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.

After the Covid down year, our kids 8 & 10 were behind and struggling. Rachel found the gaps in…read moretheir knowledge and has been working to fill those in addition to any new concepts presented at school. I can't say enough about the personal service received from Rachel. We tried huntington before, mathnasium has been much better for us. A lot of the kids teaching seem to be former students which helps them relate. I highly recommend if your kids suffered the covid gap. Wish he had started here vs Huntington.

I just wanted to give a huge shout out to Rachel and the Mathnasium team of Burke! They are…read moreawesome! Rachel honestly cares about your child's learning!! My learning-to-be-responsible daughter, has signed up and missed like 4 classes and each time Rachel has called or texted me a friendly reminder that she didn't log in (they're doing virtual tutoring for now)-NOT something she needs to do for sure. (You pay a tuition, not per class, so she loses nothing if your child doesn't log on/attend). Please consider them for your child's math - both of my kids has benefited from learning here- catch up and to maintain- they really are great to work with! They also have a trial period, and will tell you if the child will not do well with their style of teaching... she isn't just out for the bucks! #WeloveMathnasiumBurke!

I had a bad experience with this school. My childs teacher was great but the lady who manages the…read moreschool is horrible. I believe her last name is Usher. She has no respect or education for parents. Last time, she kept questioning a parent and I saw him yelled at him. My child has been bullied and nothing has been done. It is still the same thing. I am glad my child is not coming to this school anymore after it ends in June 2024. I will transfer or move my child to another elementary school. I hope FCPS can do something because its unfair for parents and kids.

My son has attended Kindergarten at this school and I have had no problems. His teacher, Ms…read more Angowski is everything I could have wanted for my child's first year in public school. I am consistently updated about my son's progress in school and reassured about any concerns or issues. The student body is eclectic and classroom size is fair (he has 16 classmates but two teachers). I attended this school myself from grades 2 through 5 and had a great experience. Highly Recommended.

We've been officially attending Best Brains for 6 weeks and noticed a difference in the first two…read moreweeks, hence, why our son Chance is still a member! I love how vocal Silky is with our son and us! She gives Chance a progress report almost every visit so we can work with him on things at home that needs improvement! Chance loves going and he is a very smart kid that loves to learn! If you are looking for a place with great teachers, director and a great system, look NO FURTHER!!!!!!! You will NOT be disappointed in any way & your son and/or daughter will excel!!!!

Great location! Wonderful administrator and teachers who know what they're doing. The curriculum is…read morecommon core aligned (to the schools). Start kids as young as 3. The center is clean and inviting

We did Accotink for kindergarten to take advantage of the half day program before sending our son…read moreto public school. We absolutely loved it! The administration, teachers, and academics are excellent. We felt that our son was challenged academically but also very engaged with all the fun activities and events. Highly recommend!

We enrolled our daughter here for 1 year before moving. We lived right next to the school and found…read moreit to be an excellent preschool. I would highly recommend!

My son attended this daycare starting at 3mos of age and is now in the toddler program. While…read morechildcare anywhere is going to have its ups and downs, in general we have been happy with our experience here. The teachers all seem affectionate towards my son and interested in his wellbeing, and he already knows many of their names and greets them happily. They do all the stuff you hope to see like having a reading curriculum and getting a fruit/veggie with every meal. The center also has a *huge* amount of outdoor space compared to other daycares I've visited, with multiple age-appropriate play sets. For the older kids they also have a small pool - a pool! - completed with some spray toys. The kids have to pass a swim test before they are allowed in. When I was a kid we never had cool stuff like that at daycare!

My three grandkids attend this daycare. I have trusted them since the oldest who is now in 5th…read moregrade started with Minnieland as an infant. My overall experience has been a good one. Ms. Tracey is very personable and compassionate - when she became the Director at Cloverdale my family followed her. Two of my g-kids have transitioned through all the age level classrooms at Cloverdale and I found each teacher to be welcoming and nurturing. They always keep me informed. I am a healthcare worker (essential personnel) whose job is even more demanding as a result of COVID-19. I am very appreciative of all the staff that are able to work during this national emergency ensuring that the environment for themselves and the children is safe and as comfortable as possible. Ms. Tracey, Ms. Marquita and staff thank you for all you do and for considering your staff, the families you serve and the community during this difficult time. It is much appreciated!

We want to express our gratitude for all the wonderful care and love you have provided to our…read moredaughter over the last several months. During delivery she suffered a brain injury and was diagnosed with HIE. The doctors anticipated she would have delays with rolling over, crawling, walking, and many other developmental milestones. This year our daughter has shown determination, strength, and a lot of growth, allowing her to meet all the milestones the doctors worried she would not. We give much of that credit to the wonderful women at Goddard taking amazing care of her these last since she was 4.5 months old. We are excited to see what the next year brings her and grateful she will be sharing it with the amazing women at Goddard! Thank you!

Found the best fit for my daughter Harleen. This school brought out the best of her! Friendly and…read morevery understanding teachers and stuffs!

Since attending Mathnasium of Lorton, my daughter's confidence and performance in Pre-calculus has…read moreincreased tremendously. The owner, Jim, and his tutoring staff have been extremely helpful during my daughter's time at the center. Jim has personally gone above and beyond to ensure my daughter understands the material being taught in her class. I'm very appreciative of all the tutors at Mathnasium.

We've only been with Mathnasium a short time, but my daughter is eager to do Math and attend. That…read morein itself is huge! The center is clean, inviting, the instructors are friendly, and I feel comfortable with my daughter there. Jim, the director, is extremely aware of everything going on, and makes sure the children are being picked up by the correct adults. It's the little things I've noticed here that will keep us coming back!