Welcoming a new team member to your child care center brings hope and new possibilities. This time helps you set a positive tone with your staff. However, finding the right candidate can be challenging.

Early childhood education (ECE) job interviews help raise the standards of your child care program. Finding exceptional people to join your team improves the quality of care for your children and families and it creates a better environment for your current staff.

Creating thoughtful interview questions will help you find the most suitable people for your program. This process matters for ECE programs because it supports your commitment to high-quality services. It helps you hire people with the skills, dedication, and values needed to create a nurturing learning environment that meets the unique needs of all children and their families.

You need thoughtful interviews designed for each staff position to find the right talent. You want people who share your program's values and commitment to excellent care and education. This interview guide will help you find exceptional staff, and the scoring grid will make the process fair and consistent. Interview questions cover four areas: professional experience, personal qualities, teaching philosophy, and relationship readiness. Each part includes questions or scenarios for specific staff roles.

Part 1: Questions to Assess Professional Experience

Focus on the candidate's work experience to see if they fit your program. Ask questions that make candidates discuss challenges, strengths, and areas for growth in ECE program values of thoughtful and honest communication. Don't rush candidates, as this can affect how sincere and thorough their answers are.

These questions about professional experience can help you thoroughly assess candidates:

1. Can you talk about a challenge in your professional career and how you addressed it? 
   This question helps you understand their work experiences. It gives candidates a chance to show their critical thinking, resilience, and problem-solving skills — important qualities for meeting children's and families' needs.
    
2. Can you share an experience where you handled a difficult conversation with a parent or guardian? 
   This matters in ECE settings because it shows their communication skills, empathy, and ability to handle sensitive discussions. Good parent communication creates a supportive environment, matching your program's commitment to positive family relationships and child well-being.
    
3. Thinking about your previous job, what do you wish you had been better prepared for? How did you adapt to that challenge? 
   This question asks candidates to identify areas where they needed to improve and how they handled those challenges. It matches your program's focus on continuous improvement. It shows how candidates identify growth areas, address challenges, and learn from experiences — all essential for providing effective care.

Part 2: Questions to Assess Personal Qualities

Starting interviews with "getting to know you" questions is strategic. These questions give you insights into the candidate's identity, values, and reasons for choosing ECE. They also create a comfortable atmosphere. This approach values each candidate's unique background and motivations. By starting with personal questions, you recognize that candidates may find it easier to share about themselves before discussing complex workplace ideas. This is especially important for programs that want to create an environment that matches their commitment to valuing perspectives and meeting unique needs.

Here are questions to assess personal qualities:

4. When did your passion for early childhood education begin, and what drew you to this field? Why do you believe your dedication to ECE matters? 
   This question explores the candidate's journey and motivation. It helps assess how well they match your program's principles and goals, highlighting their unique qualities and commitment.
    
5. I notice your background is in [x]. What made you decide to pursue [that program or career change] and how does this choice match our program's values and goals? 
   This question explores the candidate's background and decision-making. It shows how the candidate's choices align with your ECE program's values and goals.
    
6. Looking ahead five years, what are your professional goals, and how do these goals contribute to our program's mission? 
   This forward-looking question asks about future plans and connects these to ECE goals. It shows how personal career growth supports the broader impact of programs.

Part 3. Questions to Assess Early Care and Education Philosophy

You need to understand different learning approaches. Ask applicants about their individual philosophy to see if it matches your program's teaching methods. This match matters for programs offering thorough and responsive education. Employees who understand and embrace your mission statement create a positive workplace. Staff who already share your values need less training and fit into your program more easily.

You can ask directly about a candidate's philosophy, but asking about their daily experiences in ECE roles.

Part 4: Scenarios to Assess Relationship Readiness

Scenario questions help you evaluate applicants. A candidate's responses to real situations show their attachment patterns and people skills for ECE roles.

The following scenario questions and the Interview Scoring Grid will help you determine if candidates are ready for relationships in certain positions.

• Use Scenario A and its questions for jobs that need sensitivity to children.
• Use Scenario B and its questions for jobs that need conflict resolution skills with adults.
• Use Scenario C and its questions for jobs that involve working with parents and families.

Some positions may need all scenarios and question sets.

Scenario A: Sensitivity to Children

Think about a child with whom you had a meaningful relationship at work. Remember a specific time when the child became upset.

• Describe your relationship with this child.
• Choose five words that describe your relationship with the child and explain why. Take your time thinking about this. Why did you pick these words?
• What do you think was happening inside the child when they were upset?
• How did you address the child's needs during this situation?
• How did you feel when the child was upset?
• Why did you choose to discuss this particular child?

Scenario B: Conflict Resolution

Remember a specific challenge you had with a colleague or supervisor.

• Briefly describe how you saw the situation.
• How did you feel during that time?
• How do you think the other person saw the situation differently?
• What would you change if you could do it over?

Scenario C: Interactions with Families

Children often do better when staff build good relationships with families. Think about a family in your program with whom you struggled to connect during the school year.

• Why do you think you had challenges with this family?
• How did you feel about the family during that time?
• How do you think the family saw the situation differently?
• What would you change if you could do it over?
• Did the relationship improve by the end of the year?

Additional Interview Questions for Consideration

Here are more interview questions for ECE staff, with explanations of why they matter. Consider adding these to your interviews based on your program's needs.

1. Can you describe your experience working with broad and varied populations, including children with different abilities and backgrounds? 
   ECE programs serve unique children and families. This question shows whether the candidate can work effectively with various children and families, ensuring comprehensive and cultural responsiveness.
    
2. Can you provide an example of how you encourage family involvement and communication? 
   Family engagement is central to ECE. This question shows the candidate's ability to build positive family relationships, encouraging families to participate in their child's education.
    
3. Can you share an experience where you worked with colleagues and other professionals to support family engagement? 
   Teamwork is key in programs. It involves staff and other service providers. This question shows whether the candidate can work with others to meet children's and families' needs.

Make sure questions are standardized and tailored to each position to give all candidates a fair chance. During the interview, you may ask additional questions. Remember that any unplanned questions should also be asked of other candidates moving forward.

Last Updated: July 8, 2025