Very warm and welcoming. The staff has been absolutely kind…read more Every child is treated like an individual. The inclusion program they have is run very nice. It might be an older school but the classrooms have great solid wood items which is not always seen. The students all know where their spots are with neat circle seat markers. I have a background in education and special education and this school uses a lot of different strategies and methods to meet the needs of everyone.

We have two sons, aged 4 and 2, currently attending Fairlington Preschool ("FPS"). (The school is…read morea secular half-day preschool for 2-to-5-year-olds that's housed in the Fairlington United Methodist Church as part of the church's community outreach program.) Our older son attended FPS last year, and it's our younger son's first year. Two years ago (SY 2010-11), FPS hired a new director, the wonderfully talented and highly experienced Carol Keller. Last year, Ms. Keller implemented a new curriculum (HighScope), trained all the teachers in the curriculum's requirements, and acquired the necessary materials to implement the curriculum. This school year (2011-12), FPS has been a brilliant place for our sons to have fun and learn. They regularly bring home interesting and innovative art projects; they have practiced age-appropriate skills they will need for kindergarten; they have both made real friends; and they and have grown and learned in ways that defied our expectations. Best of all, we can always discuss the boys' daily activities with them because we get an e-mail from their teachers every afternoon about what the class did that day. (So instead of "What did you do today?" met with resounding silence, we get an opportunity to prompt our kids to reflect on their activities, which allows us to participate in their education by reinforcing and extending their lessons.) FPS has very large fenced-in play area that includes lots of open green-field space, a hard court, a swing-set, gardens, a sandbox, and a wooded area with a short trail. Our boys just love the playground and running "missions" along the the wooded trail. On rainy days, FPS uses a large meeting hall/cafeteria/auditorium that functions as a rainy-day gymnasium, complete with a variety of indoor toys and games. That's great, because even when it rains, our kids get lots of exercise during recess. Perhaps most importantly, we've gotten the benefit of this wonderful education for our sons at a price that's equal to or lower than other comparable preschools in Arlington/Alexandria. We just can't say enough good things about FPS, and neither can our boys!

We started our son in public school for kindergarten, but halfway through the year, we became…read moreunhappy with the experience and began looking into other options. The lack of communication, heavy screen time, and the way our son was feeling about himself made it clear that we needed a change. He would often come home saying he was a "bad kid" because he kept getting in trouble at school, which was hard to hear as a parent. Switching to Full Circle Montessori has been one of the best decisions we've made for our family. The difference in our son was noticeable within a few weeks. He's much more regulated coming home from school, and we've seen a noticeable boost in his self-confidence. One of the first things he told us after starting at Full Circle was how nice the teachers are he said they actually talk to him instead of yelling. That shift alone was huge for him, and for us. Academically, he was at the top of his class in public school, but that often led to boredom. Since he wasn't being challenged, he would try to socialize, which would get him in trouble. At Full Circle, he learns at his own pace with a hands-on approach that keeps him curious and engaged. If you have a child who isn't thriving in a traditional school setting or struggles with the sit-still-all-day model, we can't recommend Full Circle Montessori enough. It's been a truly positive and empowering experience for our son and for us as parents.

Choosing a preschool for our child was very hard, especially coming from overseas. Today we are…read morevery happy with our choice of Full Circle Montessori School. The teachers and staff have consistently exceeded our expectations in making our child adjust to the new environment and making learning fun and engaging. Adjustment time was needed (very sensitive child)to fit into a new environment. But with a welcoming and comforting environment, our child adjusted to school very well. Also, with the thoughtfully designed curriculum that promotes both academic readiness and essential social-emotional skills, our child is very excited about going to school every day now. Communication with parents is superb; the scheduled updates and photos make us feel connected and informed about her activities. The facility itself is bright, clean, and safe, offering a wonderful space for the children to explore and play. We highly recommend Full Circle Montessori School for families seeking a positive, enriching, and high-quality early childhood education experience.

We are absolutely thrilled with our daughter's experience at BMPS and we are so grateful to be part…read moreof this school community. The teachers are all incredible, the school is amazingly well run, the curriculum is a perfect balance of learning and play, and our daughter is thriving. In addition to getting the kids outside as much as possible, the school is constantly finding new ways to engage the kids in little field trips and adventures and our daughter has loved all of these experiences. We cannot thank Miss Cookie and her talented team enough for all the support they've provided to us and our daughter on this learning journey. While we know she will be incredibly well prepared to move to kindergarten next year, we will be very sad to leave this place and all of the loving teachers and staff who have brought so much joy to our daughter and family.

We love Bright Minds Preschool. Our daughter likes all her teachers. They're very patient and…read morereceptive. We enjoy the field trips and family events they host throughout the year.

Our daughter attended Busy Bee from age 1 to age 5. She is now 9 years old. We credit Rocio and her…read moretalented and experienced educators with not only preparing our daughter academically for elementary school, but guiding her in every facet of early childhood development from social skills to healthy eating to learning empathy. I cannot say enough about how special this school is. They are family and always will be. We come back and visit often and my heart will always be with this school. We were so lucky to find these loving, smart, and talented teachers. When you visit, do not be turned off by the modest and small interior. This school is about substance, experience, and lots of love. Get on the wait list early, and check back often. The school is worth its weigh in gold. I promise you.

Busy Bee is one of Northern Virginia's best early education centers, masked as a cozy, inviting…read morecommunity school. The director is phenomenal, with an engaging curriculum for each age level and a teaching staff that has been with the school for many years. Each teacher is also exceedingly kind. Beyond kindergarten readiness metrics, where Busy Bee excels, it is a fun place to go to school! Over decades, Ms. Rocio has built a strong, inclusive sense of community. With both top marks in parent and child endorsements, we couldn't recommend Busy Bee more highly.

I thought of one thing to add that would be useful for parents looking for a preschool: Some…read morepreschools in the Alexandria area require all students to take a nap, even if the student is old enough to stop napping and doesn't nap at home, and even if the parents would prefer the student not nap at school. Northeast Stars does not require all students to nap. The teachers (who are awesome) coordinate with parents on when the student is ready to stop napping at school. Older students who don't nap go to a different room to do activities while the younger kids sleep. It's a badge of honor for the kids when they're old enough to "go to specials" instead of napping. This makes parenting a 4 year old a lot easier. This is the main thing that other parents in our social circle are envious of when we compare preschool experiences.

Our son loves this school!! The teachers have been so welcoming and each day our 2.5 year old comes…read morehome excited to tell us what he learned. We searched for the right school environment for months after being told by our pediatrician that our son is advanced, and we are so happy that we found such a fun and safe place for our child to learn. All of the teachers are highly trained in Montessori and take their jobs as educators very seriously. This place really is a hidden gem.

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.

My review is for the SummerTimes summer camp program held at the Fontaine campus. My 9 year old…read moredaughter attended a 1 week Filmworx camp that instructed her on basic principles of movie-making, where she spent the week creating movies using iMovie and Final Cut Pro software. The school was 1 week long but my daughter really enjoyed the time spent and picked up quite a few techniques that she continues to use at home. This school is really situated in a neighborhood with tight streets so I can't imagine this being an ideal situation for residents, especially during the busy school year. The campus is very nice and the facilities served the purpose, but it was really the instructor that made all the difference in this class.

The academic programs are both smart and useful. The teachers are kind and caring and don't put…read morestress on students to earn the best grades, but the caring shoulder automatically brings the students' grades up. A far cry from Westminster School in Annandale where my daughter started school in kindergarten a couple years ago. Discipline was rule one two and three I found it to be a little much. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School hands down is the place to be!

I can't say enough amazing things about Crossroads!! The woman who work here are absolutely…read morewonderful. My son is 21 months (they took him a little early) and he loves his teachers, Miss Tajaa, Ms. TaNeal and Ms. Samantha. He is in class with other two year olds. His vocabulary has skyrocketed since coming to Crossroads and he's already peeing in the toilet because of them!! You get to chose your child's lunches each week, because some of the options are new to my son, his teachers watch to see what he likes and let me know for the following week. The individual touch is top-notch! Everyone that works here know all the kids whether they teach them or not. It's a true family that is even felt by the parents. I can't recommend Crossroads enough!! Thank you to Ms. DeeDee for running an amazing preschool!!

Amazing Christian daycare/development center that both of our girls have been blessed to be able to…read moreattend. The teachers are patient, kind and disciplined. My daughters have really loved the supportive environment and learned so much. My older daughter (6) is able to come back for summer school and field trips which is wonderful as well. It takes a village and I am so grateful we have Crossroads in our lives.

St Charles is the perfect place to send your PreK children. There are not many options for 2-year…read moreolds and this has been a blessing for our daughter. After just a few weeks, we noticed an improvement in her social and motor skills. The school is also nestled next to a bunch of cafes so if we show up early for pick-up, there are plenty of places to wait while enjoying a lovely croissant and latte. Unfortunately, the rumor is that the school will be closing after next year. :(

My husband and I are continuously impressed by the quality of the teachers at St. charles; our kids…read morelearn a lot and very much enjoy school. We wanted to share some stories that highlight why we appreciate the school and it's wonderful teachers ... Today our son, Michael, recited the entire Lords Prayer and was so proud of himself :) We very much appreciate the wealth of religious knowledge they gain at school whether it's saying grace or learning biblical stories ... Michael often requests that we take a trip to China. When he asked again today, our daughter, Brianne, started singing "Ni Hao Parker". We couldn't believe it!! We are so appreciative of the education on diversity they receive from their teachers who do an excellent job discussing different countries, cultures and languages with them!! There are countless similar stories ranging from their teachers working with them on motor skills or learning basic skills/concepts or exploring various topics. The school is also very flexible and supportive of our family given that both my husband and I work full time! I would highly recommend this school!

Our kids (ages 3 and 5) have attended since 2016. Our daughter recently went to kindergarten, but…read moreour son is still there and daughter will go back for the summer. We had a not so good experience at a previous daycare and are so fortunate to have found this school. Every morning, I feel like we're dropping them off at their grandparents'. The teachers are so sweet and kind, yet stern and somehow manage to keep them all in line. Our daughter went to kindergarten being able to read, do simple math problems (even multiplication), and had a good sense of geography. This was all due to what she learned at FCM. All of the teachers in all of the class rooms know both kids and us. It's like a big family. The teachers and owner are very receptive and responsive to any requests we've ever had and always keep us informed. I can't recommend this place enough!!

My first just graduated from FCM and it is unbelievable all that he has learned while being in the…read moreloving care of these fantastic teachers. The teachers love our children as their own and you can feel it. FCM strikes a wonderful balance between learning and playing. Your child learns key life skills all while having so much fun. Lastly, it's great that the school has their own private playground vs other centers in this area that have to take kids on long unsafe walks on main roads to get to an outdoor play area.