this place is horrible my son was there for a week and got HFMD now they're treatment if him is…read moreinhumane seems like they don't want my child to be there even with doctors notes and still he's not being accepted back

My two kids attend here, one on the preschool side (3s classroom) and the other in the infant room…read more My oldest has been attending since 6 months old, so we've been at KinderCare now for several years. First, let me say that Miss Tee and Miss Carita in the infant room (who cared for my oldest when she was a baby, and now look after my youngest) are incredible. Absolutely incredible. They have years of experience in childcare, not to mention their personal experience as mothers, and are so skilled at caring for little ones, adjusting their approach and methods to accommodate each child's needs. They have many practical tips to offer parents (e.g. your baby seems to be having a hard time sucking on her bottle, have you tried switching to a bigger nipple size?) and put our children so at ease, that I have zero worries leaving my children in their very capable hands. I trust them implicitly. They are usually the first to pick up on changes in our little one's behavior (a suspected ear infection, teething, tummy issues, etc.) and are quick to communicate any concerns. They are completely transparent, but more importantly, I know that they truly care about my kids. My husband and I love dropping our kids off in the morning and chatting with both of them, and we deeply value the relationships we've built. Miss Sasha in the 2s room is perennially positive, greets parents with a smile, has a great sense of humor, and treats all the kids in her care with kindness. Miss Kassidy is skilled with teaching the Phonics program, and I've seen noticeable progress in my oldest since she took over recently. Miss Kristen, the center director, has an open door policy and is an empathetic listener. She genuinely cares about all the children in her care and works to provide a loving environment for them. Miss Sharon, the assistant director, has a natural "grandmother" warmth and all the kids are drawn to her as a result. I'm getting to know many of the newer teachers in the 2s and 4s rooms, as well as the new kitchen staff, and so far think they're all great as well. I'm sure I'm missing some, but wanted to be sure I gave a public shout-out to the many wonderful women at KinderCare who help care for my most precious possessions. The reason I gave four vs. five stars is that the center is a bit run down, and I think could benefit from some professional cleaning from time to time. This can be a turnoff for new families. (I do understand this could equate to slightly higher fees, but I'd be more than willing to pay extra for this.) There's also a fair amount of turnover, as well as teachers from time to time (no longer at the school) who didn't seem the best suited for caring for children (lacked patience, were yellers, or lacked common sense, in my opinion). I'd also love to see a bit more academic curriculum built into the school's programming. The phonics program, for instance, that my oldest participates in is something you have to add on (for an additional fee). Here's the impression I'm left with, though. And it's straight from the horse's mouth. I asked my oldest last night who her favorite teachers at school were, and she rattled off the following list: Miss Danielle, Miss Sasha, Miss Adrianna, Miss Megan, Miss Tee, Miss Nancy, Miss Kassidy and Miss Carita. To which I said, but who's your VERY favorite? She replied, "All of them, Mommy!" Enough said.

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.

My kid goes here and she loves it! Gab has such a close small family business vibe and that's all I…read morecould ask for in a day care provider!

Gabbie is a wonderful mother of two and and has been providing Daycare for a number of years…read more Gabbie is a highly qualified skilled professional who spends quality time with your children. Gabbie's is a place where your children will receive guidance and understanding in a nurturing environment where they can express themselves through self imagination and most of all fun!!

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!

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.

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.

Beware! Please for the safety and well being of your children keep them away from this daycare!…read more You can go to http://www.dss.virginia.gov and see their inspections and number of complaints. My daughter attended for about 7 months and it was a big mistake! There is no learning in this center, they have it set up with desks and it looks like a classroom but i never once saw my child sitting down working and classwork never came home. No matter what time i stopped by the kids where always running around. The after school kids would be trampling the younger kids. In the morning the person in charge of opening wouldn't be there till 30 -45 minutes after opening. Their kitchen is so nasty that after their inspection they where no longer aloud to use and all parents had to bring meals for their children! Last straw, i went to pick up my daughter after receiving a call that she had thrown up. When i got to the classroom my daughter was sitting to the side and their was a little girl cleaning her vomit off the floor while the teachers watched and helped with the other kids! I regret not staying their until that little girl's mother got there to tell her what they made her do! This place is a nightmare! The owner is not involved and has no idea what goes on in her own business! Or worse she DOES KNOW and chooses for her business to be this way!

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.