Vinci School in Alexandria reviews?

[Anonymous]

As a parent with 2 children at the Vinci School, I have to speak up in support of the school and teachers. Yes, there are administrative things that can frustrate parents. Personally, the turnover was my primary concern, but everyone in the DC area knows how challenging things can be. You can move 5 miles in one direction and you end up adding 30 minutes to your commute. This is an expensive place to live so many decide to move away. These are factors many companies just cannot compete with to ensure retention. I do agree to a certain extent that some administrative practices may need to be revised to ensure teachers stay engaged, but we have to keep in mind that the average US turnover rate in the early childhood development and care sector is about 30%.

My bottom line and the reason I decide to keep my children at Vinci is because they are progressing, developing, and learning beyond my expectations and all in a very nuturing and caring environment! While my son had 3 different teachers last year, he finished the year able to read and do simple math. Sometimes I don't like my kids very much so I HAVE TO support any teacher who can care for them 9-10 hours a day and teach them at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Stay Away!

We initially planned to have our 3 year old up for their full day, 5 day a week program. We were very interested in this school since it opened. However, I have to say the more we learned the more we decided to walk away – and the more our kid was happy we walked away.

Before I get into my experiences, I would like everyone considering this school to take a look at the Virginia Department of Social Services Licensing and Inspection website. After reviewing the violations, you will find that both locations have been cited for some very common sense items. For example - cleaning supplies weren't locked away, and were accessible to children. Or even more disturbing - Vinci received a violation for not making sure that BOTH staff and children washed their hands with soap and water after using the potty. Another violation for not cleaning the child diapering station after use. Gross and common sense! The list goes on - staff medication weren't locked up and also children were not permitted to have a second helping of food. These are all from May 2018 - their last inspection.

Now for my experience – we showed up for the orientation for new parents. This orientation was completely unorganized. I met the lady who would be our child’s teacher. She had just started working at this facility 2 weeks prior – red flag for high-turnover. In her defense, she seems very nice and knowledgeable, but still a bit disconcerting.

In addition to the above, the owner Ms. Yang, owner and Ms. Otwell, the Alexandria VA Director lacked the ability lacked the ability to defuse and rectify a reasonable dispute with us. For some reason Ms. Yang and Ms. Otwell thought it would be a good idea to put dangerous spike strips in the drive way of a preschool. It seems like a bad idea to me to put red spike strips on a red driveway when you have a lot of kids running around. Additionally, there isn’t adequate signage to warn both kids, pedestrians and walkers of these strips and it creates a hazardous environment at a preschool. Trying to explain this to the owners was like talking to a brick wall. I mirror the other reviewers – in that the owner and director are unprofessional and disorganized, not very modest. They both appear to be in over their head.

[Anonymous]

As a current parent I have to say most, if not all of us, support the parking “spikes”. First, children do not play in the parking lot - it’s a parking lot and that would be ridiculous. They and their families do however walk through the parking lot getting to and from their cars. Despite adequate signage, before the spikes people would drive in the one-way exit which was a huge safety concern. (This was not necessarily parents but people trying to cut through to Duke St). The spikes are perfectly fine to walk around and keep the parking lot MUCH safer.

[Anonymous]

I think you missed the point - I doubt anyone objects to the spikes, but the fact is they are dangoirous as they are - not labeled and same color as walkway. I just hope oneone else gets hurt again.

[Anonymous]

Our son attended Vinci not long after it opened in 2017 and we took him out in 2018. Actually we were asked to leave. Yeah, that's not legal.

We started our son there when he was 16 months old and did really well in the junior toddler room. Ms. Irene is a great teacher in the junior toddler classroom and I hope she is still there because she formed a strong connection with our son and he thrived.

Problems started when he was moved up to the senior toddler classroom. The teacher was not as good and I don't think she was well prepared for the job. Though she tried hard. Long story short, our son was showing some developmental delays and instead of trying to help us out the administrator there simply suggested that we find another school. Our meetings with the administrator (who has since left) and the owner were, for the most part, unprofessional and not handled well.

The owner, Dr. Dan, is not as organized as I would have liked. I think she is spread too thin and it shows.

I can't speak for the teacher turnover but it seemed high.

We enrolled our son in another daycare in Alexandria and the difference has been nothing less than a revelation. It's hard to understand this unless you're at a place that's well organized and where the classroom sizes are such that the teacher is able and willing to tailor their approach to your child.

I hope that the new administrator at Vinci does a better job than the last one. All of the teachers seemed earnest and caring, but it's hard to give a recommendation to a place that's run by Dr. Dan.

Also, re booing at graduation, I wasn't there but my wife was. She didn't say anything about parents booing but there was definitely some grumbling going on from parents.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Dan does not give the kids the 430 snack or order enough food for lunches. She cuts corners with money. She is not kind to staff hence the high turnover rate. Violations should not happen over and over. Any parent should look into their turnover rate and ask their children and teachers questions. What is presented is not what you get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our son attended Vinci not long after it opened in 2017 and we took him out in 2018. Actually we were asked to leave. Yeah, that's not legal.

We started our son there when he was 16 months old and did really well in the junior toddler room. Ms. Irene is a great teacher in the junior toddler classroom and I hope she is still there because she formed a strong connection with our son and he thrived.

Problems started when he was moved up to the senior toddler classroom. The teacher was not as good and I don't think she was well prepared for the job. Though she tried hard. Long story short, our son was showing some developmental delays and instead of trying to help us out the administrator there simply suggested that we find another school. Our meetings with the administrator (who has since left) and the owner were, for the most part, unprofessional and not handled well.

The owner, Dr. Dan, is not as organized as I would have liked. I think she is spread too thin and it shows.

I can't speak for the teacher turnover but it seemed high.

We enrolled our son in another daycare in Alexandria and the difference has been nothing less than a revelation. It's hard to understand this unless you're at a place that's well organized and where the classroom sizes are such that the teacher is able and willing to tailor their approach to your child.

I hope that the new administrator at Vinci does a better job than the last one. All of the teachers seemed earnest and caring, but it's hard to give a recommendation to a place that's run by Dr. Dan.

Also, re booing at graduation, I wasn't there but my wife was. She didn't say anything about parents booing but there was definitely some grumbling going on from parents.

What isn't legal about that? Why were parents grumbling at graduation?

[Anonymous]

Perfect place for curious mind. My 3 years old just start at Vinci and we are so excited about his progress. The teachers are kind, thoughtful, energetic and truly loving towards our son. We have complete peace of mind every day they are there, which exceeds all of our hopes for what a daycare could be.

[Anonymous]

Stay away. Dr. Dan is a shakedown artist. All bark, but no bite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stay away. Dr. Dan is a shakedown artist. All bark, but no bite.

What do you mean? I'm interested in this school and I'd appreciate current information on what's really going on there.

[Anonymous]

Currently enrolled. I love the teachers in one of my child’s rooms but the teachers in the room between pre-k and toddler seem overrun. The Montessori/Reggio thing and the screens are gimmicky. I feel like screens are used too much - the teachers could lead a song and dance instead of playing one on a YouTube video, or I’ve walked in while a video of a story is on the screen - something a teacher could do as well.

However, kids seem happy, they’re safe and learning, and it costs less than other places. At the end of the day, it’s a daycare not a school. We moved from out of town where our kids were in an actual school where the teachers had been working there for years and had advanced educational degrees and lots of experience with young children - this is definitely not the same.

I believe they’re opening up another larger location - I feel like the owner is trying to open as many as possible rather than staffing her current locations properly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a school in mind for my DD, but I took notice of the school driving on Duke St. today. I was interested in going to the open house, but not after seeing they are Montessori/Reggio/STEM. As an educator, that is way to much to keep up with while providing consistent high-quality educational experiences. I was even more dismayed that the school posted this below comment on Facebook in response to an unhappy parent.

Vinci School: We appreciate your feedback. Your child is in distress due to your marital situation and it has nothing to do with his color. A distressed child who complains being left behind by his parents, who hits himself as well as hitting others require special attention which our school can not provide. We are happy that you find the right environment for him.

This right here shows me this school has no boundaries, lacks professionalism, and along with their hybrid curriculum, is nothing more than a gimmick to siphon money from parents.

!!!!!!!! This is insane

[Anonymous]

Forgot to mention earlier that the uniform shirts are a racket. $20 each for poor quality, ill fitting shirts. Perhaps they’re a money maker for the school, but the school would make money even at $10 a shirt. If they’re paying more than $5 a shirt, they need to find a new supplier.

[Anonymous]

Any recent reviews of the elementary program?

[Anonymous]

This is for the merrifield location which is new. We went to open house and met Dr. Dan and really liked the school. We decided to go with this daycare and was told to come in for orientation with our daughter. Dr. Dan asked if I wanted to have my daughter assessed as she is close to 4 and they wanted to see if she should be in the 3-5 yr old class of 4-5 year old class. The regular person who did the assessment wasn’t there that day so we agreed the teacher would do it. She was coming into a new environment and the class of kids were staring at her. They split us up for the assessment. My fiancé and I were downstairs with the director of admissions and Dr. Dan getting things signed and getting our package of information together.

Dr. Dan asked us if she had any medical conditions and I told her about her genetic disorder which doesn’t develop symptoms until she hits puberty and I was explaining the disease as she had never heard of it before and that she goes through yearly assessments which all have come back that she was fine and developing normally.

Dr. Dan’s eyes got big and she left the room and brought back my daughter and asks to talk to one of us privately. I met with her one on one and she said the teacher couldn’t do the assessment because my daughter wasn’t cooperating and she did her own assessment (keeping in mine she was gone only a few minutes) and she felt that my daughter was developmentally delayed and should belong in the 2-3 year old class which she wouldn’t put her in because that would mess with her confidence and that we were not a good fit for their school.

Keeping in mind as we were having this conversation the director of admissions was getting my husband set up for the app to get keys to the door!! I was floored that my daughter was discriminated in this way.

There was no conversation about the assessment being the final say as to whether or not we were accepted and after sending the director of admissions a long email describing what happened he even admitted that these assessments were not meant to reject a child but mine was!! We just had an assessment with Fairfax county teacher who visits my daughter weekly as she has a speech delay (which I disclosed to Dr. Dan during the open house and orientation and was assured was fine). We also just had an assessment with a neurologist who said she was developing normally. Everything was fine until we disclosed her genetic disorder so it was a clear sign of discrimination.

Do yourself, your family and your child a favor — stay far far away. Any institution that would judge a 3 year old based on a bogus 15 min assessment and who would discriminate against a child isn’t a school that should be in business or would be accepting to different types of children. They talk a good talk but they don’t stand behind any of it!