Fairfax Academy Of Early Learning The

All of my three children have attended Fairfax Academy. My third child is eight years younger than my second oldest. The place is great! All the teachers are amazing. The front desk people are not as friendly as the ones before, but that is beside the point. I know my child is in a safe and caring environment. The children are always busy learning and having fun at the same time. It is a very warm and cozy environment. more

Both of our girls have attended Fairfax Academy, including our youngest who will be going there for Kindergarten in the fall, even though the FCPS now has full day in our area. Our son will start once he is 2. The staff are kind and have been there for years, so the stability of teachers is tremendous. The administration and teachers work together to make sure children are on track. We have had no problems with payments or refunds, because we read the policies before signing. It is terrific that we do not have to schedule dance or language classes outside of school time and that meals are provided. There is a nice diversity of student backgrounds, too. My only down side is that communications are not done electronically, but it looks like that is changing. more

Children with social or behavioral issues due to learning disabilities are asked not to come back to the school, even if they are going through the county testing, they will not permit the parents to let the child stay until testing and placement are complete. Out of the (7) seven children in my child's class (3) three were kicked out due to the same reasons. There is nothing normal about one classroom having three children kicked out! Other schools have told me that the daycare should not be operating if they are dumping kids this way. PLEASE stay away from this school if you have a child with any type of learning or social disability. They only care to have children that can all behave the same way. The county needs to be aware of this if they already aren't already. A daycare that cannot understand that children are all little individuals who are all different should not be watching kids. I have seen on several occasions children who should not be unattended making a huge poop and pee mess because no one is there to help or supervise. I came into a class where it looked like WWIII with chaos and a child running with a chair over his head. I was then told by staff that the little boy was asked to leave the school. Instead of figuring out how to help the little boy, they kicked him out. When they are tired of your child, they will make up stories that the child has diarrhea, a fever of 99.3 (not a fever), or is inconsolable so that you have to leave work constantly. You pay to take your child home, only to discover that your child is perfectly fine, fever free, and wanting to have fun and play outside. Everyday my child requests not to go to school. My child used to love going to the previous daycare provider. This says A LOT about this school. For a child who can blend in perfectly, this school is not a problem. Unfortunately not all children are the same, and for those who have disabilities of any type it can become a LIVING nightmare for them. I regret ever picking this school of HELL :( more

I have 2 kids attending the school. Now is ready to move to Kindergarten this year, the other will stay there for 2 more years. The first one has been there for 3 years and the other for 1 year. I like a lot the teachers, you can go in anytime (I have done it), you can ask for parent/teacher conference anytime. You can go and seat with your child while they have breakfast. What I don't like now if the new "Management". Ms Brendan was a people's person and the new ones don't even say "Hello". You approach them for something and they don't get back to you. Since I like the teachers my daughter will stay here until she can go to Kindergarten. I do like their summer program, they have a lot of activities for the kids, all safe and you can go to their field trips if you want. I have done it (Uptown Pool) more

I strongly disagree with J.C.'s review. They tell you before you pay the activity fee that the fee is not refundable. I understand J.C.'s frustration, but the school has its own rules, and we should respect them and follow them when we choose to send our kids there. This school is actually a great school in the area. It is not costly as the others, the teachers and staff are very caring, kids are diversified. The school encourages learning, respecting others, following rules and taking a lead. My daughter has been there for two and half years. I know some kids would rather stay there than go home at end of the day. My daughter loves there too, and I have to double my commute to work (from 20 minutes to 40 minutes one-way) every day to drop her off and pick her up because we moved and she did not want to transfer to a close-by school. I have talked to some parents of my daughter's little friends. They are all happy with the school and believe that their kids are loved and very prepared for advancing to kindergarten. I am happy with the school too and highly recommend it. more

I registered my child to attend this school only for 4 weeks during the summer time. We had a death in our family which caused us to fly out of the states. I called the school to let them know that my son will not be attending because of a family emergency. they refused to give me my money back that i payed them, saying that it was activity fees, but there was one problem my son did not even attend the school for one day , a minute or a second. I asked the owner what gave her a right to keep my money when my son has not attended at all he has not done any activities or stepped a foot in a class room. She wouldn't answer all she said was " this should be a good lesson learned" . I explained I'm a single mother who works very hard to make money to care for my child, that she had no right to keep my money when my child has not attended the school yet. To sum it up these people are money hungry all they look for to to take your money, when they don't even deserve it. So be careful of this school they are not honest people. more

My friend has sent both of his kinds to this academy. He has noticed a major change in his children’s behavior and work ethic. They are both great kids but the academy has really furthered their development. He said initially his kids did not enjoy the academy but they have warmed up to the different environment quickly, they now both love their new surroundings. more

First, let me say that this is a place where you know your child will have fun, be treated well, and will be (for the most part) safe. They are efficient, clean, and ensure that everything is taken care of. The staff are very friendly to the kids. However, this comes at the cost of this being a very institutional place. Don't expect them to involve parents much, even if you want to. Despite claims of open door policies, they basically prohibit parents from visiting classrooms. The postive of this is that it keeps the kids safer without adults milling about. The negative is that it means that these aren't your kids any more (at least not during school hours). They don't tend to follow modern "best practices" for some age groups. Again, in an attempt to maintain order and to ensure safety, there are age-inappropriate (although not harmful) activities, especially for the younger kids. They have frequent field trips and maintain adult:child ratios which are legal, but hardly prudent (1:5 or so). How one adult can handle 5 toddlers near a lake or at a zoo is beyond me. And yet, they are very capable and manage to do it. They tend to be blasse about issues individual kids might have, such as allergies, issues at home, cultural differences, etc. Again, this allows them to provide consistent care which is good. But it has a cost for certain kids. Some teachers do not speak English, which is not necessarily a problem when dealing with small children. However, do not expect to receive accurate reports from these teachers regarding your child. Did your child eat their lunch today? No way of knowing, since (1) parents aren't supposed to talk to the teachers and (2) the teacher doesn't know what you mean due to language problems. This also means that certain activities have to be adjusted. For example, teachers with communications problems will not read to the children. Instead, they turn on a record/tape/CD and hold up a book, turning the pages at the beep. All in all, if you're someone who doesn't mind letting someone else decide what's best for your child, this is a good place. Your child will be safe. They will learn a lot. They will have fun. They will feel cared for. But there are no exceptions to the rules and you, as a parent, have to do what they say. Also, you will be required to buy uniforms (and optional hats, backpacks, etc.). Yes, uniforms for toddlers. They're ugly and get get expensive (especially in the summer where they are required every day). A child without a uniform can be denied entry into the school. So make sure to do your laundry. more

Fairfax Academy is the perfect daycare or early learning school to place your child. They teach the kids all sorts of different things and really seem to care about the children. The classrooms are roomy and they do not overfill them with children. The teachers are well ducted and caring to the kids. The children spend a good deal of time outside and in the summer they are taken on field trips. more