The Goddard staff is amazing - they're friendly, attentive, and clearly love working with children. I feel completely confident leaving my child in their care. The classrooms are clean, bright, and well-stocked with age-appropriate toys and activities. My child always comes home happy and tired from a full day of play and learning. The staff provides regular updates throughout the day, and they're always responsive to my questions and concerns. My child has learned so much during their time there.. And they make it all fun for the kids, which is a huge plus! In addition, I appreciate the healthy food options provided by the school for my child during the day. The facility ensures that my child receives well-balanced and nutritious meals. Furthermore, the daycare provides me with a photo of my child's meal after lunch, which offers transparency and insight into my child's dietary intake. Finally, safety is a top priority at Goddard Daycare. There are secure entrances and exits, and the staff is always vigilant about keeping a close eye on the children. I never have to worry about my child's safety when she is at daycare. read more

Our two girls have been at Goddard for the last few years and they absolutely love it. The director and teachers have created a wonderful sense of community where everyone knows each other and looks out for each other. read more

We started at the Goddard School in August 2020, after withdrawing from a different daycare, and a horrible nanny-sharing experience. What a breath of fresh air! The staff and teachers are so amazing! They are responsive, engaging, and cheerful. They truly care about the well-being of our child. The curriculum is top notch, and the summer camp activities are so fun! Everyone in our family is so impressed with what our daughter has learned in her time there. And she has made leaps and bounds socially as well. read more

Mike Pesi not only knows how to run a business, but also makes decisions about the school like each of these kids is how own. Nicole, Marita & Brea are the "offensive line" of Goddard Bethesda; they do thankless work that is invaluable to the success of the school. EVERY teacher that our child has had has been amazing. The approach of our school during COVID-19 has been nothing short of heroic. I can't imagine our lives, or our child's life, had we not been lucky enough to find this school. read more

It was such a terrible memory for our family that we have never really experienced it. In particular, the irresponsible and rude conversation with the director made us afraid until the moment we left. My child has been going to Goddard for almost half a year. Because my child was not able to speak English as native language, she had many difficulties speaking or understanding English. so we asked them to take care of me when she entered. The child complained of difficulties in forming friendships and it was stressful for her, so I asked the teacher to take care of it again. However, the problem was not resolved, and we seriously considered whether we should leave Goddard. It was disappointing that they didn't seem to have taken our concerns seriously, but that was all. Of course, we didn't give them a good evaluation. After then, the director suddenly asked why we gave bad score, and we said it was because we didn't see any improvement and the child was not satisfied. One day she made a mistake with her pants and we found out right away at the dropoff. The child had been left unattended for over two hours in a dirty state. The child was unable to walk properly, but no one noticed. The teacher and classmates didn't do anything, but the child became afraid of them. A child who was active, after half a year with goddard, takes a step backwards when he sees a child of the same age. In the meantime, the director informed us that the child was 100% happy and took action based on your feedback. If the child is 100% happy and there are no problems, why did they take an action? It hadn't been done in half a year. They could but didn't, and now they did something although it was already too late and they thought there was no problem! And, they shared short video that showed what they acted, letting her play with classmates as small group titled 'She's playing with her FRIENDS!'. Title was so aggressive as well. According to the director, she has no problems and has many friends, but I don't know why she looks so awkward. And it was first day she told us "it was so so." Even though she was already hurt, the child responded to that action and made an effort to be part of classmates. However, the director continued to judge the child's feeling arbitrarily and did not want to believe the child's words. In the director's words, the child was 'always' happy, had friends and had no problems holding hands or hugging. In the early days at Goddard, yes, my child tried to make friends beyond language problems, such as saying hello and holding hands. Every day the child came home and cried profusely, saying that it was not going well, did the director see the child as happy? These irresponsible comments convinced us to move school. If you are considering Goddard, please choose carefully. read more

Our first year here and this school is above expectations. Amazing and strong management team with a caring owner that's present and alert. This place is high end, well secured and maintained constantly. Our child has learned so much and the teachers are friendly. The classrooms are wide and clean. Already recommended to a friend. read more

As Goddard parents coming from the Seattle, Washington area, my wife and I could not be more thrilled with what we have heard and seen at the Bethesda school. The owner is an absolute gentleman and knows how to run this institution. He made the time to meet with me on a Saturday to tour the facility and answer all of our questions. Coming from another Goddard school, I know the quality and the expectations are high, but Bethesda in my opinion, is a class above the rest. I am excited to have my two sons enrolling in the coming days ahead. Thank you again. The school year and move to Bethesda can't come fast enough. We are ready for the next chapter in our boys' education. The Hong Family read more

The Goddard School of Bethesda is a great school and the teachers/ administrators have been just outstanding. We were very pleased to see an engaged staff, whom also enjoy seeing their students thrive. The pictures and videos that we got each day, showed that our daughter really seemed to have fun in class and she always was eager to get into the car and get to school. We are going to miss the school and the teachers but highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for a great school to foster the development of your little ones! read more

Upfront tl;dr: This daycare is not good. Look elsewhere in Bethesda for childcare. Also posted as a google review. The longer version: My husband and I recently PCS-ed to the DC area. We had a fantastic daycare where we used to live, so I know what good daycare is like. Childcare is a stressful thing and before moving I was relieved to have secured spots for both of my kids at Goddard.The online reviews, together with the virtual tour I was given by the owner, made me feel confident that I had found a top notch place. Unfortunately, our family did not have a good experience here and we disenrolled our kids after only 3 days of care. In one day there were an unacceptable number of mistakes made in the infant room, and I was not comfortable with my son's experience in the toddler room ("Ponies"). Our daughter's dirty diaper was not changed in a timely fashion despite verbally telling a teacher at dropoff that she was dirty, and we were even sent a photo via the Tadpoles app of her in a dirty, "blown out" onesie. There was confusion about her diet (breastmilk vs formula, despite their stated policy of using separate warmers for breastmilk bottles and formula bottles) with inaccurate feed volumes documented (saying she ate three 5 oz bottles when I only supply 3 oz bottles) and forgetting a bottle in the warmer at pickup (wasting a bottle of expressed breastmilk). There were communication issues with the teachers in my older child's classroom including them not recording complete information regarding diaper changes, naps, and meals as they state they would do in their parent handbook. Once we made the decision to disenroll and picked up our son's things, we discovered they had used a total of seven diapers we provided for 3 full days of school (from 0730 - 1600). I never imagined that at this price point, in this zip code, I would have to worry about diaper changes. As a mom, I can tell you that this place just didn't feel right. There always seemed to be disorganization/chaos in the front office. There was a pervasive lack of attention to detail with the administration and in the classrooms. In addition, this school's tuition is as expensive or more than comparable places in the area and they do not provide breakfast or lunch. When we discussed our concerns with the owner and asked for a refund of one month's tuition (we had paid for 2 full months) he was a total slimeball (sidenote: he is also weirdly obsessed with his center's halo and zono machines and finds a way to bring up their existence into every conversation, including when you are discussing with him why you are disenrolling your kids from his school). He blatantly lied and said he wasn't able to provide a full refund because of the Goddard corporate regulations. We already had a contact at the Goddard corporate offices; we called her direct line, and found that the owner's explanation was totally false and that all refunds are at the discretion of franchise owners - he just lied to us because he is all about the money and doesn't stand beside his "product". (He did give us a partial refund in accordance with his school's handbook, although he acted like he was doing us a favor, instead of following his school's policies.) He kept saying that we didn't give them a chance to rectify things and that was why we couldn't get a full month's tuition refunded. As a mom - I'm sorry, if you mess up with my kids I have a one strike policy and there is no way I'm going to continue letting my kids be cared for there. In no way would I feel okay with my kids being cared for at Goddard Bethesda after what we experienced. In summary, an analogy my husband and I came up with (for the beer lover): it's like they took a bottle of PBR, peeled the label off, and replaced that label with a St Bernardus label. It looks like a bottle of St Bernardus, and I paid for St Bernardus, but it sure doesn't taste like St Bernardus. I cannot recommend this school and definitely suggest you look elsewhere for childcare in Bethesda. Our kids are now enrolled in a different Bethesda daycare and thriving - much happier! read more

They were able to take our five year old this summer when our other summer plans fell through due to COVID. Our son had a great summer there. There staff were responsive, professional and genuinely cared. We would highly recommend this school to anyone looking for a preschool. read more

I do not (yet) have a child enrolled in this school, but I am reviewing based on the tour/open house I had with owner/Director Michael last weekend. He spent over an hour one-on-one with me walking me through the school, safety, cleanliness, and curriculum of the school. I have just begun my search for a daycare/preschool but I feel this will be hard to beat just based on others I have visited so far. It is a bit cost prohibitive, but I can see why it costs more and what value you get for it. I look forward to potentially sending my child here one day. read more

The Goddard School in Bethesda is one of the best early childhood development programs that I have ever encountered. My son started at Goddard in January after a cross country move and the owner, directors, and teachers have been nothing short of amazing. I highly recommend the Goddard School of Bethesda to anyone looking to build an outstanding academic foundation for their child. read more

Our daughter was at The Goddard School of Bethesda for two years. We were one of the first families to sign up when the school first opened. My daughter had wonderful teachers the entire time she was at the school and built many friendships during the two years she was enrolled; unfortunately, all of the teachers that my daughter had are no longer employed at the school and the majority of her friends have left. My husband and I ultimately decided to transition our daughter out of Goddard and enroll in a much smaller, non profit run school. Goddard has had a huge amount of turnover in the two years that it has been open. While turnover in the daycare industry is to be expected (about 30%) losing your entire staff plus two administrations in two years isn't normal. The ownership will tell you that all of the teachers have left because they had issues with management and/or weren't properly credentialed and couldn't meet the new, rigorous standards that the school is now in the process of applying for. If the teachers weren't properly credentialed they should have never been hired in the first place. The ownership's plan has been to apply for additional accreditation from the beginning (with Montgomery county and NAEYC); why hire any teacher that didn't meet those standards from the beginning? Many, many good teachers were let go or left not because they didn't have the right credentials but because the environment that was created at Goddard was not one that cares about its teachers but one that cares about the schools bottom line. One example: One of my daughter's teacher provided her two week notice right before my daughter was set to transition out of her class. Two days before the teachers last day, she was let go and escorted out of her classroom by the administration. This was done in the middle of the day in front of all of her students. The kids weren't able to say goodbye and the teacher was not given the courtesy of wrapping up her affairs before being forced out of the building. While any employer is perfectly entitled to fire an employee at any point, why on earth would you escort a teacher out her classroom in front of children that you've been allowing her to teach for 6 months two days before she's supposed to be leaving? Another example: The classroom that my daughter transitioned into lost all three of its teachers right before my daughter moved into that classroom (one left for anther school, one was fired and another left to go back to school). The new teacher that was hired was abrupt with the children and totally unreliable. She was fired within two months of being hired and replaced with a teacher who seemed to be unable to control the 20 kids she had under her care. Yes, 20 3 year olds in a class with two teachers. The Goddard School is also the most expensive school in the area that provides the least amount for the money. The children aren't provided breakfast or lunch but instead two snacks per day. There is the option for "pizza Weds" which graciously allows you to purchase 1 slice of pizza, cut in half and a half a banana for $8 per week. (A sad way to make money...) Snacks that are provided are of low quality and not anything to get excited about. There is an annual registration fee plus a $300 summer fee (if you un-enroll for the summer, you are not guaranteed a spot for the fall, you have to re-enroll as a new student which means new fee's...). The fee's go up 3% per year, no exception. (Again, they are running a business so they are entitled to make money, however, the business that they're running happens to be taking care of children for a very high price). They do provide a number of events throughout the summer and musical and language teachers during the school year, but, for $1,780 per month (for a 3 year old) i'd rather have less enrichment and more supplies for the classroom and better quality food. The classrooms also have parties throughout the year, parents are encouraged to bring in supplies (like food and goodie bags, etc.) again, for $1,700 per month, the school should be able to provide whatever extra's the teachers need for a party. Lastly, you are required to provide 31 days notice if you plan on leaving in order to apply your deposit to your last month's tuition. If you don't provide 31 day notice, you don't get to apply the deposit. They also will no pro rate the monthly tuition if you leave in the middle of the month. Miss the deadline and you miss getting your money back. Bottom line is that we lost faith in this school. The owners do not create a supportive environment for the teachers. When you lose good teachers, you are putting the children who you are tasked to care for in a very stressful situation. Children need consistency and by having a rotating door of teachers there is no way to maintain any consistency. The on site owner is a very good salesmen, don't let him sell you a bridge to nowhere. read more

Have had 2 kids at this school for about 2 years. I really like the Goddard system, they send photos of kids throughout the day to parents. I do feel that both of my kids have been happy here and progressing nicely, which I did not necessarily feel at other daycares. While there was some turn over of teachers some months ago, I think some of that was adjusting to the new administration and their style. I am happy with the new administartion and find them to be responsive to parents and seem to be making efforts to keep teachers happy and retained, while still providing good oversight. One of the directors, Mike, teaches the kids some piano, which I think is amazing! My daughter recently showed me where the 'high note' and 'low notes' are on the piano. Over all I am quite pleased with the school. read more

We love Goddard School Bethesda. My son started attending when he was 2 years old, he's now 4, and we have been very happy. We had originally planned for him to attend the school for the first year and then transfer to a different preschool that had an Italian immersion program (which was important to us.) After 6 months at the school, we were so pleased that we decided to keep him at Goddard until he aged out and was to enroll in Kindergarten. The facility is great and the playground, in my opinion, is their biggest asset. Not only is it double enclosed for the children's safety, but they use a Pour-in-Place rubber flooring to prevent kids from hurting themselves and they have the equipment tented as to prevent the sun from making it to hot to play on. The curriculum is also wonderful, my 4-year-old knows how to do subtractions and he learned it through play! He is learning Spanish and Chinese, has learned some Yoga poses and some sign language. He has new appreciation for music through John Henry, who plays and sings. He has made close friendships and is learning important life lessons. And the Summer Camp program is amazing. They have a variety of educational guests who come to the school and entertain as well as educate (my son especially loves the Reptile guys) and they have field trips for the older children. All the staff, not only his teachers and directors, know my son by first name. I would be lying if I didn't say we have had a few issues, however all of them were handled competently by the Goddard Directors. Nicole especially has been amazingly helpful. Everyone really cares for the kids at the school, and it shows. I would certainly recommend the school to anyone who was looking for a preschool. read more

It is with great pleasure that I am writing this review. I only wish there was a special 6 star rating for a school like this one. The Goddard school Of Bethesda is a wonderful establishment. I can't praise everyone enough; from the front office administration staff to the teachers within the classrooms. From the moment you walk through the door, you are met with smiles and an upbeat energy. The hallways and classrooms are colorful and vibrant. Each and everyone of the staff, is professional and courteous, caring, and nurturing and as a result, we as parents couldn't be more thrilled that our son is not only the happiest little boy attending school but also thriving academically and socially. The teachers and classrooms under the direction and close supervision of Mike and Nicole are well equipped with supplies, books, educational activities and in general so many fun ideas for young minds that are hungry to learn. It's apparent that everybody in that school is extremely passionate about what they do. We are so grateful to have finally found our second home and second family. Like I said, this school highly deserves a special 6 star rating and we would gladly recommend to anyone! read more

Disclaimer- we do not have a child enrolled at the Goddard school- however we probably would have we not witnessed a deal breaker on the tour. We loved the School for the most part when we toured, the teachers seemed very friendly, and the curriculum seemed very engaging especially for the 2.5 plus crowd, which our child was. The facility is brand new, they have a pediatrician on call, my husband loved that, and they seem to have all their i's dotted and their t's crossed. All the teachers have degrees in higher education or equivalent. But what's really important to me as a parent is that the teachers engage the children, the children are constantly engaged. And we thought, well, maybe we'll have another child (sibling), so during the tour, we also asked to see the baby rooms. And we were quite put off to see three 18-24 month olds lined up watching an iPad, not at all engaged in any particular curriculum or activity, but watching a screen for a period of at least 5 minutes while we were in the room. I was so distracted I could barely ask any questions. I could understand the older children, singing along to the alphabet and watching the screen, some type of engagement... and I knew the teachers had iPads to take pictures of the kids to send to parents. But I was not at all expecting babies, with their rapidly developing nervous systems to be sitting at any point and engaging in screen time. If you choose this school, I would drop in randomly and definitely get in writing, the screen time policy. For me, it was a deal breaker. Especially at this price, I think you could find something equivalent. read more

We love this school! We weren't sure what to expect but our 20-month old son is thriving at The Goddard School Bethesda and we couldn't be happier with our choice. Our son takes music class, Spanish class, arts & crafts and even yoga! He has learned about the weather and the holidays and the seasons and we get daily reports on his activities and progress. (Please note that I am very careful to call Goddard a "school" and not daycare because it really is so much more). The facilities are brand new and state of the art. The teachers (and administrators) are top notch and are working with us to ensure our son develops into a smart and happy little boy. The Goddard School Bethesda has far exceeded our expectations and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend the school to others. read more

As parents of a boy who has been going to Goddard of Bethesda since he was nine months old, we are exceedingly pleased. My husband is an astronomer and I am a physician, so we are STEM-oriented, and just in the months of March and April, the children have been able to experience watching eggs incubate and chicks hatch, are receiving butterfly gardens where catapillars will create cocoons and then hatch as butterflies before being released outdoors, have cracked open geodes to have a discussion about geology, and will have a visit from a nonprofit organization that provides therapy dogs to people with disabilities... lots of science-based themes, but lots of art and social skills as well. My son picked up a fork at home off our dining table at age 12 or 13 months and used it- properly- to pick up food on his tray and eat it, which was obviously a skill that he was taught at Goddard because neither my husband nor I had ever given him a fork! They also taught him to blow kisses, hold writing utensils and scribble on paper, and finger paint. We have not yet had a single bad experience, though of course it has only been seven months... but thus far he always nods a resounding YES when we ask if he is ready to go to school in the morning (which I take as a sign that he loves it there) and I would recommend the school to anyone. read more

Recently moved to the area and we were filled with trepidation re: child care. Between the wait lists, attrition in many centers as well as lack of diversity in some centers the process of finding a place for both our children to enjoy the summer seemed a bit daunting. That all was erased the day we met the wonderful team at Goddard Bethesda. Not only did they do everything possible to accommodate our late arrival they really made us feel a part of a bigger family. The attention to detail, the management, teachers, facilities at this center are frankly hard to beat. The teachers in my children's class and other classes are phenomenal. They are extremely invested and go out of their way to learn about your child and your family. I am so grateful for them and the peace of mind I have knowing my children are in such capable hands. When my oldest son transitioned to kindergarten he couldn't stop asking when he would be able to go back to Goddard. Our family would recommend this center to anyone looking for childcare that really speaks to the heart of a parent. read more