Military Families, READ THIS!!! We Paid DEARLY!! PCS Movers PLAN AHEAD!! We are a Midwest military family new to the area and were in desperate need of daycare for our two children, a toddler and a pre-K child. Despite our best efforts to be good parents, we didn't do enough prep and research. After just two days of attendance (YES, TWO DAYS), we were forced to make the decision to disenroll. Each day, my baby girl came home with fresh scratches on her face and neck. When I arrived to pick up their belongings after disenrollment, I saw why. The teachers were using the well-behaved toddlers as training aids for the handsy, rough ones. While one instructor went to grab my daughter's things, I saw another put sunglasses on a little girl and then put a boy in front of her, saying, "Gentle hands." He reared back and slapped the sunglasses off her face. I was heartbroken that I had sent my daughter there for two whole days without me. There was a clear negative change in our children's demeanor, behavior and mood after only two days here. The school is situated behind an AutoZone and a 7-Eleven. On the first day, around 10 or 11 AM, I dropped in to check on my daughter. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw two teenage boys lurking a few feet from the toddlers' playground fence. When they saw us, they scrambled up the fence onto an adjacent wall. My wife wanted to get out of the car to chase them away, but I reminded her that the school could call the police. When I went inside, the director was sitting in front of the monitors. I told her what happened, and she clicked around a few times with her mouse, and that was that. When we saw our daughter, we were upset to see that she was on the playground at the same time these teens were on the fence. One of the worst parts of this experience was when we asked for an exception to their disenrollment policy. We received a personal email from the owner stating, "Unfortunately, we have to follow the policy we have in place. Your balance as of now is $2992." This is roughly $1500 per day! She also called us, and after I explained the situation and mentioned we are a military family who made an honest mistake, she said, "Policy is policy." She did offer to be generous and allow us to make payments. MILITARY FAMILIES BEWARE: GODDARD HAS A 30-DAY NOTICE!!! Every other daycare in the area has a normal two-week policy, but not here! Other schools in the area offer something called Discovery Days, a free grace period where your child can spend time at the school to see if it is the right fit. There are many other issues I've experienced at this school. My son's Pre-K class is adjacent to the playground, and when we went to pick him up for the day, I pulled the metal door handle, and it slid right off into my hand! What if there was a fire and a kid lost the door handle so they couldn't escape, or even worse, an active shooter?! NOPE!!! Not taking my kids!!! The school has cameras but doesn't share the video streams with families. You may want a solid break from your kid, but in the two days of enrollment, we received only one picture of our son in Pre-K and three pictures of our toddler. There are many dirty, old, broken toys that appear to be more donated or recycled. The rug in my son's room was FILTHY brown. The school has one of the highest tuitions in the area but doesn't supply lunch, snacks, diapers, etc. If you send food that needs to stay cool, each class has a large, floppy, ridiculous zippable cooler bag to store food. Hopefully, with the $3000 taken from our family, they can afford a few refrigerators. There's lots more but hopefully you now have enough to make a better decision than I did for our family. read more

If you want your kids to get bullied and come back home with cuts and bruises everyday, then by all means send your kid here. The teachers and staff don't do anything about bullying and will avoid all responsibility. STAY AWAY FROM GODDARD IF YOU VALUE YOUR KID read more

All of our children attended preschool at the Goddard School. As a result, our children have excelled and been placed in gifted programs in their current schools. At this school our children were taught a range of subjects, including exposure to different languages, creative artistry, gardening, as well as reading, writing, math and so much more. The teachers we encountered were all hard working, caring individuals. Ms. Lashawn is the sweetest kindest teacher...she is also a potty training whisperer. Even though our little ones have graduated from the school, she still checks in on them from time to time...she is like family to us! Ms Amy and Jasmin were great with our youngest, and really got her to love school! Ms Tiffany, Ms Michelle are amazing in the front office. We highly recommend this school and love the staff and teachers! read more

The Goddard School has been a blessing for my family. We had an awful experience at a local preschool and out daughter had developed a dislike for school. After doing our research we found The Goddard School and our daughter is now thriving!! She LOVES going to school everyday and comes home singing songs and telling us what she has learned. The teachers, director, and owner have been AMAZING! We absolutely love the iPhone app that is available. When I share with my friends that I get a daily report visible in the app and via email they can't believe it. My favorite part about finding The Goddard School is that it restored my piece of mind. THANK YOU!!! There is nothing better than knowing that your child is being taken care of :-) read more

My two children have been going here for almost a year now. We are a military family and have moved a lot which comes with many different child care locations. Goddard at Lake Ridge is by far the best we have ever dealt with. The staff is amazing. They care for every child at the school like they are their own. I truly feel like they are our second family. Facility is always clean. Toys are clean. Bedding is clean. They give reports and call instantly if something were to happen. We have a boy who likes to be a boy. The curriculm for my toddler is great and they send projects home with him. My daughter has help with her homeowrk which is nice. And the summer program is also great. If you are looking for child care do not look anywhere else but here. read more

My daughter was physical treated badly at this school. I was lied to about a teacher yanking her arm and pulling her elbow out of socket. They called to tell me she wasn't feeling well. When I arrived, she wasn't moving her arm. She told me the story in the car on the way to the doctor's office. After he reset her arm, I went back and confronted Ms. Sylvia and she finally admitted to accidentally doing it and apologized for lying. The next day when I met with the Director - Ms. Tiffany - all the sudden the story changed. I realized she was trying to cover it up. I then met with the owner. She also was trying to cover it up. There were other incidents that happened less severe until I finally pulled her from the school and reported all incidents. The school didn't report the incident, didn't even offer to pay the fee for the doctor's visit or even the copay. The name may carry a certain reputation, but if I were you, I would never send my child here. The social worker called me to say the case was unfounded, because they can't "prove" it was intentional, however, she assured me her name would be searchable to parents and they should see the red flag. I don't want to profit from this - I just want to protect others who may be researching the school to make a decision on who will care for their child. As a mother, I just want my child to be well cared for -- this is NOT the school for that. The other location in Woodbridge has a history of child endangerment cover-up as well. read more

my daughter has been going here since she was 2 years old and she loves it here! the owner and the director are amazing and I refer everyone here! I completely trust my daughter here, and she learns so much! very clean and organized-they have emails sent everyday on what they learned and how their day was. I always cross-reference with my daughter and she tells me the exact same thing! expensive, but I want my kids to have the best, and that's what we got! if I could give them 100 stars I would! read more

The Goddard School is simply the best! Great staff and Ms. Tiffany is AMAZING!!! She goes above and beyond, and the customer service is always on point! I highly recommend to anyone looking for a safe, trustworthy and family oriented center. They are the best in the area without a doubt. read more

This place is truly unique in Northern Virginia. The teacher turnover is very low, the school is incredibly clean, and all of the teachers know my son very well. I have never been so impressed with a preschool. The owner and director both seem to care very much about running this school the right way. I don't feel like we are just another number in the system. My son has been going here for years and he has loved every minute of it and has learned a lot. read more

The infant day care program and teachers at this school are dedicated to both caring for the children, and fostering their development. After moving from another day care facility to The Goddard School, and comparing the two experiences, I am thankful for the staff and faculty at Goddard every day! read more

Our two boys have attended the Goddard School since they for 4 and 2 years old. In fact we were one of their first families when the location opened. We are extremely pleased with everything from the engaging and caring teachers to the curriculum. Nazlin and Tiffany are a great leadership team who bend over backwards to ensure our needs are met. The boys are now 7 and 5 and they have grown and learned immensely over the years. We love the Goddard school for providing a safe loving learning environment for our boys. As two working parents we always have peace of mind knowing they are in Goddard's care. We more than highly recommend the school! read more

I have been taking my two children here for a little over a year now. We originally had our oldest daughter in 3 different schools before we found this place and we had issue after issue. I called this school they agreed to meet me immediately and accepted my daughter in immediately. It was the best decision I ever made. She is truly a different person since she started going here. I now have both my girls here and they extremely happy and learning so much. The staff, teachers, and owner are extremely friendly and have gone out of there way to make sure we are comfortable and happy. I can't say enough great things about this school. I recommend this school to anyone who is looking for a safe, comfortable, loving environment for their children. read more

Goddard Lake Ridge is terrific. The faculty and staff are knowledgeable, helpful, and they really take time to get know and work with your child. Not only were Nazlin, Tiffany, and Gloria extremely helpful as my family went through transition, but they and my daughter's teachers were so flexible, understanding, and supportive throughout the entire transition. Additionally, my daughter is in the program part-time, and I'm especially grateful to Nazlin and Tiffany for their encouragement of academic activities I conduct with my daughter during the three days per week she's home with me. If I could give 10 stars I would, and I strongly recommend this school to anyone who is looking for a good program for their child in Prince William County led by caring, knowledgeable faculty and staff. read more

We can't say enough about The Goddard School of Lake Ridge. Our kids each night ask what they are doing the next day, when we say school, they cheer! With engaging, interactive and interesting curricula, our 3 and 5 year old learn each day, while having fun. Nazlin, the owner, has carefully selected a talented, caring and educated faculty and staff. We highly recommend this school, as we know our kids are nurtured, well-cared for and intellectual curiosity sparked each day. read more