If you think something is fishy, it's because it is…read more Buyer beware: do not evaluate Mater Amoris solely by its beautiful grounds, polished messaging, or carefully crafted philosophy statements. Speak with current families. Speak with former families. Speak with former staff. Ask what happens when concerns are raised. Ask how incidents are documented. Ask how behavioral patterns are tracked. Ask what standards govern intervention. Ask whether difficult questions are welcomed or merely tolerated. Ask academic questions, too. Ask for specifics. Ask how reading progress is measured. Ask how parents know benchmarks have been met. Ask how classroom disruptions affect learning. Ask about staffing levels, turnover, support for guides, and the frequency of school closures, staff workdays, and other interruptions to instructional time. Ask whether the educational experience being delivered consistently reflects the tuition being charged. Most importantly, ask yourself a simple question: if a school cannot clearly explain how it protects children, measures academic progress, documents incidents, responds to legitimate concerns from parents, and delivers consistent instructional time, what exactly are you paying for? I ignored that one bad review about bullying and safety a few years ago when we enrolled. Thinking it would not be our experience, and here I am writing this review today.

Our kids started at Mater Amoris in 2018, and we have felt so fortunate to have this community be…read moretheir educational home in the years since. The school has many special traditions, an excellent Montessori curriculum, and wonderful faculty and staff. Our oldest is now on the middle school program for seventh and eighth graders, and is excited to tell us about his day which is a rare treat from a pre-teen! Our younger is in the upper elementary class that includes 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, and he is learning new skills daily while having the opportunity to help younger students while himself getting support from older students. The setting is idyllic and in winter the sledding hill is legendary. Highly recommend Mater Amoris.

Needed to withdraw my kid bc of an incident that occured and had a very bad experience with…read moremanagement. Pls do your research!! Very unfortunate situation and I would not recommend this place.

We've had great experiences with the teachers and admin at Two Birds. Our son loves his teachers…read moreand is growing so well here. Also, I love that I can work remotely from the center. It allows me to see my son during the day and get to know the teachers and other parents.

My son has been attending Bright Start since he was 5 months old, first in Pooh Nursery and now in…read moreWobblers. We have been very impressed with the place -- the teachers are trained, thoughtful and creative (my son has hugged both teachers unprompted in front of me so I know he is happy to be there!) The school offers enrichment activities like music and yoga that actually do teach skills they take home -- I see him constantly come back with new words and abilities. Bright Start provides diapers, healthy meals, milk, and more. There is a playground and the older kids go on walks. It is flexible around pickup and drop off, and some teachers are open to babysitting as well. Communication with some members of the administration can be slow and a bit disorganized, but honestly, that was really only applicable in the admissions process. The actual school experience is very impressive and (most importantly) my son loves it.

This is what I sent to the founder (Marcia St. Hilaire Finn) :: Hello, this message is directed at…read morethe owner and CEO of BrightstartDC. Since last week, I have been trying to get information about your daycare for my infant son. Unfortunately, to date, I still do not have any information, and all I have experienced is extreme unprofessionalism and nonresponsiveness from your staff members, Lucy and Brittany. For example, I sent Lucy at least 2-3 emails without a reply. I then scheduled a meeting through the online link, but after I waited 15 minutes, no one showed up to the meeting. Then Brittany called to say that Lucy was too busy and needs to reschedule and when I let her know that I moved another important meeting for this and Ive sent multiple emails with no reply, she had the audacity to tell me that I "must not know what the protocol is". Like what?! Where I'm from, professional protocol is replying to emails in a timely manner and when you have agreed to an appointment, you join on time. And, if you're running late, you inform the other party before the meeting start time, not 15 mins after. At this point, I would NEVER send my son to such an unprofessional environment. Whoever owns this place should know how rude and ridiculous their staff is! I will definitely spread the word about my experience.

We transferred here from another day care and our child went from disliking Mondays to asking if he…read morecould go to school on weekends. It seems to be just what childhood learning should be. Would highly recommend!

My daughter has been at TCS since we moved to the area 6 months ago and I can't speak highly enough…read moreof the supportive, caring, and fun environment she's been welcomed into. The play-based Reggio Emilia inspired approach is perfect for her and she loves the "rain or shine" mentality to outside play. She's often reluctant to leave school at the end of the day as she doesn't want to leave her friends or miss out on any of the excitement!

I can't say enough good things about this CommuniKids location. My kid attended Pre-K 3 and many…read moresummer camp sessions here. We experienced a place that had such kind, skillful, and thoughtful educators. They provided enriching activities and a welcoming atmosphere. The staff always did a great job communicating and sharing what was happening in the classroom. The center director Audy is wonderful. I loved the summer camp had a different country's theme each week and matching lessons. The staff made this school feel like a community. The other parents I talked to felt the same gratitude and appreciation I did for the teachers and staff at CommuniKids. We swap stories of different ways this staff at this school went above and beyond for our kids. I always felt my child was safe, loved, and learning from highly capable educators. I have written a lot of Yelp reviews over the last ten years, but this is one of the most special and important ones to me.

We have been at communikids for 1 year; for my 18 month old and 3 yr old…read more As a mulitilingual family, I first sought out Communikids because of the language immersion and the location. However, now that we have been at Communikids for 1 year, my favorite aspects of this school are 1- the affection/attention from teachers and staff and 2- how orderly and well-organized they are. (I still love the language immersion and location though!). We will also do summer camp, my 3 yr old is in the PKEEP free pre K3 program, and all these different elements are well-coordinated. Thanks, Communikids!

This is an amazing daycare. We are first time parents and were blown away. The teachers are so…read moreengaged and caring. The center is clean and convenient. They provide diapers and food, which is fantastic. They upload so many amazing photos. Everyone seems to be having so much genuine fun!

I truly can't say enough good things about KinderCare at City Ridge in NW Washington, DC. My son…read morestarted here at 2 years old, having had very little interaction with people outside of close family and friends. From day one, the center made his transition smooth and welcoming. One of my biggest concerns was his speech delay. When he started in October 2024, he was barely verbal. Now, in July 2025, he's using two-word phrases consistently. KinderCare helped us get connected with speech therapy, and the growth I've seen in him is undeniable. The center itself is always clean, organized, and professional. They offer extras like soccer, water play, and music/phonics lessons that keep my son, Euro, engaged and happy. Every staff member is wonderful, but I want to highlight a few: Nimat, the director, has been so helpful and hands-on. Derryl leads phonics and music classes, which Euro loves. His main teacher, Miss Beverly, is amazing--very patient and hands-on. Ms. Lita and Mr. Marcus are also favorites of my son; he really enjoys their energy and support. The center's communication is top-tier. The app they use makes it easy for me to stay updated with pictures, videos, and daily reports. Meals and snacks are provided, along with diapers and wipes, which is super convenient. We're so happy with the care and progress Euro has made that we've decided to keep him enrolled for the next learning level. I definitely recommend KinderCare at City Ridge to any parent looking for a safe, nurturing, and structured environment for their little one.

We chose Mercy for our two young children as they entered PreK 4 and 1st grade because of the…read morestrong academics, Catholic principles, and welcoming community that it has. We moved to the area not knowing anyone and without family nearby, which was very challenging. We quickly this learned area has many good options, but after touring Mercy twice, once with the principal and once with the admissions counselor, it was a very easy choice to make. Mercy is the only three-time blue ribbon school in Maryland, and they pride themselves on education which is completely transparent. The teachers all have professional degrees in education and work very closely with their students. We were excited to learn the young grades have small groups for reading and math, (and as the daughter of a teacher) the levels of work they do has been impressive. We were greeted with friendly parents and our kids made new best friends very easily. One of our favorite things about the school is the enrichment programs they offer which have included Spanish, art club, Wondermakers, and chess. The art and music teachers are incredibly incredibly talented and would encourage anyone thinking of this school to meet them and learn about their projects. The principal, church, and school leadership are professional, welcoming, and open to new ideas that will encourage the best school community possible, including the current playground and school construction. The community has been wonderful to be a part of, and we've been grateful for such support and kindness. Recently, a group of fathers and some staff play soccer on Fridays, and there are fun events throughout the year which fosters the school community. As any school, it's the most of what you make of it, and we've found there are lots of opportunities here which make it a very special place.

Horrible!!! I was told my children had a place in the school and then suddenly they didn't. Not…read moremuch of an explanation and very indifferent.

The teachers here are great - and they are the reason why the school is as good as it is. But…read moreeverything starts at the top and the Head of School not only has no background in education or business but is not held accountable by the Board for all her massive, messy errors. She hires like minded people that are just nasty. Turnover in the administration is shockingly high; and sadly it's the good people that leave. Something like 7 people quit this year? And it's a small team. If management could be replaced with someone who enjoys the job, and parents and children, this school would be top in area.

As an English-speaking parent of a child that has been at Rochambeau since she was three years old,…read moreI am extremely happy with how my child has grown over the years with her knowledge of French, English, and now Spanish. She is also someone who, given the extremely diverse community at Rochambeau (now, I believe over 80 nationalities represented!) is comfortable and informed about the world! No school is perfect--I know of highly rated private schools in the DC area where students struggled with math and parents were paying upwards of $45k a year! Communication is a struggle at times with the administration--but they have listened from American parents and have grown tremendously, for instance now making sure all parent/family programs are in English and French. Rochambeau is an amazing global education with incredibly dedicated teachers at a reasonable price point. I highly recommend it to parents looking for a school that invests in the children and an international education!