Any experience with Bambini Play and Learn

[PetworthDad]

We are looking at Bambini Play and Learn at 900 Massachusetts Ave NW for an Infant.

Can't seem to find much information on them, so was wonder if anyone has any experiences to share.

[Anonymous]

We were very very impressed with Bambini and its director Ms. Silvina when we visited and on several subsequent follow up phone calls. We have not actually sent our kids there. Yet!
There is wait list for almost all levels.
The space is beautiful. The outdoor experiences seem rich and varied, despite the fact that they don't have an attached playground. Lack of private outdoor space is an issue for all daycares in this part of DC. Only breakfast & snack are included at this time, but they're working on getting a cook to provide lunches. They take 3 additional weeks off through the year, in addition to federal holidays, so you'll have to coordinate your vacay or plan for backup care during these times. If you can take 2 wks off of Xmas holidays, not an issue, but if you need to find a sitter for those days, it will be a challenge. Despite all this, I think, if you can afford it, Bambini seems excellent. Would love to hear, of course, from parents whose children actually attend there.

[Anonymous]

Just saw this. We are Bambini parents. Our kid went through the infant room and is now a toddler there. We absolutely love the center. There is virtually no teacher turnover, so the kids really bond with their teachers and the teachers give our kid so much love, they are like a second family to him. They have so many great programs for the kids -- music class and yoga (!) -- and just started an optional food program for the toddlers cooked by a chef that is way healthier than anything I have seen at any daycare anywhere. Our toddler is truly a bilingual toddler and he learns so much more than Spanish there! It's been amazing to watch him blossom under their care. Seriously, I am sometimes embarrassed to tell people about all the great things they do there, because it sounds so like such a bougie daycare experience for the 1%, but it is a really, really wonderful place. We are tremendously grateful to have found it.

[Anonymous]

Our child is at Bambini as well and I thought I'd chime in with our thoughts. This way when someone searches for info on the place this should appear.

To start I'll say that we can't say enough good things about Bambini. Our kid started in the infant room and has moved up to the toddler room, and he absolutely loves it there. He has clearly bonded with the teachers in his rooms, and even teachers from the older classrooms recognize him and interact with him. After a long weekend he's so excited he practically leaps out of our arms when we arrive.

And yes, they recently began a food program at an additional cost. It's not expensive, and since you'd be buying the groceries and preparing the food yourself we thought it was a no-brainer. You should see the menu. As parents there's no way we could provide that much variety day-to-day, we don't have the pantry space! It's helped him learn to like new foods too, which is a big plus.

The only "downside" is the weeks they are closed; around Christmas/New Year and one week in summer. Yes, this puts pressures on the parents to find alternatives or to take time off, but it's hard to be too mad about it since the intent is to let the teachers travel home to Central/South America.

The director is incredibly professional and has always responded to calls/emails. She even came in on a Saturday to give us a tour since we were unable to meet on a weekday. Fantastic.

[Anonymous]

My toddler has been at Bambini for about a year and a half and we, too, are very pleased. Everyone adores the director, Silvina, and all of the teachers (and I do call them teachers) are exceptional. I honestly feel that they are part of my child's extended family, and I treat them as such.

I was honestly not expecting any "real" learning but I've been pleasantly surprised. My child knows the entire alphabet - in English and in Spanish - and can count up to 20 in both languages at age two.

Their new food program is amazing. It is far healthier and more robust than anything I could prepare at home. My child's eating has improved greatly since its inception, and it's only $100 extra per month. I think it's a great bargain.

We've also been very happy with the small classes and overall size of the center. It's very personal and the staff work to incorporate the parents into the everyday activities. They post photos and video from each classroom each week. In addition, they just have nice extras for the parents, such as having a professional photographer come in for special portraits of each child.

We are very happy at Bambini.

[Anonymous]

I visited and it seemed really good but I just could not get past the completely windowless basement classrooms. I think the younger babies are upstairs but the 2s are in the basement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I visited and it seemed really good but I just could not get past the completely windowless basement classrooms. I think the younger babies are upstairs but the 2s are in the basement.

I'm the PP. I actually preferred it to be windowless because I was concerned about people gawking in on the main floor since everything is either basement or ground floor level. I rejected the Bright Horizon on L Street for this reason. It was really creepy the way people stand there and gawk at the children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I visited and it seemed really good but I just could not get past the completely windowless basement classrooms. I think the younger babies are upstairs but the 2s are in the basement.

I'm the PP. I actually preferred it to be windowless because I was concerned about people gawking in on the main floor since everything is either basement or ground floor level. I rejected the Bright Horizon on L Street for this reason. It was really creepy the way people stand there and gawk at the children.

To each her own. I think it is fundamentally unhealthy for kids to get such little exposure to natural light - I actually think windows of some sort should be a licensing requirement for all childcare facilities. It's bad enough that adults have to work in windowless offices!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To each her own. I think it is fundamentally unhealthy for kids to get such little exposure to natural light - I actually think windows of some sort should be a licensing requirement for all childcare facilities. It's bad enough that adults have to work in windowless offices!

There's no licensing requirement for windows in the classroom, but there are requirements mandating outside activities for that exact reason. That way, in addition to sunlight, children get plenty of fresh air.