We love Bright Minds Preschool. Our daughter likes all her teachers. They're very patient and…read morereceptive. We enjoy the field trips and family events they host throughout the year.

We are absolutely thrilled with our daughter's experience at BMPS and we are so grateful to be part…read moreof this school community. The teachers are all incredible, the school is amazingly well run, the curriculum is a perfect balance of learning and play, and our daughter is thriving. In addition to getting the kids outside as much as possible, the school is constantly finding new ways to engage the kids in little field trips and adventures and our daughter has loved all of these experiences. We cannot thank Miss Cookie and her talented team enough for all the support they've provided to us and our daughter on this learning journey. While we know she will be incredibly well prepared to move to kindergarten next year, we will be very sad to leave this place and all of the loving teachers and staff who have brought so much joy to our daughter and family.

I thought of one thing to add that would be useful for parents looking for a preschool: Some…read morepreschools in the Alexandria area require all students to take a nap, even if the student is old enough to stop napping and doesn't nap at home, and even if the parents would prefer the student not nap at school. Northeast Stars does not require all students to nap. The teachers (who are awesome) coordinate with parents on when the student is ready to stop napping at school. Older students who don't nap go to a different room to do activities while the younger kids sleep. It's a badge of honor for the kids when they're old enough to "go to specials" instead of napping. This makes parenting a 4 year old a lot easier. This is the main thing that other parents in our social circle are envious of when we compare preschool experiences.

My wife and I interviewed, applied for and we're awarded enrollment for many pre-schools in…read moreArlington. But, when we visited NE Stars and met the owner, director and teachers, we felt it was worth the longer drive to Alexandria for our son's initial learning experience. We've been enrolled now for 8 mos and we couldn't be more happy. NEStars philosophy and teachings has led to our son to become more autonomous over this short period of time. He's also made many friends and has expanded his interests. There are many programs offered like Soccer and Gymnastics that expose him to interacting with his friends and his own self. I think one of the best qualities of NE Stars is the diversity among the friends. We couldn't be happier with NE Stars and will be sad when it comes time for him to graduate on to the next chapter in his learning.

The caring love and patience they have shown my children will leave a lasting mark on their…read moreemotional and intellectual development. Their diverse, peaceful environment is a unique school that I cherish deeply!

We came to Potomac Crescent Waldorf School looking for something we couldn't quite name -- and…read morefound it immediately. As a bilingual family raising kids in Northern Virginia, we wanted an environment where learning would feel joyful and rooted. PCWS has delivered that and more. Our daughter genuinely looks forward to going to school every single day. Getting a kindergartener to bound out the door in the morning is its own kind of report card. The faculty and staff don't just tend to the children; they genuinely know each one. The nature-based learning and screen-free environment aligned perfectly with how we want our kids to experience childhood -- but what's kept us is the community. It's one of the most welcoming groups of families and educators we've encountered. If you're searching for a private school in Alexandria that takes the whole child seriously, this is it. One of the top schools in Alexandria for families who care about depth and heart.

I have 2 nieces that attend this daycare. I am the AP of a high quality pre-k 3 thorough 5th grade…read moreprogram. I am very watchful of the development of the children in my family. What I have seen so far, especially in my youngest niece, is growth, growth, and more growth. She's been in the toddler program since July and her cognitive, fine motor, verbal, and social skills are quickly increasing. She loves school and looks forward to going every single day. I'm not a satisfied with my older niece learning. Unfortunately she has been out of school for up to one week at a time due to illness which certainly may be impacting her learning. Hopefully she will be attending daily and can begin building her learning momentum. I will say that her class, from what I have observed through Brightwheel, is involved in a good number of social emotional activities that support their ability to make good decisions. They also lean a lot about community. When i drop the girls off everyone is friendly. Overall, I am satisfied with what I am seeing.

This school has been amazing for our family. My son has…read moreexcelled in the jkprep classroom. He has a close relationship with teachers, administrators and other students. i feel confident that his growth here will have him ready for kindergarten. All of the staff, teachers and administrators have been responsive and helpful when i need something or have a question about anything regarding my child or the school, always kind and warm! We love our school

We loved our daughter's time in the infant room at Bluebird II. I was nervous about leaving her at…read morea daycare when I went back to work, but Bluebird turned out to be so wonderful. Ms. Tuba and Ms. Sonia took excellent care of her, along with all of the infant room teachers. Bluebird is clean, bright, safe, and all of the children there seemed so happy. There also didn't seem to be much teacher turnover, so the children form positive relationships with the staff. It's a low-tech day care, so you won't receive daily emails and pictures, which was fine for us. The teachers are hard working and our daughter was well taken care of and loved every day. We were so sad to leave when we moved to Maryland. Highly recommend!

As DOD Civilians my husband and i were in a bad spot in trying to find a daycare for our 18-month…read moreson within 5 days of arrival from Germany. I happened to walk past BBA II and just walked in to see if they had an opening (all other daycares were booked for months and very much out of our budget). The owner Susan was there that day and was very courteous, she showed me around the entire daycare and very patiently answered all my questions. She stated that she had openings available due to BBA II having larger class sizes. Initially, that did concern me since my son had only been in CDC with class sizes of less than 15; however, he adapted very well to his first class of ~22 kids (with the appropriate number of teachers/aides). BBA II provides diapers, wipes (from COSTCO), and (not the best) food. I just had to bring a bedroll for his naps. Also during warmer weathers, parents are asked to provide sunscreen and appropriate headgear since the teachers take the kids out on nature walks. The teachers have been great- especially in his 2 1/2-3 year class with Ms. Yilliam. For Holiday 2018 my husband and I put together gift baskets for each of the two aides and one teacher to show our appreciation- our son talks about the teachers as if they are his second parents! The prices are low- especially for a daycare located in Old Towne Alexandria, on popular Duke Street, and a walk away from King St. Metro. There is a daycare in my residential neighborhood that is smaller and more prestigious, we had considered them since they also had an opening and it was one block away from our house, however, they charge about $1,750/month and parents were required to provide diapers and wipes. At the time of his enrollment ~21 months ago, BBA II charged ~$1200+/mo for non-potty trained kiddos (I think more for infants); this cost lowers as soon as your child is potty-trained (which the teachers really help a lot with). My son is currently 3 years old and enjoys it here. He has learned some light Spanish (colours, alphabet, and numbers), has excellent manners (taught at home but reinforced at school), brings home art projects everyday that we have proudly hung up in our house and given as gifts, has began to learn to spell starter words, understands traffic signs... overall this school has been great for my family and my son. The ONLY negative comment I have is in regards to the food and snacks the school provides. Nothing is fresh, nothing is notably nutritious. All food appears to be canned (highly processed and filled with sodium). I wish, instead of canned peaches or crackers as a snack, they would actually provide fresh cut fruits or hummus with carrot sticks (for example); typical lunches consist of an entree of sloppy joe sandwiches, pre-made meals of chicken nuggets/chicken patties with ketchup, or canned chicken and rice soups (to name a few meals), accompanied with diced canned fruit, or applesauce; typical breakfasts consist of little pre-frozen bagels with butter/jelly, biscuits with jelly, or cheerios without milk (?)...

After seven months of mostly negative experiences, we finally removed our child from the Vinci…read moreMerrifield campus. It was truly one issue after another, and I would urge all parents looking for a daycare to at least explore other nearby options that provide far better care, culture, and leadership (in my opinion). Here's why we left: 1. Constant unchanged or poorly changed diapers Staff continually struggled to change our son's diaper properly. In November, he developed a severe diaper rash, and we notified the staff immediately. However, a week later, he was sent home with chunks of poop on his clothes from a terrible diaper change (see photos). We should have left then, but as parents know, it takes time for a child to adjust to daycare, and we didn't want to disrupt him again. Unfortunately, we experienced the same issue later on in February during a period of staff turnover, when one of the teachers clearly lacked the ability to change diapers properly. 2. Staff turnover Our son had become very attached to the primary Junior Toddler teacher, but she left without any notice to parents. It took Dr. Dan almost two weeks to inform families of her departure. In the meantime, we/our son kept asking where she was during drop-offs, and no one gave us a clear answer. Throughout all of January and February, there was a constant stream of floaters and new hires (none who inspired confidence), until a full-time replacement was finally brought on at the start of March. We then heard of more staff drama within our first month at Vinci, when we were notified about a Vinci teacher getting fired for tying a toddler to a chair. Definitely should've started looking elsewhere at that point... See news article here: https://www.alxnow.com/2025/09/15/teacher-at-alexandria-daycare-fired-for-tying-21-month-old-to-chair/ 3. Leadership turnover Aside from teaching staff turnover, we also experienced three different Directors at the Merrifield campus during our seven months there. One left due to having a baby, but she candidly told us she was not coming back after maternity leave in a way that now feels like we should've read between the lines. This speaks volumes about the culture here at every level, and also makes it difficult for parents to feel connected or supported in any consistent way as it's always a rotation of new faces in new roles. 4. Outdated childcare portal The Vinci parent portal feels outdated, like something from the early 2000s, and there is no dedicated mobile app like Brightwheel to provide clear, real-time updates or communication with staff. When we switched to another daycare, the difference was night and day! We received immediate push notifications with photos, nap updates, diaper changes, weather alerts, and more, and communication with staff was seamless. Staff would frequently say nothing about our son's activity for the day and not even record diaper change times and/or whether he ate their meal. 5. Unexpected restrictions Our son was not allowed to use a pacifier during nap time. This was a significant part of his sleep routine, and we were not informed of this restriction before enrolling. As a result, he struggled with sleep at school for nearly a month, which was difficult for him and for us. 6. The culture and leadership After switching daycares, it became even more apparent how the culture trickles down from the owner. At our new daycare, the owner is incredibly warm and involved (as is her staff). She was even present in the classroom to welcome our son during his first few drop offs. Dr. Dan, the owner of Vinci, is the complete opposite. She never introduced herself to us once during our time at Vinci. We only heard from her after we emailed about withdrawing our son from Vinci due to the repeated issues we raised about inexperienced staff neglecting his wellbeing. During that exchange, she was mostly focused on us paying a 30 day notice penalty and showed no understanding for the stress and frustration we experienced. We decided we'd rather throw away thousands of dollars than keep our son there another month - especially given his constant skin irritation from unchanged diapers, lack of experience in their staff, and growing lack of communication about his day's activity. Ultimately, we are SO happy we left Vinci, and I would strongly recommend any parents considering Vinci tour at least a few of the other daycares in the nearby area (A Child's Place, Lady Bug Academy, Carousel, etc).

I would strongly not recommend Vinci. The staff turnover is constant, the owner treats children…read morelike problems to be solved, and their teachers rarely updated the parent portal with any significant information which let me wondering what my child was doing all day.

This review is based off the staff member Valentina. I started here and on my first day this woman…read morewas so rude to me and quite frankly if shes like this to staff, she doesnt need to be around children. The owner says "that's just who she is." That is no excuse for someone to be such a horrible and hateful person. I was told she ran out the girl who I replaced! She is a nasty person.

I am taking time to write this review and share our journey. With our dd (dearest daughter) we…read morestarted off with a nanny for about 9 months. The experience was not favorable and we concluded that it was just not a good fit for our family. Plus at 9 months, we felt it very important to get her around other children and have more engaged time during the day. Enter the search for childcare in the Washington, DC Metro area!!! eeeeek! I researched, interviewed, and toured over 15(+) schools in DC, MD and VA. We ended up on the waitlist at 4 schools... Flagstone, Madison, ADS and BH Carlyle. Within a month our dd started at Flagstone in the infant room and after the experience with our nanny, needless to say, I was petrified to leave my child with anyone... BUT Miss Keisha, Miss Suriya, Miss I and Miss Dawn were amazing in the infant room! Not only were they kind and gentle with our daughter, but you can tell there was a genuine LOVE for her and all the babies in their care. Over a short period, we really felt apart of the Flagstone family and watched as our daughter flourished into an independent, loving and outgoing little lady. Needless to say, there is not a perfect childcare facility. The place is a bit older and does not have all the bells and whistles of some of the newer day schools in the area. With that said, Flagstone has the BEST outdoor space in Old Town and children go out twice a day. That is super important to our family. Also, most of the staff has been at the school for over 10 years, which is huge in an industry with high turnover. The biggest plus for us is the staff. The teachers and administrators have a genuine LOVE for each and every child, whether they are in their classrooms or not. It truly is a family environment and that is what we want and need in a day school. Since our daughter started at Flagstone, we have received offers from the other 3 schools and politely declined. We LOVE Flagstone and our Flagstone Family!

We absolutely LOVE Childspace! There's nothing bad I can say about this amazing Learning Center. I…read moredrive from MD to bring my son here as this is one of the few preschools I could find with partial pre-school options. I have been home schooling for preschool, but I wanted something gradual to get him ready for kindergarten in a few months. Childspace did just that! They allow not only part time options, but they gave us flexibility to chose what days we would come. The staff is beyond amazing. They're so kind and my son has enjoyed his time here. I love the low student-teacher ratio. They host great community events and it's such a joy to see pictures on my little guy throughout the day via their communication platform. I'm sad my little guy has to go to kindergarten because I honestly wish I could keep him here longer.

My son just finished a year at ChildSpace and I wish we had more time here! Ms. Sana and Ms…read more Valentina are really sweet and caring and I know my son is in good hands when I drop him off at school. They really put care and attention to the curriculum and age-appropriate learning. He has learned so many things including science, art, social studies, and comes home with many projects including art, tracing and worksheets. They also have music class, go to the library, have story time, soccer - I am in awe at how much they fit in every day esp since my son only does 3 half days! I am confident that he is fully prepared for Kindergarten from both an academic and social aspect. They have half day programs and full day, which is great for us since I chose half day. Also, the school feels way more personal and not just a large vast impersonal institution. Ms. Valentina is really able to put time and energy into the kids and provides us with some flexibility and understanding which is needed for parents. She works with you if you have any asks or need some adjustments to the schedule etc. They really try to do right by the kids and it shows. I am able to discuss any questions or concerns I have with her and she addresses them either in person at pick-up or pretty quickly over the app. The small class size is also helpful so the kids get the attention that they deserve. I really enjoyed my time here and will miss the school and the teachers. Highly recommend!

Director with the acent not very nice lady . I pulled my daughter out because she called her a…read morespecial circumstances baby when my daughter had a seizure all it was do to a fever but the way she spoke and said it was so mean and hurtful

I love Great Beginning - they have very much vested in every aspect of making sure a child feels…read moreloved, learns a great deal, and is heathy and happy. Every caregiver from the director to every teacher makes a great effort to love and care for the children. May Both Kids had the best time, developed incredibly, and made some deep friendships.