I regret enrolling my daughter here. Despite committing early (touring in Feb 2024, paying a…read moredeposit, and submitting all forms), the school's lack of communication, disorganization, and disregard for basic safety and hygiene created a deeply frustrating and emotionally exhausting year. From misplaced incident reports and unaddressed injuries, to administrative errors and tone-deaf leadership, this school consistently failed to provide a safe, transparent, and developmentally supportive environment. My daughter came home with swollen lips, unexplained bruises, missing shoes, and stories of peer mistreatment -- with no formal documentation provided, despite repeated requests. These were not isolated events; I have video/photo documentation, and other parents voiced similar concerns in meetings. The director's conduct was both inappropriate and hypocritical -- once sending me a photo of my 3-year-old with paper in her mouth and demanding I "talk to her about telling the truth" over a harmless joke (gum from dad), while gaslighting parents about emails that were never sent. We were made to feel like the problem, when in reality the school's tech systems, operations, and staffing plans were simply broken. Staffing was unstable -- the lead teacher left for maternity leave with no real succession plan. Parents were informed of changes through hallway gossip before any official notice. Other red flags included: * Poor nap hygiene (child's skin broke out); * No proper underwear/clean clothes sent home; * Unsafe food handling policies; * Lost orthopedic shoes due to mishandling after an accident -- only replaced after escalation; * Inconsistent behavioral reporting, with my child being singled out for normal 3-year-old behavior, while aggressive peer behavior went unaddressed all year. The school showed a lack of respect for working parents, sending critical updates (like school closures) late at night and offering no accessible options for required events (no childcare, no virtual options, last-minute notices). They ran meetings on free Zoom accounts that cut off mid-call, used free Gmail accounts, and misunderstood basic tools like unlisted YouTube links. My concerns were dismissed, incident reports were never filed, and when I reported this to the county, I was told it was "too late." Given how long and hard I tried to resolve these issues internally -- and my documentation of events -- this only added to the heartbreak. In hindsight, I should have trusted my gut and pulled my child out much earlier. If you're a parent considering this school, please ask hard questions about staff turnover, behavior policies, safety reporting, and operational transparency. And if something feels off -- trust yourself.

Will only state the facts that lead to this review…read more.. In preparation for our move to VA this year, my family and I have been searching for a suitable Montessori school within this area. After speaking with Cardinal several times via the phone we felt that this might be a great option. A few weeks ago, my wife had scheduled a school tour and staff meet with Cardinal's senior coordinator (not official title) to allow us to see a routine day at the school and view its operation. We scheduled the tour for a Friday, which we were told was not "normal" but would be allowed given the fact that my family had to drive 5+ hours to get there. The tour was locked on that Monday with a 0930 start time on Friday. We had no other communication from the school throughout the week and on Thursday afternoon, we hit the road after I had gotten off work and arrived in VA just after midnight. We were up the following Friday morning and arrived at Cardinal at 0910 to an empty parking lot, locked building, lights off, and no one on site... We sat, waited, and attempted to call anyone with no luck and no response. It was about 0930 when finally a car pulled up and a women was dropped off. She didn't engage us at all and simply walked into the school. My wife proceeded to knock on the door and was met by said women who appeared to be cleaning. My wife explained our situation to the women who simply laughed, nodded, and said that the school was closed due to a maintenance emergency. A few minutes later, another women arrived who identified herself as a teacher. We calmly explained how we were scheduled to meet with a Ms. Igera for our tour but had not been able to reach her or anyone else. The teacher looked surprised and quickly reiterated that the school had been closed for the last few days. She then pulled out her phone and said she would call the "school owner" who was already on her way to Cardinal. At approx. 0945 the school co-owner arrived and welcomed us inside. We explained, again, who we were and why we were there. She quickly apologized and then explained how the school closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to plumbing issues. They had sent all the students and staff home and were now back (Friday morning) in order to clean for the reopening on Monday. She didn't ask any further about the botched tour appointment, but rather tried to go right into her pitch for the school. At the end of the walk-through, we were on our way out the door when we asked for Ms. Igera to call us about the clear failure in communication. The Co-owner said she would, glorified her staff, and said she hoped we would consider them when we moved... Fast forward 2+ weeks later....we got that call.... And it was to schedule yet another tour at the school. Nothing more. The level of complete disregard, disrespect, and sheer unprofessionalism that went into this waste of time is truly astounding. For better perspective, here is a better overview of all my family and I sacrificed in order to simply VISIT the school and observe its operation. - late night drive 5+ hours after work. - pulled my 4yo daughter out of current school in order to see the Cardinal school and meet the teachers. - my wife is 7 months pregnant at the time of all this. And she had to make all these movements. - I scheduled a full day away from work to make this trip happen. - spent hundreds on gas to make the round trip. Along with paying for a hotel in order to stay overnight... The Cardinal school may do just fine in some things, but I find it hard to imagine what. The coordination, communication, and lack of accountability is frightening. To make a commitment to an outside family who is willing to spend thousands on the betterment of their children's care and education and then not even have the courtesy to communicate a simple appointment change is unacceptable. I would HIGHLY encourage any family seeking a Montessori program to move on and explore other options (military families or otherwise). I have nothing negative to post about the teachers who work here, simply the lack of efficient and effective administrative overview of the school itself. This was not a sophisticated encounter, but rather a simple and what I would image routine engagement with an interested party. If this is how they treat an unaffiliated party, how do they respond under higher stress situations? Who actually maintains the schools appointments? Who is charge of registrations? Etc... Bottom line, keep searching. There are other great options within this region of VA, as my family and I learned. So disappointed to leave a review of this manner on a Montessori related establishment, but title alone does not guarantee quality. I truly hope this review can bring about a greater awareness of the low standard practices at Cardinal.

Our son went here for a little while but we had to move him because the location wasn't as…read moreconvenient. They recently hired a brand new AD and she is so awesome! The rooms could use some work honestly but we enjoyed having our son here.

This is our third year with Petite Academy of Dumfries. In the last year there was a complete…read moreturnover of leadership staff, and to say we are thrilled with them would be an understatement. Director Nychelle and AD Sharlay could not be more attentive, organized, helpful and friendly if they tried! Our children have loved the teachers there - shout out to Ms. Toni, Ms. Tracey, and Ms. Jasmine! The facility is clean, the curriculum is stimulating, the meals are balanced and nutritious, and family engagement/communication is a definite priority. The tuition is reasonable while remaining competitive with the other area preschools. I am extremely surprised to see any negative reviews, especially since last year's overhaul. As with anything, one person's opinion is just that, so I would highly recommend checking PA out yourself if you are interested - you will definitely be impressed!

NO ONE cares for kids more than the owner of this establishment!! High quality people who will put…read moreyour child first!!!!

We absolutely love this center! The teachers are wonderful and the kiddos have so much fun learning…read moreand playing. Thank you teachers for loving on our kiddos! You all are a blessing from God.

I highly recommend Early Bird. My nephew is only two but already learning his #s, reading and…read moredeveloping his social skills while also having fun. The daycare provides a unique program of learning you wouldn't see at other daycare centers. The staff are attentive and caring. The environment at the center is very warm and welcoming. Best place for kids to go!

Early Bird has been a great place for my son who's now 3. The teachers and staff are passionate and…read morepatient. The school uses the brightwheel app where I can view photos and videos of him throughout the day or if I need to send a quick message to his teacher/staff. The drop off and pick up process is very smooth. I can see the changes in my son since starting Early Bird and he's very happy there with his teachers/classmates. I know he's in good hands there.

Beware of this school! Especially If you are a military family and your child may have autisum. Our…read moreson did a classroom visit and I thought he did well considering he has never been in any daycare and I explain this to Elisa Zago the Director of Enrollment and Outreach when I went to the parent visit. I had to follow up with them to see if he got in or not and she emailed me right away saying they wanted him to come in for a second visit. I thought it was strange but I went with it! idk how you can judge how a child is going to do or what they can do in a 15 min visit. Seemed very inaccurate to me. She said she would follow up with is but never did so I reached out to see because you we had not heard from them in about 2 weeks very unprofessional to me. I said Good Evening! I'm just following up about my son to see if he has gotten into your program? If not please let me know, so I can look into getting him in another Kindergarten program before spots are all filled up. Her response was thank you for your email. We are sorry but your son didn't make it into our program. We wish you the best. No explanation to why or not! I'm really upset because his pediatrician recommended this place thought it would be a great place for him to thrive but they passed judgment on my son without giving him the chance. As a military family this is disheartening. This is how they treat the people who serves this country's kids with a disability.

My son and nephew both attend this school and they both absolutely love it…read more My son specifically is a very high energy and strong minded child. His teachers have been very helpful in guiding him and guiding me on how to help him be his best self. They really do care and know what they are doing. He developed his speech more delayed than other students but now comes home every day saying new phrases and learning how to listen better. I am very happy with my experience here and would recommend this school 100 times over.

I highly recommend this school for your children. We have no complains: the school is clean and…read morewell maintained. The teachers are all engaged and reputable. The children's food is well made with good ingredients. I have zero complaints about the school for the 3.5 years my child attended. If we were able, we would continue to use this school exclusively.

My children have attended HCA since 1/2022. We decided to the move to the Prince William County…read morearea after living in Loudoun County for approx 8 years. We were looking for a school in the area that was not only rich in their curriculum, but a school that was diverse in its culture and one that embraced children of all ethnicities. I noticed that during Black Histoy Month (2/2023), there were no initiatives highlighted in the February Monthly newsletter to recognize the contributions of the many African-Americans that have contributed to American History. I decided to email the staff with ideas in which Black History Month could be incorporated into the curriculum, considering that there were a number of African-American students enrolled at HCA. I received a phone call immediately from one of the Administrators (Mrs. Juliana) stating that this was an oversight and that they would be sure to highlight Black History Month. I had a follow-up conversation with the Curriculum Specialist (Mrs. Giovanna)...and to my surprise, she had incorporated many of the items that I highlighted in my email! Not to mention, how swiftly she acted upon this. I would like to extend my SINCEREST gratitude for all that HCA has done for Black History Month and everything that they are instilling in my children daily. I was thoroughly impressed with the various learning activities the students participated in throughout the month. They exceeded my expectations on highlighting African-American culture and the many great achievements of some of the well-known Black pioneers that have contributed to AMERICAN HISTORY. Efforts such as these make my husband and I confident that we have selected the right school for our children. We look forward to our children thriving in a school environment that promotes diversity and inclusion, as well as high educational standards. Job well done HCA!!

Ms. Ashley is wonderful, my kids love her. Met her when I was pregnant with my now 4 year old. We…read morehave had a good experience with all the current teachers! The babies get a lot of love and cuddles, and the big kids get plenty of outdoor time and activities!

Unfortunately, things kept going down hill. We've since left this school due to a severe lack in…read moreconsistency.

The best place to start the education of our children, Its…read moreso emotionally Having the students learning Spanish, having different classes , like physical education, computer, etc. And the the devotions, Amo esta academia. Its amazing Un lugar donde

Our 3 boys all went to this little awesome Christian School on Main St in Dumfries, VA…read more They really teach the children both curriculum wise and the Christian way. If you want to instil christ like character, respect and obedience and great ethics in your children, then this is the school to bring them. You can ask any of the public and private schools that have kids from WPA and they will tell you that kids from WPA are well behaved and always a grade or two ahead of their peers. They really teach these kids. We were blessed to have found the school. The teachers are awesome 0 This school really knows how to train children. I highly recommend Word Performance to anyone who's children are giving them headaches and need them to be trained in the Christian way and learn great work ethics. Anyone who wants their children to learn how to treat others, respect, love like Christ teaches in the Bible then, this is the school for you.