Reston, VA - looking for recommendations on daycare (Herndon: 2009, daycares)

[rashortt]

Hi there--I'm a newbie here and have been looking for reviews online for daycare in Reston to no avail. I would really appreciate any recommendations any Reston mommies have! My first baby, a little boy we have named Will, is due in early May, and I will be returning to work after maternity leave and so will need a place that will take an infant. My husband will be working from home most days so we will probably only need to drop him off for 4-5 hours a day.

It's such a tough process to decide with whom to leave your baby!! I've read various articles about the right questions to ask, etc. and would love to find a place that has a good ratio of personnel to children as well as low turnover rates. I haven't begun the process of visiting daycares yet, as I would like to have a narrowed down list based on recommendations. The Kindercare on Old Reston Ave is very close to my house and I plan to stop in there as one possibility.

Any help would be so appreciated!!

[JfromReston]

Here are a few I understand to be highly regarded.

Welcome to Reston Children's Center
Winwood Children's Center

Here is the link to search for inspection results.
Licensed Child Care - Virginia Department of Social Services

[rashortt]

great--thanks for the info--I will check those out!

[alokjain]

you can also try search - Totkare - very simple website

[bs13690]

There is one that is right off of Sunrise Valley right near Reston National Golf Course. You might want to ask if golf balls ever come into their play area or windows.

[Novamom06]

Just as something to consider, for the first year or two I'd look into a nanny or nanny share. The cost is not as bad as you'd think, especially with a share. And your child gets to stay home, near you, and without the germs.

[finecognac]

Check out mulberry center. We sent our kid there and it's a good place. I can stop by during lunch time and take her to lunch whenever I am free.

[Samara11]

I would recommend a home-based daycare for an infant. Its already so hard to leave a baby with someone you don't know and these big commercial daycares are usually awful. At least thats what I've experienced so far.

My daughter went to one till she was 1.5 years and she would always cry. Fortunately, we moved and I had to find one quickly, I opted for a home-based this time and found a lovely lady. For the last 1.5 years, she has been going to her home-based daycare and she loves it. Less kids, less illnesses and more personal attention. I'm so happy with this home-based daycare, no more stress at work.

If you'd like I can PM you with the lady's name and address, she's in Herndon... right off Herndon Parkway and Monroe/Van Buren intersection and she has only one infant right now. (She has a separate room with 3 cribs for the infants) She has an assistant also, who helps her with taking care of the kids.

In any case, you should definitely go through the inspection reports on the site suggested by JfromReston
Licensed Child Care - Virginia Department of Social Services
Thats how I found my daughter's daycare. Best of luck

[Skapov]

Originally Posted by Novamom06

Just as something to consider, for the first year or two I'd look into a nanny or nanny share. The cost is not as bad as you'd think, especially with a share. And your child gets to stay home, near you, and without the germs.

But the "Germs" are great for the developing child's immune system! My son has been in daycare since his 13th week of life, and he's doing wonderful.


www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html

January 27, 2009
Personal Health
Babies Know: A Little Dirt Is Good for You
By JANE E. BRODY

Ask mothers why babies are constantly picking things up from the floor or ground and putting them in their mouths, and chances are they’ll say that it’s instinctive — that that’s how babies explore the world. But why the mouth, when sight, hearing, touch and even scent are far better at identifying things?
When my young sons were exploring the streets of Brooklyn, I couldn’t help but wonder how good crushed rock or dried dog droppings could taste when delicious mashed potatoes were routinely rejected.
Since all instinctive behaviors have an evolutionary advantage or they would not have been retained for millions of years, chances are that this one too has helped us survive as a species. And, indeed, accumulating evidence strongly suggests that eating dirt is good for you.

[rashortt]

Thanks everyone for the great responses. I have decided to go with the daycare center, ChildTime in Reston near Plaza America. The director has been very responsive. I liked the fact that she personally knew all of the children's names as well, and the baby room was not that crowded with VERY friendly and caring employees. The facility is great, with very separate areas for babies, toddlers and the older kids. And they are very open about me coming in at any time to just hang out to see what it's like day-to-day.

I checked out Winwood as well but they have almost a 2yr waiting list. I really wish the lady had told me that before I wasted the time in going out there for the tour. I liked the fact they had cameras, but the facility even though it was very nice, overall was small, and the employees did not seem very friendly.

I really liked the director at Kindercare off of Temporary Rd in Reston. However, that facility needs some refurbishment, and again, a couple of the employees seemed very unfriendly. That seems like a bad sign. AND, they were allowing the babies to crawl all over the dirty part of the floor where you come in up to where my hubby almost stepped on them. That really bugged me...like they really didn't care. Also, the layout was not conducive to quiet time. So when the big kids came in after school it was really noisy.