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.

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.

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!

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.

My wife and I interviewed, applied for and we're awarded enrollment for many pre-schools in…read moreArlington. But, when we visited NE Stars and met the owner, director and teachers, we felt it was worth the longer drive to Alexandria for our son's initial learning experience. We've been enrolled now for 8 mos and we couldn't be more happy. NEStars philosophy and teachings has led to our son to become more autonomous over this short period of time. He's also made many friends and has expanded his interests. There are many programs offered like Soccer and Gymnastics that expose him to interacting with his friends and his own self. I think one of the best qualities of NE Stars is the diversity among the friends. We couldn't be happier with NE Stars and will be sad when it comes time for him to graduate on to the next chapter in his learning.

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.

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.

We love this preschool! From the director to all of the teachers, everyone has been so loving,…read moresupportive, and invested in our children's growth and education. Our kids have gained a love of learning and know how to be kind to each other. We cannot say enough good things about this school and environment!

When our daughter was getting ready for preschool, we looked around at local options and happened…read moreto see a friend's child in the website photos! Since they trusted LCP with all of their kids, we figured it was worth checking out at least. We went in for a tour and met the directors and teachers and immediately fell in love with LCP. The teachers are devoted to their craft. They are attentive, patient, and really cared for and got to know our daughter. In the beginning, she wouldn't take to nap time after school, and Mrs. Tootle (who wasn't even her primary teacher) was wonderful enough to spend time with her and to "snuggle her" until she felt comfortable and safe to nap during after care! We still talk about those sweet snuggles 5 years later. During her time at LCP, she learned all the basics she'd need to be ready for K, along with some invaluable Bible stories, too. We would highly recommend LCP!

After seven months of mostly negative experiences, we finally removed our child from the Vinci…read moreMerrifield campus. It was truly one issue after another, and I would urge all parents looking for a daycare to at least explore other nearby options that provide far better care, culture, and leadership (in my opinion). Here's why we left: 1. Constant unchanged or poorly changed diapers Staff continually struggled to change our son's diaper properly. In November, he developed a severe diaper rash, and we notified the staff immediately. However, a week later, he was sent home with chunks of poop on his clothes from a terrible diaper change (see photos). We should have left then, but as parents know, it takes time for a child to adjust to daycare, and we didn't want to disrupt him again. Unfortunately, we experienced the same issue later on in February during a period of staff turnover, when one of the teachers clearly lacked the ability to change diapers properly. 2. Staff turnover Our son had become very attached to the primary Junior Toddler teacher, but she left without any notice to parents. It took Dr. Dan almost two weeks to inform families of her departure. In the meantime, we/our son kept asking where she was during drop-offs, and no one gave us a clear answer. Throughout all of January and February, there was a constant stream of floaters and new hires (none who inspired confidence), until a full-time replacement was finally brought on at the start of March. We then heard of more staff drama within our first month at Vinci, when we were notified about a Vinci teacher getting fired for tying a toddler to a chair. Definitely should've started looking elsewhere at that point... See news article here: https://www.alxnow.com/2025/09/15/teacher-at-alexandria-daycare-fired-for-tying-21-month-old-to-chair/ 3. Leadership turnover Aside from teaching staff turnover, we also experienced three different Directors at the Merrifield campus during our seven months there. One left due to having a baby, but she candidly told us she was not coming back after maternity leave in a way that now feels like we should've read between the lines. This speaks volumes about the culture here at every level, and also makes it difficult for parents to feel connected or supported in any consistent way as it's always a rotation of new faces in new roles. 4. Outdated childcare portal The Vinci parent portal feels outdated, like something from the early 2000s, and there is no dedicated mobile app like Brightwheel to provide clear, real-time updates or communication with staff. When we switched to another daycare, the difference was night and day! We received immediate push notifications with photos, nap updates, diaper changes, weather alerts, and more, and communication with staff was seamless. Staff would frequently say nothing about our son's activity for the day and not even record diaper change times and/or whether he ate their meal. 5. Unexpected restrictions Our son was not allowed to use a pacifier during nap time. This was a significant part of his sleep routine, and we were not informed of this restriction before enrolling. As a result, he struggled with sleep at school for nearly a month, which was difficult for him and for us. 6. The culture and leadership After switching daycares, it became even more apparent how the culture trickles down from the owner. At our new daycare, the owner is incredibly warm and involved (as is her staff). She was even present in the classroom to welcome our son during his first few drop offs. Dr. Dan, the owner of Vinci, is the complete opposite. She never introduced herself to us once during our time at Vinci. We only heard from her after we emailed about withdrawing our son from Vinci due to the repeated issues we raised about inexperienced staff neglecting his wellbeing. During that exchange, she was mostly focused on us paying a 30 day notice penalty and showed no understanding for the stress and frustration we experienced. We decided we'd rather throw away thousands of dollars than keep our son there another month - especially given his constant skin irritation from unchanged diapers, lack of experience in their staff, and growing lack of communication about his day's activity. Ultimately, we are SO happy we left Vinci, and I would strongly recommend any parents considering Vinci tour at least a few of the other daycares in the nearby area (A Child's Place, Lady Bug Academy, Carousel, etc).

I would strongly not recommend Vinci. The staff turnover is constant, the owner treats children…read morelike problems to be solved, and their teachers rarely updated the parent portal with any significant information which let me wondering what my child was doing all day.

This has to be the most unprofessional atmosphere we have ever observed…read more The leadership or "mentors" could care less about the children. They let them act unruly in public settings with screaming, kicking one another, while these adults converse with each other or stuck in their phones. We observed these multiple afternoons from a balcony next the playground and was in shock how misbehaved the children were. These children lacked the discipline and control from 4-5:30 daily, and disrespectful to the community as well. We are so disappointed to see the lack of effort in this "School" ... This place is a day care only and should be embarrassed... Do not have your children come here.

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.

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!

My sweet kiddo is graduating from Braddock Preschool after 3 years. I am so sad to leave! Every…read moresingle teacher has loved my boy, like their own family. He's completed the 3-4-5 year old classrooms with Miss Cassie, Mrs. Helen, and Ms. Denise. We've also done before/after care, with Mrs. Blanca. He's also done the summer program, every year. Every single teacher has been amazing, caring, professional, and supportive to my son's individual nature (he's very curious and smart!). My son started with a speech delay. Fast forward 3 years, and he talks too much! Our ped says our boy has the vocab of a second grader! He knows his ABCs, how to count to a million, put together puzzles, color within the lines, how to sit in a chair, and how to play well with other kids. He has such a great educational foundation to start elementary school and also be a global citizen in the Big World.

smaller, more thoughtful environment to balance the teaching of your child through the mind and the…read moresoul. Love this place!

We absolutely LOVE Childspace! There's nothing bad I can say about this amazing Learning Center. I…read moredrive from MD to bring my son here as this is one of the few preschools I could find with partial pre-school options. I have been home schooling for preschool, but I wanted something gradual to get him ready for kindergarten in a few months. Childspace did just that! They allow not only part time options, but they gave us flexibility to chose what days we would come. The staff is beyond amazing. They're so kind and my son has enjoyed his time here. I love the low student-teacher ratio. They host great community events and it's such a joy to see pictures on my little guy throughout the day via their communication platform. I'm sad my little guy has to go to kindergarten because I honestly wish I could keep him here longer.

My son just finished a year at ChildSpace and I wish we had more time here! Ms. Sana and Ms…read more Valentina are really sweet and caring and I know my son is in good hands when I drop him off at school. They really put care and attention to the curriculum and age-appropriate learning. He has learned so many things including science, art, social studies, and comes home with many projects including art, tracing and worksheets. They also have music class, go to the library, have story time, soccer - I am in awe at how much they fit in every day esp since my son only does 3 half days! I am confident that he is fully prepared for Kindergarten from both an academic and social aspect. They have half day programs and full day, which is great for us since I chose half day. Also, the school feels way more personal and not just a large vast impersonal institution. Ms. Valentina is really able to put time and energy into the kids and provides us with some flexibility and understanding which is needed for parents. She works with you if you have any asks or need some adjustments to the schedule etc. They really try to do right by the kids and it shows. I am able to discuss any questions or concerns I have with her and she addresses them either in person at pick-up or pretty quickly over the app. The small class size is also helpful so the kids get the attention that they deserve. I really enjoyed my time here and will miss the school and the teachers. Highly recommend!