Two Birds Old Town

[Anonymous]

At what point does the city shut down an establishment like this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Systemic issues per VDSS and found physical and verbal abuse.

If that doesn’t deter you, make sure you have PTO at least once a month when they close for their professional development days to learn mostly about art it seems because the curriculum focuses mainly on that and falls behind other aspects compared to most daycares.

This isn’t related to the abuse but can you say more about this? What aspects does it specifically fall behind in?

I’m a Two Birds parent that candidly has had a fantastic experience over 3+ years until now (for obvious reasons) and curious to understand as we evaluate other daycares.

New poster and emphasizing bc we're in the same boat.

[Anonymous]

I saw the names of staff listed somewhere to warn people if they show up elsewhere as childcare staff, but I can't remember where. Perhaps NextDoor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VA state report just dropped, significant concerns

https://www.dss.virginia.gov/printer/facility/search/cc.cgi?rm=Inspection;Inspection=166631;ID=47497;

Considering the massive abuse, it’s shocking the they’re legally allowed to stay open. Slapping babies in the face is horrific. It doesn’t matter how many cameras they promise to install.

ANY parent sending their child to either location is insane. Who is the owner?

this

they should be shut down ASAP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Systemic issues per VDSS and found physical and verbal abuse.

If that doesn’t deter you, make sure you have PTO at least once a month when they close for their professional development days to learn mostly about art it seems because the curriculum focuses mainly on that and falls behind other aspects compared to most daycares.

This isn’t related to the abuse but can you say more about this? What aspects does it specifically fall behind in?

I’m a Two Birds parent that candidly has had a fantastic experience over 3+ years until now (for obvious reasons) and curious to understand as we evaluate other daycares.

New poster and emphasizing bc we're in the same boat.

I am also a 2B parent and attended Old Town for a couple of years before switching to a different location. A lot of trust is put on the directors and teachers to do their jobs according to their own previous experience; the 2B training doesn't seem to be up to par as compared to other schools, especially around safety, so I have found that so much of what happens or doesn't depends on the experience of the teachers in the room and that of the directors they hire. We were extremely lucky that the new location we went to was somewhat established and had experienced leadership and teachers who matched our expectations, but Old Town did not have that. Old Town had tons of turnover, lots of different directors, we saw and called out lots of safety issues, and the abuse that occurred was directly related to the fact that there was no stability at the school. The teachers who committed the abuse had been there for some time and no one was watching what was going on in their classrooms. Quite literally there was a curtain on the door so people did not see in to the classroom and witness what was happening. Any experienced ECE professional would have spotted that red flag immediately and directors should have physically been in the classrooms and would have known what to look for in the childrens' behavior as signs.

This is a case of very bad teachers taking advantage of a situation, and leadership and admin not having experience in ECE and not knowing what they should have been doing as far as safety in an unstable school. I have to say, after all of this my trust in our current location is also shattered, and we are leaving as well. But I see how this story is already being buried online and I am very nervous about what may happen to kids at this daycare in the future.

It is a shame because we too have had great experiences with great teachers and I hate to see their good work being tainted by what has happened in Old Town. But great teachers don't stay long at bad schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw the names of staff listed somewhere to warn people if they show up elsewhere as childcare staff, but I can't remember where. Perhaps NextDoor?

It has been posted on Reddit but may have been deleted as they haven't been charged with any crimes. There is an active police investigation and any affected parents should call Alexandria police to bump this up on the priority list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw the names of staff listed somewhere to warn people if they show up elsewhere as childcare staff, but I can't remember where. Perhaps NextDoor?

It has been posted on Reddit but may have been deleted as they haven't been charged with any crimes. There is an active police investigation and any affected parents should call Alexandria police to bump this up on the priority list.

Yes, please, please call the Alexandria Police. The children who were beaten were traumatized. So were the children who WITNESSED the abuse. The criminals who did this must not be allowed to abuse more children.

[Anonymous]

I recently toured the facility and recognized a former teacher who previously worked at Celebree in Alexandria. She was terminated for posting an inappropriate video involving the children, which led to several upset parents contacting corporate. Based on that experience, Two Birds is not the right fit for me.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if teaching applicants to preschools are legally required to list every single former employer? That would help me feel more secure—knowing they can’t leave gaps on their resumes. Are these minimum wage positions?

[Anonymous]

We withdrew our kid over 2 years ago due to issues with the teachers there (2 of the 3 for the class were terrible). Things like mocking a toddler for crying and trying to shame them into stopping. I'm so sorry for the families dealing with this now. The report is horrifying.

[Anonymous]

I posted this on the other Two Birds thread and I think it’s worth posting here as this thread is specific to where the abuse took place.


I've worked in this field for a long time. The fact that this went on for EIGHT MONTHS before being reported is a huge red flag. The teachers didn't report it to the Director? Why? The Director didn't know it was going on. Why? Or worse, the Director knew it was going on but didn't report it to the owners. Why? Because there is a culture of fear and mistrust. If staff doesn't feel safe reporting something this horrific to their management team, there is a culture of fear and mistrust.

As someone mentioned on another post, these people are entrepreneurs. They most likely have investors who are funding their expensive expansions and build-outs. They're not paying attention to what is happening in their centers, nor are they cultivating a loving and safe environment for children or staff. They want to build value and cash out. Private equity is getting involved in this industry in a big way. You know once private equity gets involved, the goal is NOT providing quality care and education.

When looking for a quality program for your child, do your research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently toured the facility and recognized a former teacher who previously worked at Celebree in Alexandria. She was terminated for posting an inappropriate video involving the children, which led to several upset parents contacting corporate. Based on that experience, Two Birds is not the right fit for me.

What made the video inappropriate? Just wondering what kind of crazy things are daycare workers doing these days.

[Anonymous]

Someone needs to write a long-format investigative piece on this place and how these “disrupters” conned a relatively affluent audience into thinking this was luxury daycare through buzzwords and optics—and allowed child abuse to go on for months

I hope the parents have the stomach to sue and take down the whole operation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone needs to write a long-format investigative piece on this place and how these “disrupters” conned a relatively affluent audience into thinking this was luxury daycare through buzzwords and optics—and allowed child abuse to go on for months

I hope the parents have the stomach to sue and take down the whole operation.

Lawsuit in works. Not sure about the investigative piece. If anyone has the connections, lots of parents will be willing to provide content

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone needs to write a long-format investigative piece on this place and how these “disrupters” conned a relatively affluent audience into thinking this was luxury daycare through buzzwords and optics—and allowed child abuse to go on for months

I hope the parents have the stomach to sue and take down the whole operation.

I would love to read that. I talked to the owner when she first opened in Tenleytown and had major red flags