Since moving to Arlington, I’ve heard all the playground gossip whispered amongst all the stay at home moms and nannies: “You better get on the wait list now for your 6 month old!” What?! From the talk around town, I thought getting my kids into the “best preschool” was as tough as applying to an ivy league college. I’ve got great news for you. It wasn’t. The hardest part for me wasn’t the actual application process or the bad luck of having to apply for the dreaded wait list. It was finding the right school, the “perfect fit”. The perfect fit meant: the number of days my child would attend, the hours they would attend (what’s the point of dropping them off only to have only an hour or so free time to myself), the structure of the program (the curriculum), the demeanor of the instructors/teachers (are they passionate about their career or burned out), the commute to and from the school, the way my child would respond to the method of education (and how they would relate to their classmates), the cleanliness and amenities of the facility and finally the price of tuition.

    It took me a while to find all the schools available to my children for enrollment. I couldn’t find a complete list anywhere on the internet by googling. I managed to find lists that were partial, but good enough. Finally, I started interviewing moms and grandmothers on the playground. The most helpful parents were people whom were lifelong Arlington relatives, living right in the neighborhood of Lyon Village or Clarendon from 20 to 30 to even 70 years.

   After creating the list, I then decided to go and tour a number of the preschools. This was a mainly pleasant journey. However, there were two preschools in particular where I encountered a director who flippantly urged me to get on the wait list while my child was only 9 months old so he would be able to be considered for the 3 year old program. Needless to say, I didn’t even think twice about never returning to that school. 

   I had a few questions about the importance of preschool.

Is Preschool really that important? The answer was unanimous across the board. Yes! Absolutely! It prepares your child for the vigorous education Arlington County Schools offer at the Kindergarten level. 

What is the difference between Preschool, Daycare and Cooperative Playgroups? The short answer: Preschool offers a curriculum that is similar to Kindergarten and actually prepares your child for Kindergarten. Daycares offer child care and babysitting. Cooperative Playgroups are shared parent child care geared towards socializing your child for playing within a small group of children with other parents present. 

Note: After touring preschools, daycares and co-ops, I found most of them to be very similar and not a drastic difference. The cost is approximately the same in the Courthouse, Clarendon, Ballston area. The licenses and regulations are by the same agencies. Most of them have a structured day of activities. The primary difference I noticed was the age range. Some daycares accept children between 6 and 8 weeks old while co-ops accept children at age 1. Most preschools accept children at age 2 or 3 years old. All of the programs accept children until they’re ready for Kindergarten. The secondary difference that stood out was the approach to the type attention given to children. For example, some programs seemed to offer more of a specific educational theory (like Montessori, Waldor, High Scope or Reggio Emilia) and other programs seemed to offer more of an emphasis on play as opposed to activities geared at teaching specific skills. 

   Here is the Clarendon Moms Guide to Preschools, Daycare Centers and Cooperatative. You may click on each link for direct access to their website. I hope you find this helpful. 

Arlington Children’s Center: The primary goal of their teachers is to nurture each individual child’s emotional and educational needs, as well as provide a sense of routine, opportunities to be creative, and prepare the child for primary education. 

Arlington Montessori House aka “Hippo House: The school is affectionately referred to as Hippo House by staff and families. They offer two classes of 28 students (of mixed ages), one teacher and one assistant. Both teachers hold Association Montessori International (AMI) certification. The program is a three-year program: two years of pre-school and kindergarten. We expect new families to enroll with intention of keeping their child in the school for three years–through kindergarten. This third year is the culmination of the primary level Montessori experience where children reap the benefits of the past two years, facilitating entry into a new school with a high degree of self-confidence, independence and enthusiasm for learning.

Arlington Unitarian Cooperative Preschool: Arlington Unitarian Cooperative Preschool is a child-centered cooperative with the mission of developing and encouraging social, intellectual and physical development in the children entrusted to its care.  

Ballston Children’s Center: Their philosophy is to provide a quality day care program in a learning and loving environment. The primary goal of our teachers is to nurture each individual child’s emotional and educational needs, as well as provide a sense of routine, opportunities to be creative, and prepare the child for primary education. Our teachers will bring unconditional love and emotional security, a sense of routine and an opportunity to be creative and resourceful.

Embassy School: No website available. Call 703. 525.2144

Finding Dreams In Children Child Development Center aka Bright Horizons Preschool & Education Center Opened in Fall 2006, the center serves 92 children on a full-time basis. Their emphasis is on preparation for success in life, academic excellence and a rich and rewarding childhood. 

Little Ambassadors Academy: Little Ambassadors’ Academy offers premier and quality childcare with a curriculum based on engaging our students to learn through discovery. Little Ambassadors’ offers full days of multiple activities that create a foundation to help children develop into lifelong learners. Starting at the age of two, our students will be exposed to Spanish as a second language. All students will learn different aspects of various cultures to help them understand the benefit of possessing a multicultural education.

Faith Lutheran Preschool: Their mission is to empower each individual child to investigate his or her interests within a loving community of peers and adults by providing a safe, playful environment where children are free to discover, explore, question, and express their own experiences, predictions, and evaluations in myriad “languages.”  They offer a variety of materials, tools, concepts, and equipment to help children see alternatives, to problem solve and make their own decisions. They are committed to observe and listen, and then to react to and validate their students ideas with respect, imagination and tenderness.

First Baptist Church of Clarendon Child Development Center: (also known as CDC) The Child Development Center was initiated in September, 1969 as a non-profit ministry of the First Baptist Church of Clarendon.  Since that time, the Child Development Center has experienced steady growth and is now one of the largest Child Development Centers in Arlington County.