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South Independence KinderCare

5.0 (1 review)
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Updated 3 months ago

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5 years ago

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The Goddard School of Lynnhaven

The Goddard School of Lynnhaven

(23 reviews)

Very sketchy place. They don't have a lot of staff who are actually experts in Early Childhood…read moreEducation. Mrs. Valentina has a bachelors in linguistics and is the Lead Teacher? I find that odd and weird. All this money this daycare wants you to pay yet it is troubling that someone in such a critical early education role does not hold a degree in Early Childhood Education. The Goddard School is not simply a time for play--it is a foundational academic daycare that supports essential cognitive, social, and emotional development. Educators in this space should have specialized training in early childhood development, instructional strategies for young learners, and knowledge of age-appropriate curriculum standards. A degree in Linguistics, while valuable, does not provide the pedagogical framework or developmental understanding required to teach effectively at this level. This situation raises concerns about the standards being upheld in early learning environments. Recognizing someone as "Teacher of the Year" who lacks a degree in Early Childhood Education not only undermines the value of that credential but also sends the message that passion alone qualifies one to lead a classroom. Passion is important--but it must be paired with relevant, formal education to ensure children receive the quality instruction they deserve.

Our son was born just before the Covid pandemic started in 2020, this left us with a lack of…read moreoptions for childcare and also a big sense of unease about sending our baby to daycare/preschool. It took me almost a year to build up the courage to send him and in the summer of 2021 he started at Goddard. Now it's the summer of 2022 and both of our children attend Goddard. Our son is a little timid in large groups and likes to play independently, in each class his "style" has been respected. We get regular updates on his days and when a little extra attention is needed from us, his teachers have been gracious enough to help us reinforce positive behaviors at home. He loves his school and his teachers, every day he has a "great day" (his words). Navigating school and childcare in the post-pandemic has not been easy but we are always thankful and appreciative of the communication and cautiousness that Goddard places on the safety of the students and teachers. I would encourage any family looking for daycare/preschool to explore Goddard!

Montessori Academy of Virginia - Celebrating Dr. Maria Montessori

Montessori Academy of Virginia

(17 reviews)

I have zero complaints about this school. Ms. Amanda is my son's teacher, she is wonderful. My…read moreson has attended this school for almost two years. It's very clean and they seem very good about communicating in general.

MAV was a great experience for our daughter's first year in a school setting. We are so proud of…read moreher and how much she's learned since joining MAV. We are so happy we chose them. We love the Montessori approach and feel that it helps children develop very comfortably at their own pace. All of the teachers, TA's, and administrative staff have been easy to communicate with and helped us with any concerns over the year. Being that it was her first year, I admit that I did have a lot of questions, but the staff was understanding and as the weeks went on, I felt more and more comfortable that she was safe and well taken care of and she became very comfortable with her teachers, as well as her peers. I saw how much she learned just after two months. The schedules work and have helped her thrive academically and socially. I can see her problem-solving skills have really developed, as well as her thinking. The monthly newsletters kept us informed throughout the year. The school programs are all fun to attend and see the children work together, and also see their individual personalities shine. I feel that the facility is very clean and that she's picked up some good habits over the year. She's also made some good friends with her peers and learned good manners. We love hearing about her day, her lessons, and activities when we pick her up. The pick-up and drop-off system works fairly quickly. We also love that they do STEM, art projects to bring home, gym, outdoor activities, and trips to the farm. It's a great facility and we do love the diverse staff, who are all friendly and helpful. We have enrolled her next year and can't wait to see how much more she learns and grows over the next few years with MAV.

Virginia Beach Friends School

Virginia Beach Friends School

(9 reviews)

We enrolled our daughter at Virginia Beach Friends School for her 6th grade year, drawn in by the…read morepromise of small class sizes, individualized attention, and a school culture built on kindness. Sadly, our experience fell far short of those promises, and we made the difficult decision to withdraw her mid-year. Small Class Size Individualized Attention Our daughter's class had only six students -- something we believed would mean more personalized instruction and closer teacher-student relationships. In practice, that was not the case. Teachers were not proactively communicating with us about our daughter's academic performance or classroom participation, despite the fact that there were only five other students in her entire grade. A Serious Bullying Situation That Was Never Communicated to Us: The only other girl in our daughter's class made daily threats -- including saying she wanted to break our daughter's spine and throw her out of a window. This same peer also openly discussed self-harm in the classroom. These are not minor social conflicts. They are serious, ongoing threats that any school should be obligated to communicate to parents immediately. Our daughter started the year strong, finishing Q1 with all A's and B's. As the bullying continued, her grades began to slip in Q2. It wasn't until we proactively reached out that a meeting was arranged with the head of school, the educational director and the admissions director. During that two-hour meeting, we learned that the school had already been aware of this student's behavior, had met with her family, and had issued consequences such as silent lunch -- multiple times. We were well into late January and had never received a single call, email, or notification about any of this. That meeting produced a clear action plan: teachers would make a greater effort to connect with our daughter, and the educational director would meet with her individually each week to help get her academics back on track. Neither of these commitments was ever followed through on by the school. In the weeks after that meeting -- and after we informed the school we would not be re-enrolling for the following year -- our daughter began receiving write-ups for minor infractions: breaking a pencil, tearing up a piece of paper, not asking for help. We also received her Q2 report card, which included a D in PE. Not once had her PE teacher reached out to share any concerns about her performance or participation. In a class of six children, there is simply no excuse for that lack of communication. The pattern of events that followed our meeting, combined with our decision not to re-enroll, felt deeply retaliatory rather than supportive. We ultimately pulled our daughter from Virginia Beach Friends School mid-week and transitioned her to a public school to complete the remaining 2.5 months of the school year. It was not a decision we made lightly, but it was the right one for her wellbeing. TLDR: Virginia Beach Friends School markets itself as a place where children feel safe being uniquely themselves, and where kindness is the school's number one value. Based on our family's experience, those values did not translate into action. Our daughter did not feel supported, seen, or protected for a single day she attended. If you are considering this school for your child, we strongly encourage you to ask hard questions about how they handle bullying, how they communicate with parents, and how they follow through on commitments -- before you make your commitment.

We're in the middle of our second year at VBFS. Our daughter is thriving! She loves going to school…read moreevery morning, and is sad to leave each afternoon. The teachers and staff are all fully engaged and committed, and it shows. The teacher/student ratio is fantastic, with lots of individual attention. The only drawback for us is that there is no dedicated drama teacher or yoga this year. Our daughter loved the plays last year, and the yoga instruction, and misses both this year. But she has LOVES music, art, technology, P.E., square dancing, and Spanish, as well as her regular academics. We look forward to continuing at Friends School.

South Independence KinderCare - childcare - Updated May 2026

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