D.C. Area Babies
Seeking great daycare options in Alexandria (for toddler)
I have an 18 month old currently in a small in-home daycare, with 5 kids. We are ready to move him into a larger group of toddlers his age (his current daycare is mostly infants and 1 other toddler). Most early preschools seem to start at 2, and the ones that have great toddler programs starting at 18 months have wait lists. The other catch is that we need full-time, 5 days a week since DH and I both work full-time. We live in 22309, but are open to all places in Alexandria and are willing to go a bit out of the way for a good daycare. Still open to in-home options that have more toddlers and caregivers that provide a lot of activities, love, and fun.
We have already ruled out KinderCare (all of them) and Hopkins House (both the Old Town and the Forest Pl ones). Any other suggestions would be wonderful. We're looking for a January start date, preferably.
We have already ruled out KinderCare (all of them) and Hopkins House (both the Old Town and the Forest Pl ones). Any other suggestions would be wonderful. We're looking for a January start date, preferably.
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Re: Seeking great daycare options in Alexandria (for toddler)
you might like our DC! it's an in-home (licensed this way, but no one lives in the house, it's dedicated to the DC), but run more like a center. there is a nice mix of ages. currently, my son is the oldest at almost 5. there is a 3.5yro, a 3yro, a 2yro, an 18mo old, a 17mo old, my DD who is 14mos, and a 10mo old. they just lost two toddlers (ages 4 and 18mos) who moved away so i know they have current openings and would prefer an older child (as in, not an infant) to replace the two toddlers who just left.
they are in del ray, about 2 minutes from Potomac Yards. hours are 6am-6pm. your weekly fee includes food (breakfast if you arrive before 8:30, lunch and snacks), you provide diapers and wipes. the DC is run by an older woman and her DIL (who is in her early 50s) and a younger woman (maybe 20?). they love those kids soooooo much, they have become like a second family to us and our kids.
the DIL is a former kindergarten aide and all three do a preschool curriculum accredited by the Commonwealth of VA. they regularly do arts and crafts, have story time, dance time, go outside to play (weather permitting) in the large fenced yard, take several field trips a year (this year, they went to the movies, to the new spray park in Ffx and to the zoo).
when we started 4.5 years ago, all the kids were staying through until kindergarten and were more than prepared for it. lately, they have had a lot of kids move, and only one kid whose parents preferred a more traditional preschool setting. but pretty much everyone else has stayed until kindergarten, as we will be doing. coming from ivy backgrounds, education is extremely important to us and we feel confident that our children are getting quality care and the academic preparation that will help them succeed when they move on to school.
let me know if you want contact information!
I would love to meet the owner of this daycare and take a tour! It really sounds wonderful. Can you share her contact info with me? You can email me at katyparente at yahoo dot com.
Thanks!
If you would be willing, I'd love to get her contact info as well...sounds like a great place. The DC situation in Alexandria is frustrating! jefloodphd @ gmail dot com
Thanks!
YGM
I drove by the place the PP mentioned... it looks a bit run down. Of course a tour will surely answer all questions. I have not done a tour. We have looked at these two places in Old Town: St. Anthony's and American Day School. Both are great, however have wait lists.
that's because they spend all their money on loving the kiddos!
mm 2/17/11 * dd born 4/20/12 * bo 1/3/14 * edd 1/21/ 1/15
Can you please email me the daycare's info as well?
myung dot lee at gmail
thanks so much!!
YGM
Re: KinderCares and Hopkins Houses -- we ruled out KinderCare because we used one of them for back-up daycare one day (we were going to use them for a whole week while our current place was closed over the holidays) and we had a terrible experience there that resulted in us being in the ER with our then 7-month old for 4 hours until almost 11 pm. It prompted a child neglect/abuse investigation by Child Protective Services and the VA Dept of Social Services, as per our ER doctor's requiring to report suspicious daycare injuries. No one at KinderCare came forward to say what really happened, but this particular center got a report and violation notice written up and posted on the VA DSS website, and then a few months later, I saw another horrible report and violation posted on there for infant neglect/abuse. I'm sure there are other KinderCares that are just fine, but it was enough for us to drop them all together and never consider them again.
As for Hopkins House, we visited the one on Forest Place, not the one in Old Town. It was fine, but we didn't love it. All the toddlers wear uniforms, which I thought to be odd for a daycare (kindergarten and private school I would understand). The uniform shirts cost $20 a piece, and with how messy my son gets, we would need to buy 4-5 of them, or we'd be doing laundry every day. The teachers there also seem to appear like this was just paying their bills and that it wasn't really their passion to be there caring for children. The principal at Forest Place I believe used to be the vice principal at the one in Old Town, from what I hear, he is supposed to be great and has done a lot of good things. The school is new and has a nice facility, a music room and an "bringing the outdoors inside" room, which was neat. I was looking at the toddler room, which seemed crowded. The kids seemed fine and safe and all, but we just didn't have that great feeling about it, you know? It may be different for the one in Old Town.
Let me know if you have any questions.