Play-Based Preschools in Falls Church/Vienna?

[Anonymous]

Hi all,
We currently live in Old Town Alexandria but will be moving in the next few months. We're house hunting and will likely end up near Falls Church or Vienna. I'd love to find a great play-based preschool for my twins who will be 2 next year. They will not make the 2 1/2 year old cutoff and will need a program for Twos starting Sept. 2014. I know I need to get going on the waiting lists now.
I'd love to hear your thoughts/advice. Can be religious- any affiliation.
Thank you!

[Anonymous]

YWCA Children's Center in Vienna off of Gallows Road. We love it. You will need to get on the wait list.

[Anonymous]

There are not a lot for real two year olds but I know Meekins COOP takes them and so does Wesley. I have heard really positive things about Meekins but it is a coop and with twins you may have to be in the classroom with your kids a lot. I have heard really mixed things about Wesley. It is in a great location but a couple of friends have said that the schools MO is to ask challenging kids to leave but to portray it as though the children were voluntarily withdrawn. Since many schools have a waiting list, finding new students isn't a problem for the school. For my friends, it was upsetting and disruptive. I have heard good things about Vienna Baptist as well. I have also heard good things about Temple Rojev (sp) Shalom.

[Anonymous]

St. Joseph's in Falls Church City takes 2yr olds.

[Anonymous]

Check out Carousel Child Development center if you end up anywhere near 50 & Gallows. My daughter was there for the first 2.5 years of her life and we loved their daycare and preschool programming. It's in a church building but not affiliated with the church.

[Anonymous]

Andrew Chapel has a MDO program that will take two-year-olds. You can do 2 or 3 days/week.

[Anonymous]

Temple Rodef Shalom Nursery School has a great play based program. It is definitely a Jewish school but a decent number of kids (maybe 30-40 percent) are not Jewish.

[Anonymous]

Dulin Cooperative Preschool in Falls Church City -- love it!

[Anonymous]

Do you need all day pre school? Because many mentioned are not.

[Anonymous]

Right - are you looking for full-day (so more like daycare, though it might transition into preschool, like Merritt Academy) or half-days a few times a week (just getting used to the classroom setting, like Vienna Baptist)?

[Anonymous]

Vienna Presbyterian but I think that might be only 2.5 (not true 2s)

[Anonymous]

What does play based mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are not a lot for real two year olds but I know Meekins COOP takes them and so does Wesley. I have heard really positive things about Meekins but it is a coop and with twins you may have to be in the classroom with your kids a lot. I have heard really mixed things about Wesley. It is in a great location but a couple of friends have said that the schools MO is to ask challenging kids to leave but to portray it as though the children were voluntarily withdrawn. Since many schools have a waiting list, finding new students isn't a problem for the school. For my friends, it was upsetting and disruptive. I have heard good things about Vienna Baptist as well. I have also heard good things about Temple Rojev (sp) Shalom.

Accurate review about Wesley preschool. Wish I read this before sending my child here. Also read a similar hidden review on yelp.

[Anonymous]

The day school at The Falls Church Episcopal takes children starting at 18 months.

https://www.thefallschurch.org/thedayschool