, WA?
Look for a licensed provider you can verify on Child Care Check, a quality rating that shows a commitment to growth, small-group care with a predictable routine, and caregivers who truly know each child. Pequeños Genios is a licensed, home-based bilingual childcare program in Sultan, WA, serving children from 3 months to 13 years, blending Spanish and English through the whole day, and accepting DSHS/WCCC childcare subsidy.
What Makes Pequeños Genios Special?
Licensed home childcare in Sultan, WA through Washington State DCYF, and an Early Achievers Level 3 Plus program continuing to grow toward Level 4
Bilingual immersion: Spanish is woven through our routines, songs, meals, and play, with English used whenever it’s needed to keep every child safe and understood
Montessori Hybrid learning: core Montessori principles blended with play-based, outdoor, sensory, and project-based experiences
Mixed-age groups, predictable routines, and homemade meals
Ages 3 months to 13 years, Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 5:30 PM
DSHS/WCCC accepted
Ready to see if we’re the right fit? Contact us to schedule a tour, or start your registration. You can also call us at (360) 554-9353 or email [email protected]. We’re located at 107 Willow Avenue, Sultan, WA 98294.
FAQ about Choosing The Right Daycare
How can I check if a daycare in Washington is licensed? You can search DCYF’s Child Care Check tool. It shows a provider’s licensing status, how long they’ve been licensed, licensing inspections and valid complaint findings from the past three years, and their Early Achievers rating if they participate.
What questions should I ask when choosing a daycare? Ask about hours, tuition and policies, caregiver training and CPR certification, ratios and group size, the daily routine, discipline and communication, references from current families, and whether you can visit before enrolling. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a detailed list of questions for families.
Should I bring my child on a daycare tour? Yes, whenever possible. A tour gives your child a chance to meet the caregivers and explore the space, and gives you a chance to see how the caregivers interact with your child. Some children start exploring right away and others need more time, and both are normal. At Pequeños Genios, we encourage families to bring their child so both parent and child can feel whether the program is the right fit.
How do staff-to-child ratios work at a licensed daycare in Washington? Licensed family home programs in Washington must follow DCYF’s capacity and staff-to-child ratio requirements, which depend on the ages and mix of children in care. Ask any provider to explain their ratios and group size for your child’s age, and how they handle staff absences.
What is Early Achievers, and does it matter? Early Achievers is Washington’s quality rating and improvement system for child care providers. Pequeños Genios is currently a Level 3 Plus Early Achievers program, continuing to grow toward Level 4 through coaching and ongoing learning.
Does Pequeños Genios accept DSHS or WCCC childcare subsidy? Yes. We accept DSHS/WCCC childcare subsidy. Our current tuition information is always posted on our Tuition page.
What ages and hours does Pequeños Genios offer? We care for children from 3 months to 13 years old at our licensed home-based program in Sultan, WA, Monday through Friday from 6:00 AM to 5:30 PM.