I highly recommend Montessori Children's Center in Centreville. This place truly fosters the…read moreMontessori child-centered educational approach, nurturing each child's natural desire for knowledge, respect and understanding. My son has been going to this school for almost two years and has been flourishing in this environment, thanks to the dedication and patience with which the teachers have treated him. The school director, Ms. Rama, is very knowledgeable, hard working, and always available to answer our questions in a timely manner. What I appreciate the most is the flexibility offered in order to meet every child's needs, and the kindness with which my son is being treated here. He loves going to school here and hugs the teacher when he sees her. Also, MCC has great classes all year round. We love the summer program!

My oldest daughter has been going to MCC for 4 years. I highly recommend this place because of the…read moreteachers and the extra care they give to students. Ms. Amrit has decades of experience and really knows each students' needs and strengths. the individualized attention she gives each students makes a big difference in preparing them for kindergarten. My son also goes to MCC and he learned structures and routines that helped us at home.

Review update We've…read morehad such an amazing experience with this Montessori preschool! As our son gets ready for kindergarten, we're so thankful for everything he's learned here. My daughter also attended Bismal Academy, she was more than ready for kindergarten--especially in reading and math. The teachers do a great job helping each child learn at their own pace while making learning fun. I can see my son is well prepared for it as well. We also loved the fun theme days, hands-on activities, and the healthy organic snacks and home-cooked meals they provided every day. Most of all, we always knew our kids were loved, safe, and well cared for. I look forward our weekly photos update. We couldn't have asked for a better place for them to grow and learn. We are more than pleased with Ms Laiba and her team. She is affordable with convenient extended hours for working parents. I highly recommend her to anyone

My 2 yr old has been going to Bismah Academy all summer long and what can say? The friendly…read moreatmosphere , the cleanliness you will find there is unmatchable, he couldn't wait to go in the car and run to the door. The beautiful greeting with always a smile on their face. Miss Laiba is great, they became like a second home to us. She has a Montessori background which is ideal to every child, learning and fun activities. She is Very patient and attentive to every detail. I felt very safe and confident sending my boy to the academy.

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.

As a first time parent we wanted to know that our boy was in good hands. We toured so many places…read moreand just felt the most comfortable with the staff at Chesterbrook. They love our boy Like he is their own and communicates with us all the time. They are constantly doing fun and challenging activities for the kids to learn and rarely repeat any activities. Couldn't recommend them enough!!

I am so grateful for Chesterbrook Academy. Having my child starting at a great school was my…read morepriority. Luckily my daughter was able to attend CBA. Since my daughter has attend this school I have seen so much growth in her social skills as well as her academic. She is very supported by her principal and the teachers that she had through the years. As my daughter is about to transition to elementary school, the staff is helping her get ready for Kindergarten. I will forever be grateful for the amazing atmosphere that CBA have provided for my daughter.

Ana Carla is honestly one of the best child care providers I've ever had the privilege of being…read morearound! She is always so efficient and loving in everything she does. She genuinely loves and cares for the kids and for the art of helping to advance the already developing small child's mind and she does so in a way that allows parents and caregivers to work with her as a team to make sure the children's needs are met, no matter what age group. I absolutely love working with her and would always look to her for childcare when she is available! You will not need to look much further than this wonderful daycare setting created and built by Ana Carla Duarte. I am so excited to be able to witness the growth and achievement from her. She inspires me to always work hard for what I believe in and to be happy while I do it.

From the owner: Love and Learning at Westfields LLC, is a state licensed home daycare committed to the care and…read moreeducation of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. We support the emotional, social and intellectual development of children in an unique safe, nurturing and high-quality environment. CDA, CPR certified provider with 13 years childcare experience and fully proficient in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Montessori method observed and maximum group size of 5 children.

Our daughter has attended for one year so far and she is thriving. Independent, happy, speaking…read moreFrench, making friends and eating healthily. She loves it and we are very impressed with professionalism and credentials of staff.

Our daughter has been attending L'Enfant since spring 2023, first in the infant and then in the…read moretoddler classrooms. We have absolutely loved our experience with the daycare. The teachers and administration are working hard to make it a special, family-centered place. Kids have weekly music lessons and physical education lessons. School also arranged for artists in residence and monthly field trips. One thing that I particularly appreciate is their dedication to the time children spent outdoors, unlike the case in many other daycares we toured. What is also impressive, in less than a year our daughter fully understands French and can speak well. In other words, we are truly lucky we found this school for our daughter.

We've been at the school for over 2 years, and my kid is transitioning out of this school and going…read moreinto first grade in our neighborhood public school. Thought it's time for an update! During the past two years, lots has changed--Our lead guide (teacher), the school admin team, guides in other classrooms, etc. While all changes are hard, I think the school does a pretty good job keeping kids and parents informed, and minimizing any transition challenges. Overall, I stand by my impressions from 2 years ago--Ms. Christine (our previous lead guide, now the head of school), Ms. Freshta (our previous assistant guide, now a lead guide in a different classroom and a lead guide in the kindergarten program), Ms. Vinita (our current lead guide who was previously our assistant guide), Ms. Dawn (float guide), and other guides/staff, are all amazing. They continue to be my daughter's anchor during many of the school administrative changes. Because of the high teacher quality, I would highly recommend this school to any families wanting to go with a Montessori education. Now, the school is not perfect--there are some things that were inconvenient and/or different from our expectations, but as someone who used to work in schools, the most important things is that the staff are qualified and truly care. We can deal with some hiccups here and there: - The biggest friction I had with the school is that I noticed not all staff are well-trained in the Montessori methods. For example, even when I observed briefly at a recent school event, I noticed one of the (newer) guides VERY QUICKLY took over what my daughter was working on when she struggled (for like 10 seconds). When I asked my daughter about this guide, she told me that this happens a lot. I get that the guides come from different background and learn at different speeds...and so we practiced how to push back respectfully instead of us talking to the guides. This is an easily missable detail for busy parents, however. - The guides do a great job not using technology or screens for the most part, and when they do (which is extremely rare), they are intentional and thoughtful. HOWEVER, my daughter and her classmates brought to our attention of a fairly inappropriate song in a foreign language--and they claimed that a guide had shown them the song. The song is not our guide's native language, it is catchy, and I can see it accidentally/automatically come up on Spotify or other music platforms. It is also entirely possible that the song didn't originate from the guides, but from another student. - We stayed with guidepost for 5 years (3 at another guidepost location, 2 at the south riding location), and my favorite thing about it was the holiday hours--They used to only close on MAJOR holidays such as thanksgiving and christmas, but not smaller holidays such as president's day or Juneteenth. They now close on a lot more holidays, which is harder for us who don't get these days off. But their calendar is still better than many daycares following public school schedules. - Some admin transitions (such as a company buying out the school, leaving the staff with very limited notice and preparation) was ROCKY, although I think Ms. Christine and the staff dealt with it the best that they can. - There were quite a lot of staff turnover this past year, especially in the younger kids' classrooms. Overall, we find that the pros significantly outweighs the cons for our family at this school. I would still recommend it to anyone without hesitance, and we are so, so grateful to all the amazing staff--Our heroes without capes!

we enrolled our son here back in 2024 after shopping around for a Montessori in the South Riding…read morearea. I enjoyed our initial visit and Monica (the previous head of the school) was great to work with. our son quickly adapted to his classroom & became very close with his teacher who is no longer there (Ms. Aya). he has since moved up to Children's House with Ms. Freshta and Ms. Priyanka! they know how to work with each children as they are all different in their way of learning. they have been nothing but patient and they love challenging my son to help him reach new heights. in his time there, he has learned a lot. they took potty training very seriously and he started just about as soon as he joined the school. he loves going to school & as a Montessori, they are very "children based". the students do everything themselves in the classroom to help them gain independence at an early age. when we first signed up, we were told our son would know his multiplication table by 4 and fractions by 5 so I'm excited to watch him progress. the new director, Ms. Desirae, has been a pleasure to work with. she has quickly immersed herself in the school and learned every child in all the classrooms. Ms. Cady at the front desk is very helpful and greets everyone as they come in. the after school teacher assistants like Ms. Dawn are super helpful and the children love her! my only gripe is that lunch is not provided. my daughter went to a school nearby growing up that did provide lunch, but it seems a lot of the daycares in the area no longer provide lunch. but different times I guess.