After applying and being accepted but wait-pooled for 2 years, I decided to try one more time for…read moremy daughter going into Kindergarten. The process is tedious. Instead of making it easier for prior accepted applicants to enroll, they treat you like a brand new applicant. Needless to say, my daughter was once again waitlisted along with "50 others". If they are THIS full, they should stop accepting applications. But I guess they don't want to lose the application fee revenue they're getting ($50 per application...) Their readiness visits are also not Montessori based. They clearly "test" your child, I saw it with my own eyes and ears last year during my daughters readiness visit. The teacher asked her explicitly "what letter is this?" And when I mentioned it to the organizer (Makayla) she said "oh, no we don't test" basically telling me what I saw and heard was wrong. It's also clear that they only enroll kids who are already incredibly advanced so that the school staff can take credit for their excellence. My daughter is clearly very on track for her age, can make out the sounds of most letters, and already knows basic math at the age of 5. (Her readiness visit she was 4 going on 5) But they want 5 year olds to be advanced kindergartners and first graders before even entering kindergarten. I'm also guessing there is some other discrimination going on. Because being "accepted" but waitlisted more than once, but thrice, should not happen in any school. Why even take applicants at that point? Hire more teachers, or stop taking applications every year. This is not what Montessori is about and they need to research what Maria Montessori's mission was. Because this is not it. Also, during Christmas they sent out the most vague "holiday greeting", so that was also pretty strange. I hope this feedback reaches the right people. I will not be applying again.

We are in our third year with RMS and have two children attending the school. We have been thrilled…read morewith our RMS experience. Specifically, there is a great community of engaged parents and educators working together to achieve outstanding educational outcomes. We feel that we are getting something unique and differentiated from the more standard approach to education that a lot of other independent schools offer. Moreover, our kids absolutely love going to school here! My children's enthusiasm for their school, passion for learning, and solid academic advancement will keep us coming back to RMS year after year. I encourage anyone interested in the Montessori approach to visit the website and school for more information and resources.

About two month's after our child had transitioned to the 3yo classroom, we started to notice marks…read moreon her that weren't there when she was dropped off. Now we understand that as kids get older they become more adventurous and curious about their environment and other children. Accidents happen and we understand that, but in our case these "Accidents" were happening weekly, sometimes twice a week. The first incident: We were told that close to the end of the day the Assistant head of school and the classroom teacher were cleaning up, getting ready to take the kids to the play room for final pickup. They heard our daughter crying and turned around to find her crying on the floor. They tended to her writing an incident report stating that she had fallen out of a chair. When I went to pick her up I was notified about the incident and or course I checked out my daughter for injuries. When I saw how severe the injury was I started to question just how far she fell. So I went back inside asking to see where the incident happened and I was shown to her classroom. I was told she fell out of her chair and hit her face on the table. The mark on her face was basically a black eye, the chair is maybe 2 ft. off the ground and the table 4ft. How is it possible for her to fall hard enough to hit her face on the table and cause a black eye? The logic doesn't add up unless you add that my child was standing on the chair and fell from higher up before hitting her face. This brings up the question of why was she allowed to stand in a chair? Why wasn't she being told to get down, or removed from the chair prior to an incident happening? This was the first incident that made me question. Two days later I arrive to pick up my child and there is another incident report that I have to sign. This time a bookshelf had fallen on my child. Yes you read that right, a bookshelf fell on my child. This caused a bloody nose and a bruise on her face. When I questioned how something like this could happen, they explained to me that because their daycare is so new they hadn't had time to have the bookshelves secured to wall. They apologized and ensured that a ticket had been inputted to have the shelves secured to the wall. Now this is not 100% on the daycare. From what they explained the children like to climb on the bookshelves to reach books higher up. This was probably the case for my daughter, but there are a few problems with this. One, why are the children allowed to climb on a bookshelf. Even if it's secured to the wall, what happens if they fall off? Second, if they aren't allowed to climb on the bookshelf, why wasn't my child told not climb the bookshelf? Who was supposed to be paying attention to her to ensure her safety? Third, why isn't the security of the furniture within the classroom a higher priority? Furniture being secured is a basic necessity for a child care program to ensure the safety of all children that attend the school. Cabinets should have locks, same with drawers, same with furniture. This was not the case until after a child got hurt. The Third incident was the final straw for me. About 2 weeks later, I went to pick up my child and all of the kids were outside playing. I went into the playground picking up my child and I noticed she had a bruise on her face. I proceeded to ask her what happened and she told me she was hit in the face with a stick by another child. Now once again, children will be children. I cannot expect that everything would be caught and prevented. Especially for toddlers. So when this occurred I took her to the teacher that was supposed to be watching the kids outside, and she had no idea what had happened. Mind you there are about 10-15 kids outside. There was only 1 teacher. I then took her to the assistant head of school and asked why wasn't I notified about this, and again I was met with an I don't know. This time there was no incident report.

The Guidepost Team truly takes the cake for care, attention to detail, and overall what it means to…read morebe a great Montessori School. Upon my first meeting with Richard, he was extremely nice and professional. We were able to partner up and complete multiple facility projects. When it comes to professionalism Richard and his team, could put on a a conference about how they are extremely responsive and attentive. This is what sets Guidepost apart from others. Whether that is me calling in and getting an immediate answer about a project or meeting on site to walk through the building's exterior and interior. When it comes to Child Care and Development, Richard and his team have taken this to the next step by offering the warmest and welcoming facilities I have been to. Each room and the set up of the entire building has a flow that encompasses growth but simultaneously comfort. It's evident their focus here is the children and I believe that is truly their differentiating factor. 10 out 10, 6 Stars if I could! Thank you Richard, and the Guidepost Team for this continued partnership we look forward to the years to come!

Good enough for someone who needs babysitting for a few hours. I am looking for more of a…read moreMontessori inspired program, or at least one with more creativity to help my child expand their knowledge of the world. For example, the place we chose has computer integrated along with practical life skills, and a more involved arts program. This program seems a bit snooty and judgmental, they provide most needs but I felt almost as if it were one way or the highway. I would like a say in my child's diapers, for instance as well as wipes and other necessities I feel is my right as a parent. I don't care for that kind of atmosphere - it didn't sit right with me, and I would prefer licenses posted for all employees. I believe if I am investing trust and money, then college degrees in early childhood education or primary education would be a must. Nice looking yard and play area. However, it seems like it would be beneficial to have older children (they will not accept children over 2 1/2). My husband would also agree the pick up and drop off area is a bit of a hassle because the walkway is not wheelchair accessible and includes many stairs, which is problematic for grandma to pick the kids up. Glad we shopped around, I stumbled across this business and a few friends from work have used their services but nothing to brag about.

From the owner: A Sense of Pride is a small, intimate childcare home specializing in infant care through 2 1/2…read moreyears of age. We are state licensed and CPR/First Aid certified. Our emphasis is on learning through play and facilitating the early skills of social interaction, with special attention to age-appropriate education and development. We take great pride in our relationships with parents and strive to work as a partnership in the care of their children, with daily in-person communication. We have been in this business for many years and think of "our" parents and their children as family!

Skipwith Academy at Westchester should be ashamed of themselves. They are closed for the third day…read morethis week for a snow event that occurred on 1/24-1/25/26. Although the storm resulted in residual affects including icy conditions, more than 98% of the surrounding businesses (including a Pediatric Physician Office, restaurants, Target, Chick Fi La, Panera Bread, a major Gym, Banks, etc.) are open with access to the high traffic of their parking lot and foot areas clear. So, why is Skipwith not open? Although parents seek Day Care Services for various reasons, they primarily choose it because they have to work and the children are either not of school age or need supervision after school or when school is closed because again, they have to work. Operating a Day Care that is more inclined to mimic the local school closure schedule does not serve the parents of the community very well. In addition, discounts to the ever increasing tuition for these numerous day closures are usually not offered. This is very frustrating. Safety FIRST should always be the focus and the goal. I have worked in operations for 32 years so I know what that is like and that it can be difficult to balance at times. However, I would expect Managers and Leadership to be more "Proactive vs Reactive", to think more "out the box" and come up with a better contingency plan for their clients than to simply "close" for multiple days. Would it be too much to consider maybe late openings and early evening closures for a couple of days in a time like this? That way, parents could still meet work obligations (everyone does not have the luxury or ability to work from home) vs missing the day all together. Children would be safe while still learning/having fun and all participants (teachers, parents, children, etc.,) would be able to arrive and depart to their designations safely. I am not trying to down Skipwith Academy or think that the establishment should never close in inclement weather. With Virginia's weather being as Bipolar as it is, there will certainly be times that option is most appropriate. With that said, for the most part, the staff do a good job. My little one enjoys going there and has excelled greatly under their teaching and supervision. However, you have to do better. Your parents are your clients too and if you are closed often, this defeats the purpose of them patronizing your business.

I just wanna say this place has exceeded my expectations for a daycare facility. Not only do they…read morekeep you updated throughout the day through an app letting you know what your kid eats drinks and uses the bathroom, but they also keep you in the loop with events and stuff. I have absolutely no complaints with this place. this was my sons very first daycare experience as I was a stay at home Mom for over a year so for him to just dive right in and play with the other kids and feel comfortable enough, was a huge sign that he is at the right place. the weekly cost is well worth what you're getting in return!! 10/10

I'm sure it's a great school but... They should not be doing facility tours if they can't offer…read moreyour child a spot with in a reasonable timeframe. There seems to be no organized "waitlist" as we have been on it since Sep 2021. They will be happy to take your deposit fee though. Take your money and go somewhere else.

From the owner: At Big Blue Marble Academy, we're nourishing little minds and growing big hearts through a unique…read morelearning environment that provides a global education, promotes service learning, and fosters character development and mindfulness. Our programs are designed to meet your child's needs at their age and stage of development, supported by a caring, trained staff who encourage a love of learning that can last a lifetime. From immersive language lessons to "Heart Projects" modeling giving back at the earliest ages, discover why more families choose Big Blue Marble Academy for daycare and preschool.

I'm going to give you the REAL DEAL! Back in the beginning of this year, when our baby first…read morestarted attending... my husband and I almost left! Yup! The director at the time was very nice and polite to us and I will forever be grateful for accepting us into the program especially during the aftermath of COVID. There was ABSOLUTELY no daycare availability and my husband and I were just so grateful to find a spot for our child! Within a month we could start to notice some of the employees were a little sketchy to say the least and there were also some inconsistencies: No lead teacher... different person all the time Delayed communication through the app Had to remind the director about our military discount every week Yup, I was on the cusp of quitting my job to stay home, when ... Ahhhhhhhhhh (angelic music) a beautiful figure appeared in the door LOLL! Ms. Nikki Newsome walked through the door! Not sure what happened but the old director was never seen again. Then so many things changed! Our child had a consistent lead teacher (woo hoo go Ms. Amber:) A new daycare app was set in place and communication was amazing No discrepancies in our bill an awesome learning curriculum every week, our daughter started achieving more and more milestones Her social skills went from high anxiety to not even noticing when I was walking out the door at drop (Hallelujah!)... I could go on with so many great things. Yes, this was a long review but I do not have a million dollars to give Ms. Nikkie for the peace of mind she has brought us as parents. So the best I can do is take the time to say "Thank You Ms. Nikki for being an AWESOME director!" on a platform with hope that she could be recognized for making this school amazing!.

We switched over to La Petite from their sister facility Childtime after our son turned 4 entering…read morePre-K. The difference in the class structure, educational aptitude and overall professionalism was evident. On top of it the cost difference was very reasonable. Although child care is expensive I think this La Petite is well worth the value they offer. Navia as the director and Mrs. Grace and Mrs. Carmen were exceptional in preparing our son for Kindergarten.

Art Adventures has two locations: this one and one in Chester and they offer fun art classes for…read moreall ages, beginning with Pre-K through adult. A friend of mine, who is a talented artist and paints on silk, is on the staff and I believe all the instructors are working artists. One of the best features of these classes is that everyone gets one-on-one instruction, and it's all about fun and expressing your creativity so nobody feels self conscious. There are a variety of classes to choose from and they do summer camps for kid as well.

Communication about classes was flaky at best when trying to enroll my son. I heard from someone…read morethey are going out of business due to the owners personal issues. Don't waste your time.

This is THE BEST school! The teachers are passionate, professional, and love each child. There are…read moreso many enrichment opportunities for our children at this school. Starting at 2 years old they get to go the gym to work on Gross Motor Skills, each day. This is in addition to going outside to the playground. There is no other program that focuses on the Gross Motor Skills starting at such a young age. In addition, there is music, life skills, special events put on by the school to make the families feel included (Family Night, Donuts with Dads, Muffins with Moms, Christmas programs with the family, and so many more). I highly recommend River Road Preschool. You will not be disappointed!

As a national literacy specialist, I believe River Road provides a developmentally appropriate…read moreeducational environment that promotes a love of literacy while supporting each child's creativity. A River Road child is a well-rounded young learner who thrives in a hands-on learning environment.

We have been in the Minnieland family for 6 years and 2 kids. The teachers are caring and…read morethoughtful. The same faces that greeted my daughter each morning were there to meet my son 4 years later. Their rates are reasonable, and they offer summers off rates for teachers, which I love.

After less than two months at Skipwith Academy, I have decided to withdraw my daughter. My…read moreinteractions with Caitlin, the assistant director, have felt dismissive, passive-aggressive, and unprofessional. Although the parenting app is new, her instructions have caused repeated confusion and unnecessary back-and-forth. I expect clearer guidance and dependable support from someone in a leadership role. Caitlin frequently follows me into the classroom during pickup, which makes me uncomfortable. Curriculum updates are infrequent, and my daughter has experienced repeated colds while attending. The school also reported hand, foot, and mouth disease. On one occasion, I arrived for pickup and found my daughter without shoes and only partially dressed. These experiences have left me concerned about communication, attentiveness, and the overall cleanliness and lack of knowledge referring to Caitlin the assistant director. Everyday, I asked what the kids did today as far as leaning, it's either only circle time or it's too busy and they haven't made a curriculum and I even donated supplies to help out with arts and crafts, still nothing. Shaka