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Daycare Search in North Arlington
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briggsz
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Hi all,
I'm expecting my first child in late March/early April (  ) and am researching local infant daycare. We're looking to enroll the baby when she's about 4-5 months old, so sometime in July/August. My husband and I live in Courthouse: He works in McClean and I work downtown, so somewhere in Arlington is the best choice for us.
Does anyone have any reviews (good or bad) of the infant daycare options in North Arlington? I know the waitlist situation is a bear for all, but if there are any specific ones to target (or avoid), I'd love to know sooner rather than later. Thanks!!! |
Anonymous
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I have heard good things about the following centers in the Clarendon area: First Baptist Church of Clarendon Child Development Center - Little Beginnings Child Development Center Not to cause a panic but you really need to get on the wait lists now because both of these centers are quite popular. |
Anonymous
| Also try Rosslyn Children's Center. Great reputation. |
briggsz
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Thanks, anon! Was there anything specific about why these three places have good reputations, or just general good reputations?
Don't worry about causing a panic. I'm already there. |
Anonymous
| You might also want to consider in-home daycare. Our son has attended one since he was 11 months old (he's now 4.5 years old) and it's been a very good experience. We began combining it with preschool once he turned 2. Arlington County maintains a list of licensed in-home providers. Good luck! |
zumbamama
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| I use Kaye's Kare near EFC Metro. A bit further than Clarendon/Ballston area, but it is super affordable and they have an excellent preschool curriculum. |
Anonymous
| You first might consider whether you want your infant in a home-based situation for a few years or whether the more institutional setting is what you prefer. I strongly preferred the former and had both my boys with an excellent home-based provider in Lyon Park for the first 4-5 years. Home-based day care is more intimate, children get more personal attention, I think, and there's zero turnover for someone who is a professional dedicating a career to this type of work. I also found my home-based provider way more flexible. If I find myself caught in weather or traffic jam or metro breakdown, this never was a problem. At a pre-school, they berate you and charge by the minute for any delays despite my nearly perfect track record. My second son was fortunate enough to get a slot at Little Beginnings for his final year before entering elementary school, which I think is helpful as children transition to the formal school environment. LB is a co-op though and that comes with responsibilties as well. Arlington maintains a great list of home-based day care providers, as was mentioned previously. I'm sure one of them likely would suit your needs. I suggest spending some time visiting the various places and learn about the different forms of care before you decide what will work best for you. good luck! |
Anonymous
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Our now 8-month-old is at First Baptist Church of Clarendon and we LOVE it. We feel truly blessed to be there. I know how stressful this process is - we were on EIGHT wait lists in N. Arlington by the time I was 12 weeks along in the pregnancy. And when we finally got a spot at First Baptist, I posted looking for feedback and of course, received none when we really needed it! But we took a chance and it's been great. The teachers there are so very warm and caring and the infant/toddler coordinator is WONDERFUL. She's been there for 20+ years, as have many of the infant teachers. The tuition is also very reasonable (cheapest we found) because it is a nonprofit. It is church-based, so that's something to consider. This means that even the babies get "Bible story" time on Mondays (which I think is pretty funny but cute), but it's not a "pushy" environment and by no means are the parents required to join the church or go on Sundays.
We also toured and applied for a spot in Little Beginnings - wonderful parent co-op at the First Methodist church. You should know they only have SIX infant slots open PER YEAR. And - siblings get priority. So because four parents already at the center were having babies, last year there were only TWO infant slots open. Yikes! Also, because it is a co-op, there is a certain amount of parental involvement required. Not necesarily a bad thing, but I have to admit I kind of like being involved in my own ways and on my own terms at First Baptist. Rosslyn Children's Center also impressed us on the tour - we really liked the friendliness of the staff and they seem to be genuinely happy working there (one told me the benefits there were very good which made me happy). They are also a nonprofit and the retention rate of teachers is pretty good. We have yet to get a spot there, though, and it's been well over a year. Last we heard, we were #20 (of course, we're more than happy now with First Baptist and wouldn't change even if we did get a spot!) Good luck, PP - I know how hard this stuff can be. Oh, one last thing - they only admit new children/babies at First Baptist in September when the "school year" for them officially begins. So we found out we got a spot last July, but we needed coverage for the month of August. We used an in-home provider in McLean (near husband's office) and she was great. So I do think in-home places can work! |
Anonymous
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I am in the same predicament. I had daycare all lined up in downtown DC near my old job and then voila! I got a new job in Rosslyn. As of November, I've put myself on several lists in the North Arlington area, including Rosslyn Children's Center, but I have no clue as to whether we'll get in. I am looking for something starting in late June/early July.
Does anyone have specific recommendations of in-home daycare places in Arlington? I've been through the county's list, but a personal recommendation would help tremendously. Thanks, and Happy New Year! |
briggsz
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Thank you so much for all the helpful input. We'll see how the rest of the search goes. It sounds like the in-home options or maybe a nanny-share may be the best solution since competition is so stiff for infant daycare slots.
Thanks again! |
Anonymous
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Just to dispel a common myth that all daycare centers are extreme sticklers for ontime pickup, I have never been "berated" for picking my kids up late from Rosslyn Children's Center. To the contrary, the few times I have been late due to traffic/weather/breakdown in communication w/husband over who was to pick up the kids, they have been very understanding and never even charged me for the extra time despite the official policy. I even made a point to say "let me know what the additional charge is" the time we were half an hour late, and the director just shook her head and told us not to worry about it, that she knew it was "one of those things." As long as you are generally responsible (i.e. call if you are stuck on the bridge because of an accident) and usually on time, it is no big deal.
I also think some (not all) people with children in home-based daycare take terrible advantage of their provider's "flexibility." Just because they don't have an official "closing" time doesn't mean they don't have other stuff to do. So I don't think it is fair to weigh this too much in your calculus between home and institutional daycare--people should make an effort to pick their kids up at the agreed upon time most of the time (unless you have an alternative agreement with your home-based provider). Sorry to be a little off-topic, but this is a pet peeve of mine. |