Alexandria Daycares (MDS vs Butterfly House vs St Anthony's)

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone! I am currently searching for a daycare for my almost-two-year-old. She has been in a nanny share since she was four months old, but the other family is moving on at the end of the year, so I'm planning to do the same. I've done many searches in this forum, but would love to hear about any recent experiences with any of these daycares. I've toured MDS and Butterfly House.

Madison Day School: Facility leaves a lot to be desired; classrooms and structure are nice; they are still making kids mask indoors despite vaccine (is this still mandated in Virginia??)

Butterfly House: Nice facilities and big play area; less structured than MDS -- more focused on unstructured play (follow Reggio Emilia approach).

St. Anthony's: Not open for tours yet. I really like they have a classroom cam -- the other daycares don't offer this. I can't tell if they have a private outdoor play space.

Appreciate any info!

[Anonymous]

We went to Butterfly House and had a good experience. I wouldn’t say they follow a Reggio Emilia approach at all unless things have changed. I’d say they follow a…traditional preschool approach? Lots of outdoor time, which is great. Caring teachers.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for feedback! When I toured a few weeks ago, they mentioned Reggio Emilia and focus on outdoor time. Perhaps they just loosely follow it.

[Anonymous]

St. Anthony's is a lot easier to get a spot in if your kid is a 3 or 4. Almost all the spots for newborn to 2 will go to siblings of currently enrolled kids.