Anonymous wrote:I feel like I have read the reviews for just about every day care center in my area! We like JCC off Little River and plan to get on the waitlist there (a year). We need one or two other good day care centers to give ourselves more than one option.

Any suggestions? We didn't care for A Child's Place when we visited and Merritt Academy didn't return our phone inquiry (have also heard they have a long waitlist).

Dear Poster,
I want to sincerely apologize for not returning your phone inquiry. I make a concerted effort to respond promptly to every inquiry I receive, whether phone or email, however, I admit that occasionally I lose track of a message and it goes unreturned. I would love to provide you with additional information and invite you to tour our school. Please give me one more chance!

Sincerely,

Amy Pernick,
Director of Admissions for Merritt Academy

Merritt I think does still have a couple of spaces available for infants.

We're at Your Child's Place. It's good not great. Consistent staff, friendly, large space. Infants and crawlers are in the same room (my LO didn't walk until 16 months, so that's where he stayed); walkers get moved out earlier. I am a horrible person who thinks speaking correct English is very important and the staff is foreign born w/ strong accents and limited vocabulary (they make themselves understood) and while caring and capable, I wish their English was better.

Your child's place is in Vienna. I have some friends with infants there and they like it. It is near the corner of Nutley and 123. Mansoureh is a great daycare nearby if you are ok with home daycares. I have friends who like Merritt for the infant toddler very much too and they are updating the playground there.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the suggestions.

What I didn't like about A Child's Place:

- The infants are kept in the same room until they're 16 months...it was weird to see newborns in the same room with children that are walking.
- There's no security. The Director said she keeps an eye on the parking lot and she knows the car each parent drives.
- There's a TV in the 16 - 24 month room and when we asked the Director if the kids watch videos -- she said not often (this seemed vague).
- The Director couldn't give us an exact answer as to how often they sanitize the toys.

I know this is an old thread, but as I research daycares in Vienna/Dunn Loring, this one caught my eye. So there seems to be A Child's Place in Merrifield and Your Child's Place in Vienna. I can only find info on "A Child's Place" and it's all negative, but trying to find info on Your Child's Place to make sure the posters aren't confusing them.

Any thoughts/advice would be helpful!

Thank you everyone for your feedback! My baby is due July 17th and we will need child care in mid-October.

I have heard mostly good things about Carousel Child Care and plan to set up an appointment for a tour.

How old is your child? We've been at Carousel Child Care (technically annandale, but it's near Inova Fairfax) since my daughter was 6 weeks old and we're really happy with it. She's 28 months now. They have an infant room, a mobile infant room for walking infants, and various toddler, preschool and pre-K rooms. You have to take off your shoes for the infant room and everyone complies. you can only enter the facility with a code known only to parents. (visitors have to knock.) I think they only have one TV- occasionally they have a movie day where they mix several classes, but it's really rare. Many of the caregivers have been there for many years, and most of the kids my daughter started with are still there. They have good outdoor play spaces for younger and older children, and they also take the babies outside in strollers, when weather permits.

I toured Baby, Toddler & Preschool land in Oakton (vs. the one in Vienna) and I wasn't crazy about it. I also toured the Kindercare on Main St. and didn't really like that one either. Both were out of the way for us, so I didn't lose any sleep over not wait-listing there.

I known several people who have been very happy with the child care center at Fairfax Hospital. I don't know if it is available for non-hospital employees though.

I toured Baby, Toddler and Preschool Land a few months ago. Everyone was nice enough and the kids all looked happy and content, but I wasn't impressed with it. There is little security - you can walk right into the front office and from there to where the children are. The staff, while friendly, seemed kind of transient to me: Several staff kept coming in and out with their coats on - I couldn't tell if they were coming or going.

There were also several signs posted - "everyone must sanitize their hands" but no one asked us to do this. I think there was also a sign to take off shoes in the infant area, but no one asked us to do that either. If they aren't enforcing this request, what else aren't they enforcing?

I did like that they had a nice outdoor space and the center seemed bright. But ultimately we decided it wasn't the place for us.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the suggestions.

What I didn't like about A Child's Place:

- The infants are kept in the same room until they're 16 months...it was weird to see newborns in the same room with children that are walking.
- There's no security. The Director said she keeps an eye on the parking lot and she knows the car each parent drives.
- There's a TV in the 16 - 24 month room and when we asked the Director if the kids watch videos -- she said not often (this seemed vague).
- The Director couldn't give us an exact answer as to how often they sanitize the toys.

I also toured a Child's Place and was also concerned about the lack of security. The infant and toddler rooms seemed very crowded and noisy. I thought there were way too many children in those two rooms. The rooms for the older children seemed fine. Overall, the place just didn't seem to have a warm feel to it.

Has anyone heard anything about Baby, Toddler and Preschool Land?

Thank you for the suggestions.

What I didn't like about A Child's Place:

- The infants are kept in the same room until they're 16 months...it was weird to see newborns in the same room with children that are walking.
- There's no security. The Director said she keeps an eye on the parking lot and she knows the car each parent drives.
- There's a TV in the 16 - 24 month room and when we asked the Director if the kids watch videos -- she said not often (this seemed vague).
- The Director couldn't give us an exact answer as to how often they sanitize the toys.

OP, can I ask what did not like about A Child's Place?

There is a Kinder Care in Vienna near Louise Archer Elementary. There's also Appletree on Blake Ln in Fairfax and Appletree II at Nutley and Tapawingo in Vienna.

I feel like I have read the reviews for just about every day care center in my area! We like JCC off Little River and plan to get on the waitlist there (a year). We need one or two other good day care centers to give ourselves more than one option.

Any suggestions? We didn't care for A Child's Place when we visited and Merritt Academy didn't return our phone inquiry (have also heard they have a long waitlist).