My daughter missed the cut off for kindergarten due to her birthday but she was ready to be social…read morewith kids and learn. I decided to have her attend the learning experience for the year. I can't say enough good things about this place. Ashley the assistant director always answered any questions I had and my daughter absolutely loves her. Ms Fatana and Ms. Belsie were amazing teachers. They truly love all the kids and always made my daughter feel safe and welcome. The school does little events throughout the year for the kids and they had a nice pre k graduation at the end of the year. I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a step up from a traditional daycare. They have a curriculum that they follow so your kids are learning throughout the year. The only thing I think that could be improved is a little more heads up for events etc. sometimes I felt like things were sprung on you last minute like pj day etc. maybe sending out a monthly calendar etc

Amazing staff, a phenomenal and attentive Director, and a warm, welcoming Assistant Director! The…read moreentire team is caring, professional, and truly dedicated to providing children with a nurturing and enriching learning experience. I highly recommend this remarkable school to any family in the Woodbridge area looking for quality childcare and an exceptional early education for their child.

I am writing this review to share my positive experience at Great Beginnings. I sent my oldest…read moredaughter there for 1.5 years and only switched daycares because we moved from Alexandria. Notably, I sent my four-month old to Great Beginnings for a full month before we switched. We trusted GBELC to get our younger comfortable with the daycare environment! Great Beginnings is located in a yellow townhouse on Washington St. Only those with fobs can access the building, and parents can sign their children in/out using a tablet. Throughout the day, staff update the Tadpole app with food/diaper entries and with photos and videos a few times a week. The Tadpole app is also convenient for creating your own entries--so it's easy to let staff know when an infant last fed/was changed. The best part about Great Beginnings is the director, Cortinzia. Cortinzia is a good, loving leader who takes a personal interest in every child and family who attends. She loved both my girls and was there to greet us on our first days (see photo for proof!). She personally ensures the catered food is all child-safe (which was a concern for us, since our daughter tends to squirrel food away). I've found her to be a good communicator. When we sent our elder back to daycare after her sister was born, the center had its first (and only, to date) COVID case in one classroom. Of course, we freaked out since we had a newborn at home, but Cortinzia went out of her way to let us know our child had not been exposed. On the other hand, when there was a hand, foot, and mouth disease in the infant room back in 2019, I only knew about it because another parent told me. (On the plus side, my kid didn't get it!) She's frankly one of the few consistent faces at the center. Like many daycares, Great Beginnings has high turnover. But as another reviewer noted, the staff are all friendly and take great care of the children. They aren't allowed to be on their phones, a rule that is strictly enforced. Pre-COVID, when we were still allowed into the rooms, we loved the teachers we got to know. The center sets weekly themes and does activities based on that theme, whether it's love or dental health or presidents. The kids do lots of crafts (LOTs of crafts, even the infants! So many foot prints) and we received art bundles on a regular basis. And our daughter really thrived in the pro-social environment. She absolutely loves her classmates and we're sorry to say goodbye. Overall, I recommend GBELC to any Alexandria parents.

Director with the acent not very nice lady . I pulled my daughter out because she called her a…read morespecial circumstances baby when my daughter had a seizure all it was do to a fever but the way she spoke and said it was so mean and hurtful

Great caregiver. I would recommend to anyone with any age child. She has watched my grandchildren…read moreand several other family members and she does an excellent job.

As a single mom with long workdays, finding quality childcare for my son was one of the hardest…read morechallenges I faced. When he was just one year old, the daily struggle of getting him ready and dealing with the rigid schedules of mainstream daycare centers like KinderCare was exhausting for both of us. He was unhappy, and so was I--until I found Rainbow Children's Center In-Home. From the moment we joined, Taran created an amazing, nurturing home environment. She understood the realities of being a working parent and allowed me to bring my son in his pajamas when he was too sleepy in the mornings. The extra love, patience, and dedication she provided were more than just childcare--they were family. To this day, I still call her my "baby daddy" because of the incredible role she played in our lives. Now, my son is 13, and our families have grown together. Taran continues to be a part of his life, always providing a safe and loving space. Any parent would be truly lucky to have their child in her care. Unlike mainstream daycare centers, which often feel impersonal and unreliable, Rainbow Children's Center In-Home ensures that every child feels secure, happy, and cared for. My best advice to any parent searching for childcare: Pay attention to how your child feels when you pick them up. If they are smiling and relaxed, you know you've found the right place. Without a doubt, Rainbow Children's Center In-Home is the best childcare in Lake Ridge, Virginia. We love Tay Tay and will always be grateful for the love and support she has given our family!

My son has been enrolled in the preschool class at Chesterbrook since January of this year. I have…read morebeen more than ecstatic with how much he has learned and developed in these nine months. The learning environment at Chesterbrook has exceeded my personal expectations as a first time mom and what I envisioned he would be learning in Pre School. With the academic and fundamental progression that I have seen thus far, I am more than confident that when he graduates from Chesterbrook he will have the skill set required to advance to first grade with ease. Along with how well he is doing academically, he has awesome teachers that are very supportive and instructing him on not only his academic growth but also his social skill growth with his peers. They consult with me on his progress and answer any of my questions or concerns openly. With previous schools, I struggled with lack of communication from his teachers and have realized that Chesterbook is a breath of fresh air. All of the teachers and staff are friendly and helpful even if my son is not in their physical class daily. As a mom this makes me feel good about the environment he is in everyday while I'm working. Something new that I love is that they have recently incorporated sending notifications and updates of his day through an online/phone application. At the end of the day I receive an email update. Now I get to see all of his great memories and accomplishments that he has during each school day!

This is a great school for PK. The teachers really care about the children development they do a…read morelot of hands-on work with the children and I definitely see a difference in my child since going to the school. They are very organized they do daily reports down to what the kid ate and the activities they did with lesson they learned and daily videos. my review is based upon other schools that I have experience that don't have the resources or don't even give you a daily report . The Catholic school for pre-K especially for beginners was not a good choice for us. I am so happy we picked this school over any Catholic schools.

We've been at Childtime for about two years; both my daughter and son have been here since they…read morewere about a year old. I continue to be thrilled that we found Childtime Alexandria during our long child care search: it is a gem. We have appreciated all of the staff efforts to make us feel welcome and the kids to feel secure and loved. Literally every day, my kids come home sharing new words and songs with us. It is remarkable how much they have absorbed from teachers leading storytime and structured lessons, including animals, colors, how to write their names, and the alphabet. The teachers have been our partners in potty training and teaching table manners. Every morning is such a pleasant experience; families greet each other, and my children give their teachers a hug. I highly recommend if you are looking for an alternative to the more well-known child care centers in the Alexandria area; this is a fantastic value and will set your kids on the right path.

My boys attend Childtime through drop in care and they love it. I love the convenience of being…read moreable to have the flex option to drop in as needed. It has helped on the days when school is closed. They also have an awesome Summer Camp program.

We've had an incredibly positive experience with Guidepost West Alex…read more Our daughter has thrived in both the Toddler cohort, and now since turning 3, in Children's House. The guides foster an environment of curiosity and learning, and I love hearing our daughter talk about the activities and conversations she has throughout the day. Interactions are positive and numerous. This ranges from warm greetings in the morning to getting updates via Smart Classroom to weekly email updates to 1:1 meetings with the guides. We always feel included and in-the-loop on what's going on in the school broadly and how our daughter is doing specifically. From a leadership and administrative perspective, there has been a positive shift since Ms. Mary started in the Summer of 2022. There is a strong sense of community throughout the school, including after-school and outside-of-school events and meetups. She and her leadership team are always accessible and open. If you notice all the sub-par reviews are old and are from prospective parents. I want to recognize that we experienced some of those same challenges too, however the caveat is that this was with the prior leadership team and during COVID when admissions had a modified onboarding process. As a current parent I have full trust for the guides and administrative team to do what's best for our daughter's physical, emotional, and cognitive safety and development.

Serious delay in security deposit refund. My daughter graduated from Guideposts West Alex, VA…read morelocation in July 2025. Nine months later, we still have not received her refund despite countless phone calls and email follow-ups. At one point they claimed a refund check had been issued and mailed, but they could not provide any documentation when asked. After that, they stopped responding entirely. We never received the check. Now it appears they are switching ownership and are using that as an excuse not to issue the refund. This level of unprofessionalism and stonewalling is infuriating -- we trusted this company and they have betrayed that trust. What a shady, irresponsible company.

Our child has been coming to this daycare for the last month and we've been so happy. Finding this…read moredaycare was such a relief for us as it would be a worry for any parents sending their child somewhere during the day. The teachers are so caring and we've had wonderful interactions with all of the staff. The kids seem genuinely happy there and our child is doing great! We couldn't be more grateful.

My son has been at Little Rising Stars since he was 9 months old in 2023. We moved here from out of…read morestate with no family here, but Liz and the teachers have made sure to welcome us and take care of our baby. We are now moving again and it's sad to say good-bye, and I know my son will miss his teachers. Everyone from Ms. Vanessa, Ms. Marisol, Ms. Athena, Ms. Ana and more ladies I might've forgotten have been great and patient. We will miss all of you!

6 out of 5 stars, our lil one truly loved her time @ Fordson KinderCare and we are so very grateful…read moreto the wonderful, caring staff that took amazing care of her and always made her smile! Thank you to them and highly recommend to any and all local families looking for top-notch childcare.

I am so impressed with the Fordson road Kindercare. I have a 6 year old boy and he absolutely loves…read moreit. The staff is friendly and professional and he always leaves happy. Their summer program is very affordable and has a planned field trip every week. He's learning how to be more confident and "I can't do it" is something the staff worked out of his lexicon. Highly recommend!!