Bright Horizons in Crystal City was awful to deal with. We left within 4 months of starting and selected an in-home provider. It was a debacle at every turn. When paying $2000 a month, I do not want a teacher handing me my kid with a diaper full of poop and saying "she seems wet, do you want to change her"? Nope. Sure don't. She stinks and has been sitting in her own poop crying for how long? Or, you walk in and all the babies are lying on the floor. No one is working with them to sit up or roll over, etc. There were some awesome teachers there, but there were enough who were new or transitions that we couldn't handle it. The $2000 a month infant care has a limited number of hours that you can have your kid there. Yes, they charge more if you go over a pre-set amount of time. They also close at 6pm. There is no leeway or they charge you by the minute.

If you are going to pay $2000 a month, then a center should offer care that is a gold standard.

Anonymous wrote:Bright Horizons in Crystal City is a nice facility but they are SO disorganized with paper work. Nightmare to deal with- we have been on the wait list for two years and finally had to get their corporate office involved. My company has priority and they still are rude.

This post is a year old.

We have priority and got a spot in less than 6 months for an infant. Didn't find them anymore difficult to deal with than any other area daycare.

Bright Horizons in Crystal City is a nice facility but they are SO disorganized with paper work. Nightmare to deal with- we have been on the wait list for two years and finally had to get their corporate office involved. My company has priority and they still are rude.

Yes, thanks S & H's mom and all those who are so negative with these postings daycare is what it is, seriously movvve on....don't criticize anymore

I know of two families who left Flagstone and said getting into SADS this year was like getting a golden ticket because Flagstone was just that bad. But, it's up to the OP to make the decision for themselves.

Re the multiple positive postings about Flagstone, you can blame me for that - I posted about my two sons on Nov 18. I informed the current families at Flagstone about the concerns previous posters had raised, and suggested that other parents share their current experiences with Flagstone. That's all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems a little strange that there has been five postings singing the praises of Flagstone in a short period of time. Not to say that there is anything wrong with the center, I would just take the postings with a grain of salt.

And they all use the phrase, 'we couldn't be happier'.

I had the same thought. All the posts were strikingly similar. We were at Flagstone, and had the opposite experience. One afternoon ten minutes before they closed, we were chatting with another family in the infant room. One of the teachers, frustrated I guess, turned out all of the lights in the center, WHILE we were packing up. We were in the dark, and had to turn on the lights to find the sheets. The door was left open, and in the dark, two kids ran outside.

I called the director, and she agreed this was a problem. It was a mess, and indicative of some of the issues we had.

Anonymous wrote:It seems a little strange that there has been five postings singing the praises of Flagstone in a short period of time. Not to say that there is anything wrong with the center, I would just take the postings with a grain of salt.

And they all use the phrase, 'we couldn't be happier'.

It seems a little strange that there has been five postings singing the praises of Flagstone in a short period of time. Not to say that there is anything wrong with the center, I would just take the postings with a grain of salt.

We have a 10 month old at Flagstone, currently in the infant room, and we LOVE IT and our little man is really happy here! They are fantastic about communicating with parents - we get a detailed report every day - and discuss developmental milestones every month. One thing to consider is that you have to bring in and change the crib sheets everyday, but that was actually a positive for me, because it gives me more control over my son's environment while at daycare. They have great curriculum and an enclosed outdoor playground with lots of room to run around, which we felt was important so that our son would be familiar with how to play on playground when he goes to school. They have great activities for the kids - they just finished a book fair, had an adorable Halloween parade, brought in a petting zoo at the beginning of Autumn, and have water play during the Summer.

Most of all the reason we decided to go to Flagstone was that it is a fun and happy place, not like some of the other daycares we considered that felt institutional like a little prison for kids. As for the lead teacher in the infant room, which some have commented on, she is protective of the kids and wants to make sure that they are getting great care at home, like they get at Flagstone. Some parents may not appreciate that, but I have come to really value her wisdom. When it comes down to it, take a tour and see for yourself. What may not be a good fit for others, may be a great fit for you and your family, like it is for me and my family.

Our son has been at Flagstone for almost 2 years, since he was 12 weeks old, and we love it. We were instantly comfortable leaving our son with the head teacher in the infant room, and he is still very close with her even though he has advanced 2 classes. All of the teachers know all of the kids very well, even the ones who aren't in their class. The entire school has a very lively, fun atmosphere. The enclosed playground is outstanding and they spend a lot of time on it all year long. They have an outstanding lesson plan and it shows in his skills and vocabulary. We had the opportunity to put our son in a daycare on the base where my husband works as a civilian for significantly less money, but chose to keep him in Flagstone because we are so happy there.

My son has been at Flagstone since infancy and we couldn't be happier. Their outdoor play area is the largest and nicest in the greater DC-area. They make sure the children go outside daily which is very important to us. They also do a lot of art projects which the kids love. We absolutely attribute our son's advanced physical and social development to the enriching environment at Flagstone. We also appreciate the variety of staff personalities and ethnicities. We are comfortable and happy leaving our son in the capable care of Flagstone.

My daughter has been at Flagstone for the past 1.5 years and we could not be happier with the care she has received. The infant room head teacher is one of the reasons that we love the center so much and I'm looking forward to my second child starting there this spring. Go and judge for yourself, think the problems between parents and her reflect personality differences and not problems with the center or care provided.

My older son attended Flagstone from January 2005 through August 2008. When he switched to a private school in Maryland (where we live), his teacher noted how well prepared he was socially and academically. My younger son has been attending Flagstone since August 2008. It's close to where I work, so I can visit during the day. I know there are parents who have not gotten along with the lead infant room teacher or the director, but I have never had a problem with either. I respect them and the rest of the teachers - they are great with the kids. My younger son is now 3.5 yr old, and is learning to write his first name (among other things). They do lots of art, have a great playground area to play in, and visit the Old Town library once a week. I have been very pleased with the care both my sons received, and would recommend it to any parent looking for a daycare. Please go for a visit and judge for yourself.

Our infant is at Great Beginnings in Alexandria, and we couldn't be more pleased with the quality of care. All of the caregivers are great with the babies, and I hate to say it, but I think my boy hates leaving his primary caretaker more than me. I'm not surprised that they aren't allowing more people on the wait list because the directors aren't the kind of people to jerk folks around. It might not be as prestigious as SADS, but they're still getting their bearings as they've only been around for a few years.