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

Leaving Kiddie Academy of Alexandria is so bittersweet for our family. Both of our children have…read morebeen here since they were just 12 weeks old, and watching them grow up in such a loving environment has been a beautiful experience. It's the kind of place where everyone knows your kids, greets them with a smile, and treats them like family. We are so sad to say goodbye. The wonderful teachers will always have a special place in my heart, and I cannot recommend this daycare enough to any parent looking for a safe, loving place for their little ones. They really are the best.

I enrolled my daughter at this location with high expectations for a safe, nurturing, attentive,…read moreand structured learning environment. Unfortunately, my experience over time raised several concerns that ultimately led to me seeing the truth about this location. One of my primary concerns was basic hygiene and attentiveness. On multiple occasions, I picked my daughter up with visible food residue still on her face. I also observed dried nasal discharge on her face and even on the back of her hand, as if she had attempted to clean herself. I began noticing similar issues with other children as well, including children walking around with excessively runny noses for extended periods without staff intervention. I'm sure this is why the kids are always sick. In addition, there appeared to be a lack of situational awareness when it came to children's comfort and supervision. There were times where clothing did not seem appropriate for the weather, which further reflected a lack of attentiveness to individual needs. They would take the children outside without coats while it's cold. More concerning were multiple safety incidents involving my daughter that were handled in an extremely dismissive manner. One incident I personally witnessed on camera involved another child pushing my daughter three times back-to-back until she fell to the ground, while a teacher stood directly beside them without intervening. Later that same day, I noticed a bruise on my daughter's leg. When I reported this to the director, Erin, I was told the video showed my daughter "falling into the teacher's lap," which did not align with what I personally observed on camera. I was also informed that no incident report would be completed because the injury was not from the neck up. Another incident involved my daughter being struck in the head with a toy by another child, leaving her with a swollen bruise and lump that was black, blue, and purple. At pickup, staff appeared very nonchalant about the situation, simply stating that they "put ice on it" and that these things were "normal." While discussing this incident with staff, another child nearby was actively biting another child while staff stood around without immediately intervening. When I pointed this out, the response I received was dismissive instead of reassuring. I also observed what appeared to be inconsistent treatment and favoritism within the center. When I inquired about my daughter transitioning to the next classroom as she approached the appropriate age, I was told it would not be possible because of lack of space and something regarding the way they pick who goes to the next class. However, I personally observed the director's granddaughter transition out of the same classroom within approximately 2-3 weeks. She doesn't talk, isn't potty trained and is only two months older than my daughter. Her mom confirmed these things to me personally. This raised concerns for me regarding whether policies and opportunities were being applied equally to all families. In addition to these concerns, I often was dismissed when attempting to advocate for my child. Erin's communication style frequently came across as condescending, defensive, racist and lacking empathy whenever concerns were raised. Rather than feeling supported as a parent, I often left interactions feeling unheard and uncomfortable. I also recorded my second raised concern that I had with Erin. So if anyone wants proof on the way she handles things, I will send you the video! There were also instances where staff appeared more focused on phones and side conversations than actively engaging with the children. The environment is more like passive babysitting than a structured educational setting focused on child development and attentive care. My daughter went from talking and being expressive to crying and whining all the time. When I asked to speak to the owner Erin continuously lied and made excuses. For $525 per week (approximately $2,100 per month), parents should be able to expect attentive supervision, professionalism, cleanliness, accountability, and equitable treatment. Unfortunately, that was not my experience. Also the front desk worker Suzie as well is extremely disrespectful. I just left the school so upset that this is the way they handle people who pay their hard earned money. Erin is a liar as well. She claimed I was rude and used profanity when my child was hit on by another child. Which is a lie! Watch the cameras for one full day while your child is there and I PROMISE YOU WILL NOT WANT YOUR CHILD ATTENDING THIS EXPENSIVE BABY SITTER! UPDATE: Notice every response is signed "Karim B. (Owner) mine is "Center Administration and Compliance Team". Erin is in fact a big part of the problem. Parents can draw their own conclusions regarding how concerns are handled when serious safety and supervision issues are raised.

ADS is a wonderful place for my daughter. She's been going here for 7 months after being at another…read morecenter for her first year. I can't say enough good things about ADS. Her teachers are wonderful, and I've seen marked development in her learning and social skills. She truly enjoys going to school every day. All of the employees I've met are warm and considerate to the parents. They take the time to really get to know you as a parent and your child, whether or not the child is in their class or not. ADS does a fabulous job of keeping parents apprised of what the children and learning and activities going on at the school. The church building in which they are located (but not affiliated with) has been undergoing renovations so that has made the parking a bit of a challenge. That should be ending soon. We researched several centers in the area prior to choosing ADS and I believe it is the best around.

We love American Day School! Our daughter has thrived in the infants classroom. She gets so excited…read morewhen she sees her teachers and classmates at drop off and she's always in a great mood when we pick her up. Her teachers are incredibly caring and loving and have helped our daughter grow into a happy toddler. She's learned so much at ADS and as parents, we feel so confident in the school and the community. Highly recommend!

I have had the worst experiences when it comes to childcare in the DMV. When I first applied to…read moreCelebree, I could not believe how open, transparent, and informed they were. There was a little bit of a waiting period because the school wasn't open just yet. But during that wait period, my son and I still had a chance to interact with both the teachers and the parents. Every question I had was answered with meaningful intention. They truly and honestly made it feel like a second home for my toddler. The time and attention given to each parent, child, and staff member shows how much effort is put into upholding the Celebree Values. * Communication: 10/10 They use the "HiMama" app where everything from the fire drills to the daily report is consistently uploaded daily. Recently my toddler was sick and had to stay home for a week. If I didn't reach out to the team someone from the team would reach out to check on him. * Culture: 10/10 They focus a lot on the kids and parents comfortability. If my son isn't feeling well or is just having a bad day they go above and beyond to understand what's going rather than just brush it off as an off day. They have parent events to have the parents connect with not only the teachers but other parents as well. * Curriculum: 10/10 I love the structure the curriculum because it's geared more towards comprehension and not solely memorization. For example: He knows how to count to 20 but does he know what the quantity actually looks like. * Procedures and Policies: 10/10 Safety is a number one priority for me so I spent a lot of time interviewing them about the safety procedures and policies. They have a policy in place for every and any issue you could possible think of. They have an open door policy and I can't count the amount of time I have dropped in to say hi or ask questions. * Facility: 10/10 I love that everything is always clean and childproof. The playground is on top of the roof which I know sounds like the most dangerous thing but the security around the playground is very reassuring. The structure of the multiple fences does not allow any devastating accidents. They do not leave the building outside of fire drills. The toys and books are up-to-date and well kept. Everything is very aesthetically pleasing. * Staff: 10/10 Each and every teacher has been amazing! My son is extremely excited each day to go to school so that he can see his teachers and friends. Life happens and sometimes teachers have to rotate out but the quality of care does not change. The staff makes sure know each student whether they are in their class or not. The Admin team really is the DREAM TEAM! The work like a well oiled machine the way the support each other, the staff, the kids, and the parents. * Ms. Shawn has to be one of the best support manager. She takes her time to connect with every student and parent. When I have a problem she has already began working on the solution! One moment she will bring doing Admin duties and the next she is in the classes teaching the kids. She does a lot of work to make sure the needs of everyone in the Celebree Family is met. * Ms. Jana is AH-MAY-ZING! She is the conductor of this train. Although she has worked in childcare for many years she is not jaded and somehow is able to give each child and parent consistent love and care. She brought us in and made sure we felt like family. She has even improved my parenting with all types of advice, tips, and tricks. * Mr. Mohammad and Mrs. Ayesha have been welcoming and open from the very beginning. I was hesitant because you never really get to form a bond with the owners of a daycare but they make sure to not just "show face" but actively be inside of the classrooms assisting the teachers with anything they need. I really wanted to make sure that this team of amazing people received their praises! I really appreciate each and every person that is apart of the Celebree Family.

Our experience at Celebree School was profoundly disappointing, and I feel it is my responsibility…read moreto warn other families before they enroll. While the individual classroom teachers are wonderful, kind, and clearly doing their best, the management and operational practices are completely unacceptable. From an administrative standpoint, management consistently put enrollment numbers and profit over the well-being of the children: Constant Shuffling & Neglected Basic Needs: Our boys were constantly shuffled between classrooms all morning to make room for new infant enrollments. Because of this, they were pushed into older classrooms before they had even learned to feed themselves. On multiple occasions, our children were sent home having barely been fed all day because the teachers in the older rooms were overwhelmed and unable to assist them. Health & Safety: The facility environment led to our children getting continuously sick with severe illnesses for an entire year straight--while, of course, full tuition was strictly charged every single time. Questionable Financial Practices: Management solicited funds from parents for teacher holiday and appreciation gifts, claiming it was for a group fund, only to withhold or refuse to disburse the money when the time came. The teachers who actually care for our kids are being shortchanged. It breaks my heart because the frontline teachers are wonderful people, but upper management is completely mismanaged and untrustworthy. Save your money, your peace of mind, and most importantly, your children's health and well-being, and look elsewhere for childcare.

I am taking time to write this review and share our journey. With our dd (dearest daughter) we…read morestarted off with a nanny for about 9 months. The experience was not favorable and we concluded that it was just not a good fit for our family. Plus at 9 months, we felt it very important to get her around other children and have more engaged time during the day. Enter the search for childcare in the Washington, DC Metro area!!! eeeeek! I researched, interviewed, and toured over 15(+) schools in DC, MD and VA. We ended up on the waitlist at 4 schools... Flagstone, Madison, ADS and BH Carlyle. Within a month our dd started at Flagstone in the infant room and after the experience with our nanny, needless to say, I was petrified to leave my child with anyone... BUT Miss Keisha, Miss Suriya, Miss I and Miss Dawn were amazing in the infant room! Not only were they kind and gentle with our daughter, but you can tell there was a genuine LOVE for her and all the babies in their care. Over a short period, we really felt apart of the Flagstone family and watched as our daughter flourished into an independent, loving and outgoing little lady. Needless to say, there is not a perfect childcare facility. The place is a bit older and does not have all the bells and whistles of some of the newer day schools in the area. With that said, Flagstone has the BEST outdoor space in Old Town and children go out twice a day. That is super important to our family. Also, most of the staff has been at the school for over 10 years, which is huge in an industry with high turnover. The biggest plus for us is the staff. The teachers and administrators have a genuine LOVE for each and every child, whether they are in their classrooms or not. It truly is a family environment and that is what we want and need in a day school. Since our daughter started at Flagstone, we have received offers from the other 3 schools and politely declined. We LOVE Flagstone and our Flagstone Family!

This review is based off the staff member Valentina. I started here and on my first day this woman…read morewas so rude to me and quite frankly if shes like this to staff, she doesnt need to be around children. The owner says "that's just who she is." That is no excuse for someone to be such a horrible and hateful person. I was told she ran out the girl who I replaced! She is a nasty person.

I am in love with this place and tell all the working mothers I can! I would be here everyday, if I…read morecould. There is enough space to enjoy work, coffee, and trust that my girls are in amazing hands. Love the owner as well! The space is clean and stocked and peaceful! Can't find another place like this one.

Shamena and the Cowo team are absolutely wonderful! I held an education event here--the space was…read morebeautiful and everything ran very smoothly. All the vendors and families were impressed. I would definitely host another event here and I have all kinds of ideas on how I can continue to use the space. It's so thoughtful to combine a space for childcare and coworking. You can tell the Cowo team loves what they do and make sure to create intentional spaces that bring people together. I'm really grateful and already thinking about other ways I can utilize the space! Thank you!!!

Tiny Tots is a wonderful day care center. My son has been attending "school" here for six months…read more It is clean, safe and the teachers are awesome! They are so loving and caring. My son smiles every time I drop him off. The price is very reasonable, especially because Tiny Tots provides diapers. Woo hoo...one less thing to worry about. I love that they have multiple locations but all the kids at this school are under three. The location of the school is convenient. I can't say enough great things about this place.

My husband and I could not be happier with our choice to have sent our son to Tiny Tots. The staff…read moreis friendly, helpful, and they're excellent teachers. They really go above and beyond and you can tell they genuinely care about the kids. Our son, who started there when he was 7 months old and is now 2+ years old, loves it. We really feel like we lucked out with Tiny Tots.

After 2 years at the school and 2 children enrolled, we ultimately withdrew both of our children…read morebecause we no longer felt confident in the school management's ability to provide a safe, stable, and well-managed environment. The root cause of nearly every concern we experienced was the same: poor leadership and management by the owners. During our time at the school, we experienced: * Every single teacher except one since the school started 2 years ago has left. * ~6 new lead teachers across our two children's classrooms since October 2025 alone. Not counting all the one offs they brought in and out that lasted only days / weeks. * 3 principals in two years, with the school still lacking permanent leadership. * Frequent classroom shuffling for students and teachers, and staffing changes to maintain ratios to the point where our kids would sometimes have lunch in one room, sleep in another. * Repeated injuries and biting incidents in understaffed classrooms. After one incident involving our child, we were told that "at least it didn't break the skin." * Multiple illness outbreaks, reports that classrooms went without soap for an extended period, prolonged HVAC issues, and rodent activity. * A consistent lack of transparency. Parents often learned about significant issues only after repeated questioning, conversations with teachers, violations posted to the DSS website, and after problems had already escalated. * A recurring disconnect between what teachers reported and what management communicated. Teachers frequently shared concerns about staffing and classroom support, while management often claimed they were unaware of the same issues. Consistently the management blamed teachers, and refused to take accountability. * Repeated billing discrepancies and incorrectly charged fees that required us to carefully review statements and request corrections. The school's licensing reports ultimately confirmed many of the concerns parents had been raising. Recent inspections cite repeat violations and systemic deficiencies involving background checks, staff qualifications, CPR requirements, classroom supervision, medication administration, and safety procedures. Particularly alarming was a finding that an employee had worked at the school for 19 months without a completed criminal background check, along with findings that staff lacking required documentation were sometimes working alone with children. Most of the teachers genuinely cared about the children and worked hard under difficult circumstances. Our concerns are not with them. Often the lack of management support drove them to leave. Our concerns are with the owners. These are not first-time childcare operators. They know what stable staffing, strong compliance, transparent communication, and adequate classroom support should look like. Yet many of the same concerns persisted despite repeated feedback from families and staff. What was most frustrating was not that problems existed, but that meaningful action often seemed to occur only after repeated parent complaints or licensing involvement. It felt like business and operational considerations were being prioritized over investing in the staffing, support, communication, and resources necessary to provide the quality of care families were paying for. We ultimately felt safer keeping our children at home than leaving them at a school we were paying thousands of dollars each month to trust. We gave it enough time, but felt there wasn't a real path to improvement, with more problems cropping before prior ones were resolved. In good faith, we cannot recommend this location. Parents should review the Virginia DSS reports, ask detailed questions about staff retention and leadership turnover, and speak directly with current teachers, not just management. Virginia DSS licensing reports: https://legacy.dss.virginia.gov/facility/search/cc2.cgi?rm=Details;ID=50753;search_keywords_name=goddard%20old%20town%20alexandria

DANGEROUS DAYCARE! My nephew was severely HURT and I'm talking about broken leg and damaged spin…read moreand they didn't even contact his parents right away. This daycare deserves to be shut the hell down, not just firing and charges against the employe. REMOVE YOUR CHILDREN.

We had our two year old at Celestial childcare until she was ready for pre-school. Karla is a…read morepleasure to work with. While at Celestial, she learned the basics such as putting on her own jacket, hanging it on a hook and best of all, clean up time! That last bit made it all worth it, nothing like seeing your toddler break into song and start putting toys away. Not only that, kids get to work on their Spanish. This was a major plus for us as we wanted to foster bilingual development. Needless to say, the price you pay is very economical when comparing to local child care. "Tuition" also includes meals, snacks and DIAPERS! When they are ready, they will also help potty train the kiddos. If you are looking for a place for your kiddos, I highly recommend touring Celestial, do it before it gets a long wait list.

We just love Celestial Childcare! Our daughter has been going to Celestial Childcare for over a…read moreyear and a half and our son will be joining soon. When we first toured Celestial Childcare my husband and I were impressed by the curriculum to include language - Spanish. The warmness expressed by each kiddo showcased to us that this is where there kids wanted to be. They are learning while playing with appropriate boundaries and discipline. Each time we drive near daycare our daughter shouts, "Oh yay, we go to Ms. Karla's!" This warms my heart because my daughter is excited to go there to learn and marvel at new things. Each day she comes home expressing new ideas and words/phrases in English and Spanish, and she is so enthusiastic to share how her day was. I'm in awe in Ms. Karla's ability to captivate her classroom and for all the kiddos to listen without disruption. It's more than an art - it's natural born skill - and it makes us happy we chose Celestial Childcare to be an extension of our family. This is the place for your kiddos! You'll be so happy with your decision.