The owner used to have a school in California. It failed. I did some research on the owner before sending my children there. She used to be an interim president for a company in Germany. She tried to buy the company, but for some reason instead of selling out to her they decided it was better to close the company. I reached out to a girl I know in China and asked her to find out about the daycare she runs there. Apparently she also used to own two daycares in Beijing, both of which closed. Apparently the owner also owns a center in Shanghai, which has had issues with keeping staff and customers. She franchises out the daycares all over China, but none of the centers wanted to talk about anything. I don't speak Chinese, but the lady I know has lived in China for 5 years, has a Master's Degree in Education and speaks fluent Chinese. She got the feeling when she spoke with some of the franchises that they didn't want to speak anything negative, but that there was a lot of problems. My friend asked if they had a teacher training facility to support the franchise owners. All they had to say which gave any indication of those operations was that there used to be. Apparently, just like the reviews here in our great city of Alexandria, that the good staff disappear. One of the managers in a center from Shanghai said there used to be three expats which were actually doing good things for the franchisees. One of them was well remembered by staff as a dedicated individual who would come by and help. Then that person suddenly disappeared and when they asked about him the owner did not have nice things to say and that they simply needed to do things exactly as she said to have them done. I also found out that the Chinese operations were franchised out from a company in Australia.

The research I did about the Australian company and their learning program seemed excellent. Much different than other child development companies in existence and very promising. I wish I could send my two children there. I emailed them and mentioned that part of the description from Vinci seemed similar to their program. I did not mention the Vinci name, so the response I got was very interesting. They asked me if the description came from pamphlets given out to parents or from some other site than Vinci's website. It was as if they knew and wanted me to provide some information they might be able to use. Since I don't live far from the school, I went over and got all information I could and scanned it for them. I can tell from the reviews and the investigation that I did that my children will not be going there. I also went to the Virginia state website which monitors daycares and found some information there which also insured that my children's safety is better off elsewhere. Out of the last 5 visits to the school I had to wonder why their permits were not taken from them after the third visit. The 5th had no negative issues, but I suspect that will not last. I hope for the safety of the children that the chemical and medicines are forever kept out of reach, but I don't count on it being the case. I didn't check on the professional reviews that seem to posted as a matter of pride, but I suspect them to be the type that are not hard to come by.

I've done a LOT of digging on Vinci school and from every single person I have talked to, the issues boil down to the director who can be condescending, rude, and unprofessional. Having attended the open house for VS, I have to say I whole heartedly agree. All of that said, every parent, whether they despised the director or not, said the teachers and the classrooms were great. One parent noted a transition issue that didn't work for their child, but aside from that, they described warm, happy classrooms with structure and academic focus. I went to tour the FFX location and asked a lot of pointed questions about the complaints I had heard, I basically grilled Miss Becky and she could not have been nicer or more prepared to answer them. I met many of the teachers who seemed fantastic and extremely qualified as well. All of this said my kid does not go there (yet) so I can only share what I have heard from my research...and I've done a lot of it...Just some thoughts!

As for the comments about the menu I can't say for sure but I know they are catered from WF and don't do sweets. The PTA at the Duke St location asked that they remove sugar from one of their regular afternoon snacks and they listened. If you look at the SS reviews online they are fixing all of their violations and it sounds like with the addition of the PTA they are moving in the right direction.

Can anyone comment on the new Fairfax St location?
Also is it just me or is the menu all carbs and not enough variety?

Despite all of the rough reviews here we have had a very good experience so far. It is fairly structured which is a good fit for our daughter but I can see how it might not be for all kids. She is learning way more than I would have expected both in terms of specific content like rhyming, initial letter sounds, etc but also an overall increased interest in science and wanting to do experiments at home. The owner is definitely “unique” but the teachers have been wonderful. Now when we ask her what she did at school during the day she actually has something to tell us whereas at her old school we just heard “nothing” or “I don’t know.” Hope this helps. Good luck in your search.

Horrible! I have had one of the most disturbing parent-teacher conversations with the owner and my son's teacher that still makes my blood boil. We took him out of there after one year and I'm not looking back. The owner is probably a bit nuts too. They focus too much on sticking to structure and schedule vs creating a warm happy supportive environment. If your kid doesn't fit the box then you're out of options.

GREAT PLACE !!!!Teachers are wonderful knowledgeable and educated ( Bachelor or Masters degrees) my child is happy and surprise me every day with new thing he learns. Health Food from Whole Foods for lunches. 2 hours outside time every day!!! Besides Montossori / Reggio curriculum children do yoga, art, science and manny manny more. Just go check for yourself!!!

Stay away - lots of promises, empty shell curriculum, making parents guilty for everything that is not working with a child - no dedication to children, huge teacher turnover. Sooner or later you will come to that conclusion - I hope sooner...

My son has been enrolled for a year and we have been really happy so far. Yes, the owner is 100% nuts, but she is not there all the time and the staff running the school on a daily basis is wonderful. We were realistic going in; he's 3, so we were looking for more socialization and structured learning and he has absolutely gotten that. He has really come out of his shell with other kids, and the stuff he comes home talking about is so beyond what I would have expected. He was prattling on about fires happening when there is not enough moisture in the air the other day!

In choosing the school, we knew it was new and that there would likely be some hiccups along the way, and most of them were entirely administration/parent communication-based. These practices have gotten better, with regular emails to the parents, and the forming of a PTA. On a day-to-day basis, the parent portal is fantastic. My son's current teacher includes a great description of what the class did, including questions to ask about what they are learning, and almost always a personal note about my son's day.

Is it perfect? No. Parking for drop-off/pick-up is occasionally a PITA, and the owner has a pretty loose grasp on the bounds of contract law, but I am certain my son is happy, well-cared for, and engaged every day. Paired with a really convenient location and great price, I can't ask for much more.

I would like more recent information about this place as well. I have my daughter enrolled, but now am a little skeptical of letting her attend. The school have a new location in Alexandria, and this would be the one my daughter would/wouldn't be attending.

Thank you for your input!!

Do any current parents have updated experiences with this school? I just found out about it and the price/location are perfect but I also saw the unprofessional response to the negative Facebook parent review and I cringed. I also am not sure what I think about all of the Facebook pictures of children being posted for anyone to see. These wouldn't necessarily be deal breakers if I knew the environment was overall good for my kiddo.

It seems like every time I come across a potential preschool in this area without a massive waitlist, it ends up having some major red flags

How does drop-off work? There doesn’t seem to be much parking in front.

Ouch harsh reviews for this place. We like it and our child is happy.
The facility is very clean and new and it's on par with other daycares in the area. We did a lot of research in D.C. And Alexandria. I mean it's childcare, not SAT-prep or Thomas Jefferson training ground. Our kid is doing great and the curriculum is fine.
Is it above and beyond any school? Probably not. Is the owner kind of a weirdo? Likely but she had hired good staff and teachers to run the daily operations.
The parent community is getting organized, there is a pta.

Agreed this place is a sham. Lots of shifting in contracts and payments. It's hard to keep up with it. We have changed 3 teachers in on year. They watch tv and call it STEM. I have yet to see any STEM. If you call watching Peppa Pig stem.

The owner doesn't care about your child. She called parents in July 4th weekend to let us know her staff is idiots and that we cause our children anxiety - and that her school is the only thing helping them. Please do not call me in the Friday before a holiday weekend to insult me and your staff.

This is not good business. She also makes up new fees on the fly.

I highly do not recommend.

Anonymous wrote:My child just LOVE Vinci School he learns a lot and in age 4 starts spelling, writing and reading. We really appreciate and highly respecting his teachers who are professional and always helpful. Who ever is interested should check out for themselves!!! Really great place

Really sounds like this is from the owner....

Its just a money minting business for the owner. They just after your money..