My sweet kiddo is graduating from Braddock Preschool after 3 years. I am so sad to leave! Every…read moresingle teacher has loved my boy, like their own family. He's completed the 3-4-5 year old classrooms with Miss Cassie, Mrs. Helen, and Ms. Denise. We've also done before/after care, with Mrs. Blanca. He's also done the summer program, every year. Every single teacher has been amazing, caring, professional, and supportive to my son's individual nature (he's very curious and smart!). My son started with a speech delay. Fast forward 3 years, and he talks too much! Our ped says our boy has the vocab of a second grader! He knows his ABCs, how to count to a million, put together puzzles, color within the lines, how to sit in a chair, and how to play well with other kids. He has such a great educational foundation to start elementary school and also be a global citizen in the Big World.

smaller, more thoughtful environment to balance the teaching of your child through the mind and the…read moresoul. Love this place!

My almost-four-year-old son currently attends Griffin Academy. We are working parents and needed…read morefull-day care, and we did a pretty exhaustive search in the area for an affordable preschool. I cannot BELIEVE how lucky we are to have found this place. Let me tell you why you should send your kids here. Even before I talk about my son's experience, I need to mention how well this program is run. Kristine Lee, the preschool director, is one of the warmest, kindest, most competent and professional humans with whom I've had the pleasure of interacting. She was so responsive and helpful throughout our enrollment process that we felt like we were already family members from the first contact. This was not our experience with other preschool programs. Many private preschools, like the one our older daughter attended, have strict arbitrary rules, parent work hour requirements, and intimidating admission processes that (for us) made us feel a tiny bit unwelcome. None of this from Westminster. This private school, with its classical focus, has managed to wrap us in its arms and surround us with a community of funny, warm, and down-to-earth people. It feels EASY, not stressful, to attend school here. As private school first-timers, we had to adjust to uniforms, but it's been no sweat. Teachers. We knew that our son liked his teacher, and that she (and all of the Griffin teachers) had been kind to him, and patient as he adjusted to a full day of school. We were so incredibly impressed when we met her in person at back-to-school night. Beyond having exactly the personality you would want for a preschool teacher (gentle, nurturing, and understanding), Miss Horner brings incredible expertise and professional knowledge to her job as classroom teacher. I myself am a board-certified teacher, so I have some clue about what they do, and my son's teacher is at the top of her game. Literally every aspect of her students' experience seems to have been designed with their development in mind. Everything in the classroom is accessible to the children, with the goal of fostering their independence, improving their fine and gross motor skills, and promoting harmony. The children are taught to greet each other respectfully, refer to their classmates as "friends", and express appreciation frequently. We toured other schools in our search, and at some well-known schools, we were dismayed to notice that the teachers did not seem to have a loving relationship with their students. My son's teachers LOVE him, and it shows. This was the single most important thing that we as parents were looking for. Every child deserves to experience preschool in a class like my son's, and we cannot overstate how fortunate we feel to have landed here. Here are some other fun things that we love: - They go on field trips (on the Westminster bus!) on almost a monthly basis. That is so many out-of-class experiences! - Each classroom has an imaginative play area that changes monthly (post office! garden! cave! grocery store!). - You can pack your child's lunch, OR order hot lunch from their service! Or both! - Excite Soccer offers a short after-school class on Thursdays, and our son goes to this and LOVES it. - French. Library. Music. Science. Our preschooler's schedule is as varied and rich as our 1st-grader's. My son is a wiggly little boy. Was I worried that he wouldn't have enough opportunity to move and play in the course of his rigorous classical education? I was. I've got one word for you: GYMNASIUM. If you can show me another preschool where kids get to run around a huge gym first thing every single morning, I'll be astonished. My guy comes home happy and tired every day. I'm typing all of this because when we were looking for preschools, there weren't a lot of parent reviews to read, and parents need to know that this wonderful option is available. Look no further!

Our son went to Griffin Academy for preschool and he attended some of the Griffin camps (winter,…read morespring, summer.) Griffin Academy is part of the Westminster School, however, it is on a different campus and it is run by a different headmaster. So first, I must say that this review is for Griffin Academy not Westminster as we do not have any experience with Westminster directly. The best part of Griffin Academy is the teaching staff (actually, all of the staff) and the facilities. If you take a tour of the facilities I have no doubt you will be very impressed. Having an indoor gym-type of space in the winter was hugely beneficial. Also, the teaching staff was excellent, and I mean really excellent. My son had a primary teacher who he adored and then he did rotate through other teachers who teach specialty subjects, and they all got to know him and I was really impressed with all of them. The expectations, educationally, were set very high which works well for my son and our family because I felt that he was pushed just the right amount. The class sizes are small so the teachers are really able to work with the kids at the level that they are at. They also worked a lot on his manners and his social interactions. My son came out of Griffin at age 4, able to sight read entire books on his own, silently, to himself. So educationally, I cannot fault Griffin at all; I was very impressed. Our son was definitely not bored, which is a big thing for us. The hours that they provide childcare/school for are also very good for working parents, as they provide a variety of options to allow the parents to be able to choose and manage the hours of school and childcare that they need. The price was also surprisingly much more affordable than a lot of other preschools. The only reason I am not giving the school 5 stars is because, just out of bad luck, is our son really didn't have that many other boys in his class, so unfortunately a lot of the stereotypical boy activities, he was not able to partake in to the fullest extent of what he would have preferred, so I ended up having to enroll him in some outside extracurricular activities (karate, etc.) just to kind of make up that deficit. The class he was in was almost all girls. However, as I say, I realize that experience was probably just unique to us and unfortunate due to the way the classes broke down. The reason that is a big deal to me is my son needs a lot of physical activity to get his energy out and that really requires him basically running around like a maniac playing soccer, etc. He is already at the age where he doesn't want to play what he thinks of as girly games so that was a bit of an issue during the school times, was not having enough physical activity for his liking. (***During the camps sessions it was a better mixture of boys and girls so this problem actually completely went away for us during all of the Griffin camp sessions.) The only other pretty minor complaint I had about the school was at times I felt they were a bit too strict on some things that I myself am pretty relaxed on - especially the "clean your plate" mentality, I am not really that into. On the flip side, his manners were much improved and he is able to do a lot more on his own and for himself than he was when he went into Griffin, so I have mixed feelings about that. All in all, I would really recommend Griffin, it is a very good preschool, and when our daughter is old enough we will probably be sending our daughter there.

Dolley Madison Preschool was THE BEST first-time school experience for both my boys ages 5 and 2…read more They absolutely loved their teachers, enjoyed playing with their friends, brought home cute crafts, and their vocabulary and confidence skyrocketed. Both my boys looked forward to going to school every single day. It's the genuine, welcoming feeling you get from the nurturing teachers and friendly community that makes Dolley Madison Preschool EXTRAordinary. We love DMPS!

This school is the best kept secret in McLean. My oldest went to Country Day and then I tried DMPS…read morefor my youngest because we had some neighbor friends that she'd be in the same class with. The teachers I have met thus far are incredible. Smart. Compassionate. Energetic. The facility is darling and the most important piece - my daughter LOVES school. I highly recommend you look into this school.

STAY AWAY!! Don't trust this place. Just gave everyone 2 week notice that their fees are going up…read more$50 a week/$200 more a month a 15% increase. Plus a yearly re-enrollment fee of $150 and a Summer Camp Activity fee of $350 for absolutely nothing. In addtion, you pay for 5 days of daycare and they close certain days for their internal staff events and leave scrambling to find another babysitter and you still have to pay them for being closed. This place is small, only have 1 bathroom, too many kids and our baby was also always getting sick here. NOT WORTH THE PRICE OR THE HEADACHE!!

My son has gone to MCDA the past 2 years, and he loves the friendly staff and educational…read moreactivities. The teaching team is very organized and well qualified. I love the diversity of both the teaching team and students. The Director is very skilled and responsive. And they have done an excellent job reopening responsibly during COVID. Thanks MCDA!

BTP is an amazing center. My school-age children were enrolled this summer and they had a blast…read more The owner Maureen was great and accommodated to meet my needs. The teachers are really sweet and always greeted the children well. My children enjoyed the different trips , lunches and special treats. Great summer program overall.

BTPL is hands-down one of the best we found in this area! Our baby attended from babyhood into…read moretoddlerhood and received excellent care from all the teachers and we absolutely LOVE this place! Unfortunately we had to move. In fact, it was so hard for us to find a match in our new area, so we've been driving 20+ miles everyday just to send our son to this daycare for about half a year, until we finally found another place that met our standards and was kind of a match to this place. Maureen the manager is really such a great educator who truly cares for children, very understanding, supportive and reasonable, which is really hard to find. And she is always reachable by phone. They truly treat each child for their individual needs, which is unbelievable but true. Our son is a pandemic baby and this is the very first daycare he ever attended when he was 18 months old, but the school made the transition very easy for him he fit in right away! We've been in different classes and we love all the teachers. We will always grateful for the love and care we have received here, and we truly miss them.

As a parent of a Westminster School graduate, I can say with confidence that this institution…read moresignificantly, positively, and permanently influences children's lives. My child, for nine years (K-8), grew up in a caring community dedicated to bringing out the best in every student. Westminster's teachers are passionate about their subjects and truly go the extra mile to help students achieve academic success. Even more importantly, the emphasis of the school, as guided by a devoted administration, is the holistic growth of each child. It starts with the etiquette and respect for one's elders that is expected of all students; it continues with opportunities for enrichment such as taking classes on public speaking. It "ends" with the 8th grade play, the last of nine annual shows in which those who have attended Westminster since kindergarten will have performed a major role and which allows students to blossom into the poised, self-confident, self-aware, and ultimately well-rounded people they have consistently been raised to be. The lessons and impact of Westminster really never end. I cannot tell you how much my son mentions his time at Westminster and thanks its community for building him into who he is today. As an up and coming professional play-by-play broadcaster, he points to the extensive public speaking experience he received at a young age as a key factor in his success. He also often speaks of accomplishing tasks "neatly, completely, and with pride," a Westminster expectation for every student, faculty and administrative staff member of the school. While it may be daunting to think of the cost of a private school K-8 education, Westminster School is extremely competitive and the education your child receives will pay immense dividends throughout the rest of his or her life!

Horrible. Rigid, unreasonably structural, not even remotely understanding of different needs. One…read morelittle girl (middle school age) wasn't allowed to leave her classroom to use the restroom. She actually needed to change her menstrual pad, but couldn't! Another child was denied a water fountain break after playing sports. And I could go on... The school is all about control and the headmaster's ego. And about school plays. . Please, keep your children far far away! There are other excellent private schools in our area and we are also fortunate enough to have very good public schools too.

Let me start off with a big THANK YOU, to all of the staff that worked at Jackson Childcare. The…read moreregular updates and communication from the staff gave me peace of mind. My daughter loved the regular music classes and all of the enrichment activities. Our girl lights up every morning when she sees her. Ms. Jackson will forever be a part of our family; we are so grateful for her! She's the best at what she does... Won't be disappointed and your kids will be loved and safe while learning Thank you so much

Our child did not enjoy Jackson Child Care. In our experience, her treatment of toddlers was harsh…read moreand wasn't appropriate for our child's development. We are still "unlearning" our child from some of the toxic lessons learned at Jackson Childcare (ie. don't cry/be emotional, etc.). We started off well here, but overtime, determined that this provider was too strict for our child.

Life Changing! This was our first year at Oakwood, and despite COVID, it was by far the best year…read moreof school that my daughter has ever had. She thrived academically, emotionally and socially. She now loves to read and write stories, and she is happy to do her homework everyday, with out any prodding from me. Best of all, she now believes in herself and her ability to learn. They handled the distance learning brought on by COVID beautifully, and she was able to keep learning and engaging with her class and teachers all the way through the end of school. My only regret is that I didn't start her at Oakwood two years earlier.

Incredible School. I attended Oakwood School for nine years because I got diagnosed with Dyslexia,…read moreDyscalculia and some executive functioning issues when I was seven years old. Oakwood school's owners and staff have been wonderful throughout my education. Had it not been for Oakwood School I would have never been able to graduate from High School and graduate from Northern Va Community College with an Associates degree of science with a Major in General Studies. I give Oakwood School Five Stars because the teachers work very hard to teach and inspire their students.