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Needed: Honest reviews of local daycares needed

Discussion in 'General Chat Forum' started by Auttie, Nov 27, 2011.

  1. Auttie

    Auttie New Member

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    I have my daughter at a daycare in Fairfax that we have loved for many years (my son went through it) through my work, but now my actual office location has changed to Reston and it adds a lot to both hers and my commute each day. I fortunately have the option to keep her there (she's almost two and can stay until kindergarden), but I am exploring daycare centers around Broadlands/Ashburn to see if there is something more convenient and comparable. I am looking into Winwood (Hay Rd.) and would be grateful to anyone for their experience there the past two or three years. Or if there are any recommendations where staff turnover is low, parents are listened to (within reason), and transitioning to new classrooms goes pretty smoothly (all things my current place is great at!), please let me know. If I can find something great for her closer to home, she will be able to spend more time with her big brother and Dad which we all would be thrilled about!
     
  2. bailey

    bailey New Member

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    Our 2 year old is at Minnieland (Ashbriar) and loves it there. The teachers in his room are fantastic and really seem to do a lot with the kids!
     
  3. Steve Campot

    Steve Campot Broadlands Real Estate Broker

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  4. tigger

    tigger New Member

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    I do not recommend the Winwood on Hay Rd. We had a our children there for 8 years and pulled them last December. The director barely spoke to the parents, no communications about issues. The director messed up our financial account several times, one time was a huge mistake on her part, as she didn't even know the policies of the center. A lot of the families that my kids grew up with have the left the center as well. The management didn't care that they were loosing families that had been then for many, many years. The daycare staff was good until they went to afterschool care and then it was horrible. I've heard that a lot of the staff my kids grew up with are also unhappy with the director and are seeing employment elsewhere.

    We are now at Open Arms and my kids love it. The after school program is much better. I don't have any experience with the staff for the younger kids, but the school is much better over all compared to Winwood.
     
  5. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    Tigger - I am so sorry to hear about your experience at Winwood (Hay Rd), ours is very much the opposite and it might have to do with the age of our children.

    We had our 3year old son at Bean Tree for over an year and it did not suit his learning style. Bean Tree moves kids every 35-40 minutes and they have very little patience for a child who may need a little extra coaxing. Our son was very stressed at Bean Tree that it effected his potty training & classroom integration. After 3 months I should have followed my gut and pulled him from Bean Tree. He literally cried hysterically every time we dropped him off and every day we picked him up he said "I don't want to go back".

    In June of this year we moved him to Winwood (Hay Rd) and within 10 days he was completely potty trained. Within 2 months at Winwood he started writing, doing some simple math and reading.

    Ms. Diana, the Director has a 5-10 minute conversation with each of us when we pick up our son. Our son actually moved up to Pre-K within 75 days and is now thriving with his new teachers (Miss Ginger, Miss Keisha & Miss Melissa). His early Pre-school teacher (Miss Natalia) also lives in the neighborhood and her daughter is in the same class with our son. The transition from Bean Tree to Winwood has been wonderful and our son really likes his "new school".

    I think the center that people choose has much to do with the learning style of their child. In our case, our son was NOT a good match with Bean Tree and is a perfect match with Winwood.
     
  6. hampshire

    hampshire New Member

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    If you would consider a location near your new office, Reston Children's Center is fantastic. We've used them for 7 years now, starting with the infant room all the way to private K. It's not easy to get in, but worth a try. www.restonchildren.org.
     
  7. loudgrowler

    loudgrowler New Member

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    Our children are older now but we used Open Arms Preschool for 3 years and were very happy there.
    http://www.openarms-ccdc.org/

    Best Wishes! :)
     
  8. twohokies

    twohokies New Member

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    I will expand a little bit on what lilpea mentioned. We had the opposite experience and moved our son from Winwood TO BeanTree when he turned 3.

    He needed the smaller class size, the classroom/environment changes, and teachers who had their 4-year college degrees. He is not your normal run-of-the-mill child and needed teachers with some knowledge of his developmental delays and who could think outside the box with their teaching style. He thrived at BeanTree and was well matched with all but 1 teacher. That's a lot of what it comes down to for some of our kids - the right teacher/child match.

    Our daughter was at Winwood as well at the same time and for awhile we left her there. She was doing fine and didn't need the extras that BeanTree provided; and we didn't need the extra expense. But the pains of dropping/picking up from 2 daycares weighed on us and we eventually moved her as well.

    Once our son went to elementary school, we looked at alternative daycares to move our daughter to. Even considered moving her back to Winwood. But for us, after touring other centers, nothing compared to BeanTree. It works for our children and they are happy. We also know a lot of the teachers by now and it feels like a family (corny I know, but my kids are very comfortable there).

    As an aside - I have heard lots of good things over the past several years about Reston Children's Center.

    Good luck in your search. It's not an easy decision. But follow your gut.
     
  9. db103

    db103 New Member

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    I second what twohokies said about BeanTree. My daughter has been there for 3 years and is now attending their private kindergarten. I've been impressed with what they teach at such a young age - to the point that I'm afraid she's going to be bored when she starts first grade. While no place is perfect, I've been pleased with the overall quality of the teachers and feel totally comfortable with her there.
     
  10. Liss

    Liss New Member

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    We have our girls at the Winwood on Belmont Ridge, and are generally very happy there. We have friends who have moved out of the Winwood on Hay Road and others who have moved TO that center, and most of them are happy with their decisions as well.

    To be honest, with a few exceptions I think that every daycare center is probably great for some kids and terrible for others. There are some things that I'd consider deal-breakers, but we're fortunate in this area that licensing and very involved parents generally lead to pretty high-quality options in childcare. (And the prices reflect that, I guess!) As others have said, it's about finding the right fit for your children and for you. Good luck!
     
  11. 00AwkwardPenguin00

    00AwkwardPenguin00 New Member

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    Hi, I don't know if anyone is following this thread anymore, but I'm considering applying to work at BeanTree, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the management there (here in Ashburn). I am working on getting my Early Childhood Development degree, but a look at the center's website showed that they have positions that do not require a college degree. I'm mostly concerned with how staff are treated (as far as anyone knows)-- there aren't very many bad reviews that I've seen, but a lot of the bad ones talk about employees being treated badly in front of parents, which is making me nervous. I'd like to know what anyone thinks before committing to an interview.
     
  12. jerseyhokie

    jerseyhokie Member

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    I had my children at Chesterbrook in Ashburn when Miss Diana was a director there and she was always very nice and helpful. Every large daycare like Chesterbrook, Winwood, Minnieland has their issues, but I think the individual teachers in the classroom your child is in is the most important.
    Aside from that, I have always heard good things about Open Arms and the Minnieland across from Broad Run H.S.
     

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