New Bright Horizons - Old Town Alexandria - wait list feedback?

[Anonymous]

We are looking to start an infant at the new BH in Old Town Aug 2016. The center opens in Jan. We are on the waiting list but I don't know what the likelihood of getting an Aug 16 spot. Has anyone heard what the list is looking like?

[Anonymous]

it will depend what room you are looking at. There would likely kids going to school in September, which may open up spots. BH is typically doesn't provide helpful info on waitlists until they offer you a spot.

[Anonymous]

We were on the waitlist in Georgetown before they opened and we got a spot quickly. I think the likelihood of getting a spot at a newly opening center is higher than at an existing center.

[Anonymous]

Anyone been offered a spot? If so, what are the terms? How long do you have to accept and, how much is the deposit?

[Anonymous]

What age will your child be, Op, and using the max hrs allowable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What age will your child be, Op, and using the max hrs allowable?

OP here-
Infant - 3-4 months when she starts. Using the max hours- full days 5 days/wk.

It's a great looking center, with tons of space, which is unusual for the area. Definitely hoping to get in when I start back to work.

[Anonymous]

Not sure how helpful this would be for some of you-- but our kid was accepted as an infant to start around the end of this month. I got the sense that they've pretty much filled up the daycare with kids starting between mid-Jan and mid-Feb. So at this point, spaces would mainly open up due to normal departures. The new daycare may help ease the tight supply elsewhere a bit, though.

When we got offered a spot, we had only 2 days to accept and then followed up with the first month's tuition 1-2 weeks later. It's possible to defer while holding your spot on the waiting list, but you can only do that a limited number of times. We accepted immediately so I can't speak to that. Some of this MAY be atypical since they had to get far enough along with construction and licensing to make sure that they could actually start taking people when they said they would, and then try to fill up the center from the wait list. They did it in batches since they had to offer spaces to X people, see how many accepted, then offer the remaining spaces to Y people, etc. They may have a less tight time frame for responding to an opening in the future.

[Anonymous]

We're looking to transfer to the old town BH from another location. I'm curious any feedback on this center?

[HarborLiving]

bump

[Anonymous]

OP here. We just got notification of acceptance for 8/1 start, which was when we asked to start. We got on the list in December.

[Anonymous]

Those of you who are using the infant room, how do you like it so far?

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm a current BH Old Town parent of a toddler. I can speak to our experience at the center. We started in April and have been pleased overall by the care. The center is a beautiful facility. There is a "movement matters" room with a rock climbing wall, scooters, a ballet barre and mirror, bubble machine, rocking chairs for infants who are nursing and their parents and lots of fun toys (balls, instruments, scarves for creative movement). The outdoor playground is well shaded and has toddler appropriate equipment. The classrooms are well-stocked with developmentally appropriate toys, different play areas and green toys (i.e. green toy brand or Melissa and Doug or Montessori type toys) and curriculum covers many topics (science rocks, language, math counts, movement matters, etc.).

Two of the things I like best are the professionalism of the staff and the communication. I feel like my son's teachers are extremely communicative with me and my husband. Reports are given on an App, My Bright Day, you can access on your phone throughout the day. They update your child's report and even write back special notes. You can also include "drop off notes" if you don't have time to talk to the teacher in the morning. My favorite thing is they send pictures throughout the day of my son at school. I love it!

The professionalism of the staff in my child's classroom is something I really appreciate. The staff wear very appropriate but professional clothing (no scrubs, no t-shirts and "club jeans") that I've experienced at centers in the past. I like this about the teachers, as they are role models to my son. Sure they might wear jeans or sneakers, but more of a business/business casual vibe. I don't see the teachers on their phones or gossiping but rather engaging my child in active play or reading. They speak with proper grammar and are very articulate and well-spoken. Their written reports are on par with what I'd expect from a teacher. Most of my son's teachers have a BA or higher in education or a related field or a CDA credential. I have seen my son's vocabulary and speech improve immensely since starting daycare here. I also find the reports to not be generic and actually informative. My son's teacher implemented yoga and has helped him with toilet training. They are positive and welcoming people.

I also like how the staff is diverse. There is not one racial or ethnic group that dominates. There are white, black, Latino, Muslim staff. All of them are female, but I like that the staff is diverse and my son is exposed to role models of different backgrounds. My husband and I are tri-lingual and speak different languages to our son. One thing we liked was that some of the teachers are also bilingual and there is talk of implementing language lessons as a supplemental activity. Some of the centers we went to in Old Town stated the staff was "bilingual" or an "immersion classroom" but it was apparent to me the teachers were primarily Latina and communicated almost exclusively in Spanish; I did not see communication that was at a professional level equivalent to the tuition charged. There were no bios or backgrounds of the teachers at the other schools we explored. My husband and I like how they have brief bios in the hallway and on the website of each teacher. It would be nice to have full names, but I guess they do Ms. X to protect teacher privacy.

The school sends weekly newsletters and keeps families informed of any changes. I have heard from parents of younger children that the consistency in their classrooms is sometimes challenging.

Over the summer, there were some issues with the grass on the playground, neighborhood dogs using the playground as a restroom and the A/C in the building. Often my son's classroom had to move around, but the school kept us well-informed.

BH Old Town is expensive, but I feel like it is a good fit for our family. My husband and I both work in DC and are supervisors in the federal government. We need the extended hours, so it is a blessing that the center is open and available from 7-6 pm. I do sometimes feel bad that my DS is dropped off right before 8 and I'm one of the last parents picking him up 10 minutes to 6 pm, but that is my own "mom guilt". It is super convenient to the Metro. We live nearby and walk to school and then leave our stroller in a room they have for strollers and carseats. The walk to the Metro/Amtrak/VRE is a snap. There is also underground reserved parking with an elevator to access the building. It is very secure with a key code to get in and out and you check your child in on a computer system.

I really love how all the staff know my son's name. They are very friendly to us and we like it a lot. I know that the infant classrooms do not have external windows, but that might be better for napping/rest time and the movement matters room and other areas are bright and well-lit.

[Anonymous]

I had a child in the infants program until we got a spot at another Bright Horizons center. I really liked the Old Town center, only moved because the other one is in my workplace building and is subsidized by my workplace. I really liked all the infants teachers and I liked the center overall. The teachers were really good about communicating with you. I went during lunch hour to nurse (sat in a rocking chair in the classroom) and never saw anything that concerned me and the staff was always very nice and welcoming.

[Anonymous]

How do we like the new staff? I'm worried to take a spot if people aren't happy with the new teachers.

[Anonymous]

I am in the planning stages of having my daughter transition from a daycare to PreK. I anticipate having her in private care for PreK and Kindergarten so I need to ask other moms, for budgeting purposes, what are the current tuition ranges at OT BH? Thank you in advance everyone!