The River School is an incredible place that has been life-changing for our family. After our…read moreyoungest son was diagnosed with hearing loss at 2.5 years, we found The River School. That diagnosis lead to an incredible path of support, communication, therapy, learning, and tutoring through The River School for the past 6 years. The River School is an inclusive, diverse, welcoming, empathetic and loving environment for our sons. Our older son joined the school the next year and stayed through 5th grade. We were impressed with how he embraced a love for learning, developed confidence across all subjects, and benefited from the incredible social-emotional support that is embedded throughout the school's culture. Every teaching team has provided unique insights into our sons' learning styles and supported their very different personalities and learning styles. Outplacement after 5th was great. We highly recommend The River School and are so grateful for all the teachers, staff, doctors and administrators that make The River School possible and work each day to make sure all the students are thriving.

Can't say enough positive things about this school. We've seen our son Jackson blossom into a…read moreconfident, intelligent, articulate, and eager to learn young boy. He started as a "turtle" at 18 months and just finished the "alligator" class at age 4. He loves going to school every day and we continue to be impressed by how much he learns. What this school offers for not only kids with hearing loss but typically hearing peers is very unique and we've had a difficult time finding a school like this anywhere else in the country. We located from Colorado for this school when our son was born profoundly deaf and received cochlear implants at age 1. Our son has constant access to sound with the support from The River School. He gets listening checks daily and with audiology on site if we ever have a problem it gets addressed right away. There is a master's level speech language pathologist in each class. You would never know my son was born with a profound hearing loss because his speech and hearing are better than most kids his age. Thanks to the support of the River School, I never have to worry about my son's hearing loss limiting him in life.

I have been coming here to read (as a DC librarian) since 2019. The teachers and director are truly…read morededicated to the children. They create a warm and welcoming environment for all. Highly recommend!

Our daughter is in her second year at Palisades Preschool and we couldn't be happier. The teachers…read moreare excellent, responsive and totally invested. The parents are engaged and show up. The community has been wonderful for us as parents as much as for the children. The cost is comparable to other preschools in the area and worth every dime. Our son will enroll in 2020 and we look forward to a couple more years with the Preschool!

We sent our daughter to CHMS for three years, and we'd do it again without hesitating…read more The education is excellent. She left reading and doing math at a level we couldn't have imagined for a five-year-old. What makes it work is that CHMS makes learning feel fun and intuitive rather than forced. Some of our most cherished memories of these years are of her coming home excited to show off something she'd written or a math puzzle she'd cracked. The administrators, teachers, and staff are friendly, accessible, and accountable. Communication is consistently clear, an app makes messaging simple, and our questions have always gotten thoughtful answers. When there's a bumped head or a similar incident, we hear about it promptly and in real detail. Not once in three years did we wonder whether our daughter was safe, whether her time was being spent well, or whether someone who cared about her was paying attention. The school also hosts back-to-school nights where parents meet one-on-one with their child's teacher, along with other chances to observe your child at work in the classroom -- a rare gift, and something we'll always be glad we got to see. The community events are lovely. The children put on a concert every winter and spring, and there's an annual pizza party and a trike-a-thon where the kids show off their cycling skills while raising money for a good cause. These are the occasions where we got to watch our daughter with her classmates and teachers and see how much she'd grown. CHMS is thoughtful about food, too. A monthly calendar lays out exactly what's being served each day, the meals are genuinely healthy, and lunch here meaningfully broadened the range of foods our daughter will try at home. CHMS has never been merely a place that watched our child during the workday. It's a caring educational community that helped her flourish, and one we've felt privileged to be part of. We'll miss it dearly as we head off to kindergarten this fall -- though we're thrilled at how ready she so clearly is for what comes next.

We couldn't be happier with our experience at CHMS! We had two children enrolled and from day one,…read morewe knew they were in wonderful hands. The warmth, kindness, and dedication of the staff are unmatched. Watching our youngest flourish in such a nurturing environment and seeing our oldest build the confidence, curiosity, and skills needed for kindergarten has been incredible. CHMS has truly laid a rock-solid foundation for their early education. We are so grateful our kids had such a wonderful experience and recommend CHMS to any parent looking for an exceptional early childhood experience!

It's a safe environment for your kids. Foxhall is a lovely family friendly neighborhood. I love the…read moreconstant pictures and videos we get throughout the day from the school. Also, I love that the children have a great outdoor field/nature space to explore. Indoors- the science, math, and reading are top notch. I love how my daughter's confidence has soared here.

I love MSOW! The owner and staff take great care of the little ones and the academia is top-tier! I…read morehighly recommend this school in a heart beat!

Our experience at VINCI Merrifield came down to three major concerns families should carefully look…read moreinto before enrolling. First, we were not able to clearly verify the school's accreditation or how it is formally recognized in Virginia. This is something parents should ask about directly and confirm for themselves. Second, the "immersion" program did not match what was expected. Language instruction felt limited in practice, and in our experience it did not function as a true immersion environment. It was more occasional language exposure than consistent daily immersion. Third, while the academic program is very challenging, there is limited in-school support when students struggle. Families should be prepared to supplement with outside tutoring or additional resources to help students keep up. Overall, the school may fit some families looking for a small micro-school model, but it did not align with our expectations for structure, language immersion, and academic support.

I am writing this as a very concerned mother. My 2-year-old daughter was mistreated by a teacher at…read moreVinci School in Arlington, VA. My daughter started telling me she was being hit at school and became visibly fearful of her teacher. When I reported this to the administration, they reviewed the cameras. The owner herself showed us the footage where the teacher threw my daughter down and left her crying. This aggressive behavior of the teacher only confirms what my daughter is saying is accurate. Based on what the owner, Dr. Dan, said, there is a blind spot in the classroom. What disturbed me even more was the school's response. Instead of removing the teacher, the owner told us she would simply go through "more training." I cannot understand how someone who physically mistreated a toddler is allowed to continue working with children. This has been an incredibly painful experience for my family, and I would never want another parent or child to go through the same thing. Please be cautious if you are considering this school. Children deserve to be cared for, protected, and safe -- not fearful of the people who are supposed to nurture them.

My daughters went to Tender Roots when it opened in 2006. We found the atmosphere to be…read moreoutstanding for young minds to develop in a way that made the children want to learn, experience new things and explore. While the original founder, Dusty Rummer, seems to have moved on, looking at the available pictures seems to indicate that her vision and method are still in place, and have been expanded upon. If that's the case, then I would recommend Tender Roots for an early childhood educational venue without any hesitation. My now teenaged girls loved it, and have fond memories of it.

Tender Roots is wonderful, a gentle beginning for your child into exploration and a school…read moreenvironment. There's free play, circle time, exploration, snack, studio time, yoga, music & movement and playground fun! Being able to see your child engage and explore with peers ranging in ages from 9 months to 3 is priceless. One of the biggest comforts is the connections made with parents, increasing each year into a supportive and collaborative community, that stays with you beyond your time at Tender Roots.

An absolute gem in the heart of Georgetown. The teachers are incredible and balance being nuturing…read morewhile encouraging independence. My daughter attended for three years and was not only incredibly competent but very self-assured starting Kindergarten. My son currently attends and has grown by leaps and bounds year over year, he loves going to school every morning--the most important indicator of an amazing establishment! The teachers are tenured and the parent group is inclusive and fun! We consider ourselves very fortunate to be a part of the GMS community!

Amazing school with dedicated, experienced teachers who create an ideal place for preschoolers to…read morelearn and develop life skills

My oldest son has now attended Overlee for a little over 1 year, and we could not be more happy…read morewith the school. We truly feel like we've all joined a big family. The two teachers are wonderful, and the set up of the school is well-done. The preschool rents space in a church on Military Dr in N. Arlington, though it's not associated with the church. It's split into 3 classes by age (Bluebirds 2-3 yr olds, Bluebirds 3-4 yr olds, and Redbirds 4-5 yr olds). It's a cooperative school, which means that parents take turns being the "helper" in the class along with the teacher. You end up volunteering once every one or two weeks. This is a great chance to see your little one interacting with their friends, which is really sweet at this age. Each parent also has a "job", like being on the membership committee, or fundraising, etc. Even though it may seem that this would require one of the parents to work from home, about half of the families seem to have nannies/au pairs who pick up and drop off (though the parent is required to do the co-op part). We've been really happy with the experience we've had so far. The teachers really know what they're doing and have been teaching for a really long time. I really like the philosophy there, which is that learning happens through play predominately at their ages. They do enrichment activities every so often, such as yoga and taekwondo. The play ground there is amazing, and I know my little one is getting tons of exercise each day. If you're looking for a school, I would definitely check out Overlee. We feel very lucky to have joined such a great group!

My twins have been going to Overlee since they were two, and are going to join the 4 year old…read moreclass, the Redbirds class. They love their teachers and friends. Overlee is a community, a family. In the summers, my girls are constantly asking me when they can go back to school.