I have a two part review because my daughter takes ballet here and we just hosted her 3rd birthday…read morehere. Dance: We love it. She just started in September and I have been nothing but impressed. They are learning some foundational ballet movement and skill. The class also has strong age appropriate developmental components as well as preschool skills like knowing colors, shapes, sorting objects, listening to directions, etc. She loves her dance teacher, Ms. Tiffany, and never even had a second thought about going in to class without me. She is excited to go every week and often wants to stay for the ballet/tap combo class after. Birthday party: What a deal!!! Very reasonably priced. They provided pizza and juice boxes, but we were also allowed to bring in food. We did a gymnastics only party and the kids, ages 18 months to 9 years old didn't want to leave the room! The party host from the studio, was awesome. She spent time with all the age groups and made sure to interact with each child as well. Even some of the adults got in on the fun and she talked with us and laughed at our silliness. My husband, who didn't initially want to pay to have a party outside our home, left saying how easy it was and he would do it all over again in a heartbeat. It was nice to arrive, be present at the party instead of running all over while hosting at our house, enjoy our friends and family, and leave. I had mentioned to Maria, the studio receptionist, that my daughter had a new found love of Peppa Pig and they went above and beyond putting Peppa Pig heads on the balloons, the plates, table and a banner. It was so thoughtful and really showed a superior level of customer service in my mind.

I want to begin by saying that my child loved this dance studio. The girls were sweet and kind, the…read moreolder girls were really supportive towards the little ones. The environment was nice. My 3 stars review is not because of the people, it is actually because of whoever runs this place. Having a child in activities like dance shouldn't feel burdensome when it comes to finances. After being there for almost two years we had to leave. It became way too expensive. 1. We were paying almost $90 a month. We had high schoolers or middle schoolers teaching. Again, $90 a month. This was for recreational ballet. 2. Once my child began "Pre professional ballet" I thought she would learn more technique. I didn't notice much of a difference in her dancing. It was similar to what she was learning at recreational. The instructor was okay but constantly forgot things, and sometimes was a little loud towards the girls, she would dismiss too early, or sometimes later than what the lesson was. She also taught the same choreography-song to two groups for recital. I was really confused at dress rehearsal. After a year of doing "Pre professional ballet 1" I was disappointed to see the way they decided who would move on to "Pre professional 2". It didn't seem fair and girls that didn't show much interest nor demonstration of following technique were moved up. This next one here is the main reason we moved.... 3. You pay for every single things when it comes to recitals and productions. Some other dance studios charge you for a packet, or a one time fee to be part of productions or recital. (We have done productions and recitals several times before with other studios where we have only paid a one time fee) Here you pay for the costume, you pay for your tickets, family tickets and your dancers ticket if she want to see the other dance routines at recital, you pay for the shirt, you pay $20-$40 to put a picture up in a powerpoint on the screen to do a shout out for your kid at recital, you pay a stage fee, etc. The photoshoot is outrageous. $80 for 1 pose photo! The photoshoot is optional. For production is even more expensive. You pay for every costume ($75-$80 )your child will use - these you don't keep, you pay for every part your child is doing, which is about $75 per part every month. By the way, you don't have an in person choreographer, they are learning their dance from a zoom class. Then in top of that goes the stage fee again $45, the tickets $15 each, the shirts $20-25. Sometimes for the winter production it is MANDATORY to participate of the camp related to the production that winter. The camp is almost $300. We ended paying about $800+ and 50+ hours of rehearsal just to be part of the winter production. At the end of the production they do a small get together... but kids don't receive the recognition and reward they deserve for putting HOURS into being part of this. (Only the older kids) I would say we spent over 50+ hours in the studio a whole semester for one production and we paid to be there because my daughter loved it, but the effort from every parent is not really recognized unless you are a competition parent or a parent of someone who has been there for more than 5 years. When we moved, we felt such relief in our pockets . We have found a place that focuses more on technique, it is slightly less and a place where my daughter can be part of a production without having to break the bank. This area is expensive- I acknowledge this, but experiences in dancing and being part of a recital and productions shouldn't be this expensive.

Here is the nomination I submitted for Teacher of the Year:…read more Nomination for Teacher of the Year: Ms. Danielle Smith Ms. Danielle Smith is the epitome of an educator, caregiver, and professional. Our daughter has been in Ms. Danielle's class since she was 15 months old and will soon be turning two. In that time, I've witnessed the profound impact Ms. Danielle has had on her development. It's clear to see that Ms. Danielle's deep love for teaching shines through in everything she does with our child. Our daughter has flourished under Ms. Danielle's guidance: learning letters, shapes, colors, numbers (in both English and Spanish), new sign language words, songs, dances, and so much more. But beyond just the educational milestones, Ms. Danielle has inspired a curiosity and love for learning in our daughter that will last a lifetime. As parents, we place an immense level of trust in our children's teachers-not only to help them grow but also to keep them safe. With Ms. Danielle, I never worry. She is always attentive, nurturing, thoughtful, creative, and approachable. Both my husband and I feel completely comfortable reaching out to her with any questions or concerns regarding our child. I greatly admire the level of communication she maintains with families and how she always partners with us in the care, growth, and development of our daughter. Although our daughter will soon be moving on to a new class, our family will forever be grateful for the love and dedication Ms. Danielle has shown to her. She is a truly exceptional teacher, and we feel lucky to have had her in our child's life. With sincere gratitude, The Stevens Family Waldorf, MD

Had a SCHEDULED tour from 10-11 , arrive at the school and was sitting in the lobby for about 20…read moreminutes. We asked the front desk assistant if we needed to reschedule (since we did leave work for the tour) and she said "well today is pizza Friday and it will be a few more minutes (but couldn't tell us how many more minutes). First impressions are super important...if we are scheduling a tour to potentially place our children in this school, things should have been organized and prepared. Not to mention this tour was scheduled three weeks ago. This was totally unprofessional and frustrating as my husband and I both left work to attend this "tour". Also, I could understand had she said take a seat in the lobby we'll be with you in a moment, we are taking care of something but she didn't and then mentioned the tour was only 30 minutes and that we were the only tour for this day....as if our scheduled tour wasn't important. I am most definitely not sending my children here if the tour alone was unprofessional.

Excellent family owned business. Lots of creative events and classes for students. Reliable…read moretransportation after school!

My family has been so blessed to find such a great school like this one. The director is so loving…read moreand treat the kids like her own. But it doesn't stop there , she goes far and beyond to make sure that the parents are happy with the care of the children. The teachers are great with the children as well , they sent me daily update and pictures to let me know the status of my children. The center is well kept and VERY organized. I would give this place a 10 if I could !!!

The staff at merit of gunston have been nothing short of amazing! All of the staff Including…read moremanagement are so welcoming when entering the building. You can feel that all the children are loved and cared for! I am very grateful for each and every staff member and I would highly recommend the center!

RhyDem Fitness is so much fun. Monday evenings and Saturday mornings are packed with high energy…read moredance and aerobics moves. The music is Caribbean influenced : soca dancehall and hip-hop. Dee, the instructor is great and takes the the time to break down any difficult moves. The workout is challenging but its also a lot of fun.

This is the best dance fitness workout in Southern Maryland! I met Dee when she was an instructor…read moreat Kazaxe in Springfield, VA. She brought her high-energy; creative choreo; and warm, welcoming spirit to Waldorf and I am so excited!! The latest in Reggae, Soca, and R&B get us through the workout while Dee leads and cheers us on. I love her, I love the spirit of RhyDem, and I love the environment she creates each and every class!

I am a fan of the Clinton Boys and Girls Club. I was a member of of the club back in the 80s and…read moreenjoyed every minute of it. Played on the 95 lb and 110 lb football teams. It was an important part of my upbringing and part of who I am today. The Club was founded in 1964 as a chapter of the National Boys and Girls Club and is the first in the State of Maryland to hold that distinction. They offer soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, cheerleading and my sport, football. You can do recreational leagues or travel leagues (which they did not have when I was coming up), if you so choose. They have some of the best facilities that you can find at any Boys and Girls Club in the area. The ages run from 3 to 16 years old and they have some really good volunteer coaches. The people filling those roles are not just coaches, but they are role models. Their field is located behind the Clinton Library is is a first class field that has a lighted football field with scoreboard, bleachers and elevated announcer's booth. There is also a shelter there with picnic tables under it and more than ample parking available. You will also find 3 softball/baseball fields, some soccer fields and a bunch of green space here too. The grounds are maintained pretty well and the field is closed to vehicle traffic outside of an event or practice occurring there. This is a first class organization and the fees to participate are very reasonable. I highly recommend this Club for kids. It teaches them more than just a sport as it was vital to my development of friendships, and as a person.

Fun friendly staff and tons of space for the kids to walk play and learn. Never regret taking my…read moretoddler to this preschool

My son and daughter have both attended Future Leader Learning Center since it opened. They've…read morelearned so much from this daycare. The teachers take time to teach them reading and writing and all the basic learning skills to prepare them for Kindergarten. My husband and I love their curriculum and daily activities. The facility is huge and very clean. We never have issues dropping the kids off in the morning because they loved going everyday. The teachers and aides are very caring and attentive. We were sorry we had to move out of the area otherwise our children would still be going to Future Leader Learning Center.