Northern va preschools: Here Are the Best Daycares and Preschools in NoVA, as Voted by Readers

Park Authority Rec Centers

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The Fairfax County Park Authority operates three fully licensed preschools. One is at Riverbend Park. Two are at Rec Centers: Lee District in Franconia and Spring Hill in McLean.

Our Rec Center programs nurture each child’s emotional, social and intellectual growth in a safe and inclusive environment. Since children learn best through creative play and a developmental approach, we provide hands-on activities that enhance learning, promote independence and foster a positive self-image. Our goal is to help each child reach their potential with socialization and school readiness skills.

The preschool experience provides age-appropriate activities in art, science, circle time, outdoor play, centers, music and more. We welcome visitors to observe on an appointment basis.  

For information about preschool at Riverbend Park, see Forest Preschool. 

Requirements

Children must be the appropriate age by the beginning of class and/or no later than September 30. Children must be fully potty-trained.

Enrollment Forms: Our preschools are licensed by the Virginia Department of Social Services, parents must submit the following:

• Immunization record
• Recent Physical Record (within 12 months)
• Completed Emergency Form with Pick-Up Authorization
• Proof of Child’s Identity (we do not collect these; just need to show it)

Registration

Registration/Tuition: Registration is paid monthly and is due the month prior. There is an annual registration fee per child. If there is space available, new students are taken at any time throughout the school year. Registration for the upcoming school year takes place in March. It is important to enroll your child early to reserve your spot! Space is limited.

Holidays: Preschool follows Fairfax County Public Schools’ holiday schedule. However, preschool follows Fairfax County Government for inclement weather.

Teacher to Student Ratio: 1:9 (sometimes lower depending on enrollment)

Health & Safety Practices in Response to COVID-19: The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) routinely monitors guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) and governing health agencies to ensure enhanced health and safety protocols are in place to maintain a healthy school environment for children, families, and staff.

Class Options: See charts below. Space is limited so it is best to contact the site for availability and a tour.

2022-2023 School Year

Our current non-refundable registration fee is:

• $120.00 (1st child)
• $110.00 (2nd child)

Lee District Rec Center Preschool Options
Ages	Days	Times	Monthly Fee
2 ½ yrs.	Tues/Thurs	9 a.m.-noon	$255.00
3yrs.	Tues/Thurs	9 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	$280.00
3yrs.	Mon/Wed/Friday	9 a.m.-noon	$315.00
3yrs.	Mon-Friday	9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	$630. 00
4yrs.	Tues/Thurs	9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	$280.00
4yrs.	Mon/Wed/Fri	9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	$375.00
3-4yrs.	Mon-Fri	9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	$630.00
4yrs.	Mon-Friday	9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	$630.00

Spring Hill Rec Center Preschool Options
Ages	Days	Times	Monthly Fee
3-5yrs	Tue/Thurs	9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	$325.00
3-5yrs	Mon/Wed/Fri	9:00 a. m.-1:00 p.m.	$435.00
3-5yrs	Mon-Fri	9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	$725.00

Riverbend Park Preschool Options
Ages	Days	Times	Monthly Fee
3-5 yrs.	Tues/Thurs	9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.	$305.00
3-5 yrs.	Mon/Wed/Fri	9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.	$410.00
3-5 yrs.	Mon-Fri	9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.	$690.00

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Head Start Age 3-5 | Office for Children

What options and locations are available for Head Start?

There are two types of Head Start programs:

Full day full year programs operate year round with a short summer break (about 2 weeks) and are open from 8 a. m. to 5 p.m.
School day programs operate September – June and are open when Elementary schools are in session, six hours a day.

Locations

Greater Mount Vernon Community Head Start operates a full-day, full-year program for children from birth to age five for families in the south end of Fairfax County. Preschool and infant/toddler services are provided in the center-based option.

Greater Mount Vernon Community Head Start
Gum Springs Children’s Center
8100 Fordson Road
Alexandria, VA 22306
703-799-5760
Offers Head Start and Early Head Start center-based option in the Route 1 area.
To apply, please call or visit our office.

Higher Horizons operates a full-day, full-year program for children from birth to age five in the Bailey’s Crossroads area. Preschool services are provided in the center-based option. Infant/toddler services are provided in the center-based and home-based options.

Higher Horizons Day Care Center, Inc.
5920 Summers Lane
Bailey’s Crossroads, VA 22041
703-820-2457
Offers Head Start and Early Head Start center-based and Early Head Start home-based options in the Annandale and Falls Church areas.
Apply

Fairfax County Public Schools operates a school-year program for preschool children across the county during the school year. The Fairfax County Public Schools Early Head Start program is operated full-day, full-year in the Herndon/Reston area. Preschool services are provided in the center-based option. Infant/toddler services are provided in the center-based and home-based options.

Fairfax County Public Schools
Alan E. Leis Center
7423 Camp Alger Avenue
Falls Church, VA 22042
703-208-7900, Español 703-208-7901
Offers Head Start and Early Head Start center-based option throughout Fairfax County.
Apply

What services are offered through the Head Start programs?

Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages three to five in families with low income. Head Start helps prepare children for success in school through:

Education

• Supporting social and emotional development
• Developing language and literacy skills

Disability Services

• Screening for developmental delays
• Accessing educational and behavioral services for children with special need

Wellness

• Accessing healthy meals and snacks
• Locating prenatal care for pregnant women
• Connecting families to health care services, including dental and mental health services

Family Services

• Parenting Workshops
• Becoming a Parent Volunteer
• Job Training, transportation assistance and other community support

How can I apply to participate in the Head Start program?

Your family may be eligible for Head Start services if your family’s income is determined to be at, or below, poverty level. Families are selected based on need. Preference is given to four year olds. Programs may enroll some children from families whose incomes are higher than the federal poverty level if they meet other eligibility requirements. Families with circumstances such as homelessness, children in foster care, or receiving TANF or SSI also qualify for services. Families must provide proof of income, proof of residency and proof of age. Application forms and documents required vary slightly by location.

Eligibility Process

Examples of required eligibility documents (for detailed info, call program):

• Proof of income: 1040 and W2s, paystubs
• Proof of public assistance: TANF paperwork, SSI paperwork (these two forms of public assistance are the only ones that are automatically eligible)
• Proof of residency: current lease, deed, resident manager’s letter, lease, affidavit, rental agreement, telephone bill or utility bill which is addressed to them or lists the parent as an occupant
• Proof of age: birth certificate or other legal document

Although there are many Head Start slots available throughout the county, there may be a waiting list for services, depending on the time of year and specific location. If your family is placed on a waiting list, it means that while you are eligible to participate in the program, you may be selected if and when space becomes available.

Once enrolled, children will be placed in a Head Start program and will begin to receive services.

To apply, please call our office at 703-324-8290 or one of the agencies listed at the top of this page.

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A new type of kindergarten – a green project for the far north – High-tech buildings – Engineering systems

Home|Journal|№1 2020| New type kindergarten – a green project for the Far North

New type kindergarten – a green project for the Far North

Nikolay Shilkin

In the city of Beloyarsky (KhMAO-Yugra), work is underway to build a new type Kindergarten. This project solves three tasks: firstly, the creation of a new high-quality educational environment, the need for which is embedded in modern educational programs for child-oriented preschool institutions, secondly, the optimization of the area and volume of the building, and thirdly, the design of an energy-efficient building in conditions Far North.

A new type of kindergarten – a green project for the Far North

The kindergarten is designed for 220 children. The building has a complex plan, in which two main volumes can be distinguished: a two-story, south-oriented, where children’s group rooms, locker rooms and sanitary facilities are located, and a volume with a pitched roof, which includes premises for sports, music, swimming, administrative, as well as household and auxiliary premises. In the center of the building there is a two-height space, illuminated by a shed lantern – a common play area for children. Group rooms are functionally separated into a separate block. They are maximally oriented to the south side, which gives optimal heat input during the heating period.

On the ground floor, for ease of access, there are group rooms for the stay of children of younger age groups. On the second floor there are groups for children from 3 to 7 years old with the possibility of transformation into primary classes. The building is divided into 3 main blocks, each group block has its own entrance through the stairs to the dressing room. Parents and children, coming from the street to the group, do not cross the common playing space. Thus, we got a division into a clean and dirty zone. Group rooms include a dressing room, a play area, a sleeping area, sanitary facilities, a kitchenette. Group rooms are combined with a sleeping area, three-tier pull-out beds are located along the walls and piers between the windows. The locker rooms have a common volume with group rooms – their area is also used in the gameplay. Group rooms have sections of the wall glazed to the floor for visual connection with the internal playing space. Window sills in group rooms are located at a level no higher than 400 mm from the floor level, which provides a visual connection between children and the outside world. For the convenience of parents and children, toilets are provided under the stairs, with the possibility of using them from outdoor playgrounds. Leaving the corridor system and optimizing the premises allows reducing the total area of ​​the building to 14.7 m ² per child, while increasing the coefficient. play space from 2-2.5 m ² according to standards up to 10.5 m ² per child, this enables children to actively move and interact with each other.

In the center of the building there is a double-height space – a common play area for children, which is in constant access. The second floor, overlooking the common playing space, is connected with the first floor by an open staircase and a spiral slide. A climbing wall, cozy zones, playgrounds and a place for social events are planned to be built in the common playing space. Music classes are supposed to be held in a common space. Transformable partitions of the gym allow you to combine it with a common playing space. It is also possible to allocate additional space for additional educational activities in the gym. The main service and administrative premises, as well as workshops and storerooms are located in the northern part of the building. In the immediate vicinity of the pool there is a group of medical facilities. Utility rooms of the kitchen are also allocated in a separate block with an independent entrance and loading. On the western side, from the level of the second floor, an amphitheater is organized, which also serves as an emergency exit, and in winter it is used as a slide for active pastime. The building is shifted to the northern border of the site, the shaded northern territories and the technical zone are minimized. As a result of the optimization of the street space, it became possible to organize both individual playgrounds and general sports and gaming zones for the development of physical activity. ●

Prepared by
N. V. Shilkin, Moscow Institute of Architecture (State Academy).




MBDOU kindergarten “Northern Lights”.



Increasingly, parents have become interested in how to register for kindergarten online.

This can be done through the Unified Portal of State and Municipal Services (EPGU) by clicking on the link “Recording a child in kindergarten.”

You can enroll in kindergarten from the moment your child is born. You just need to indicate the desired year of enrollment. The application is submitted for each child separately.

When filling out, you can select up to 3 pre-school institutions in the child’s place of residence.

For your convenience, we place a link to the EPGU with the municipal service “Enrollment in an educational organization” https://www.gosuslugi.ru/10999/

the address of the place of residence or stay is less specific – only the region, region or city, without specifying the street, house, and so on. To select the specifics of the group, first select a kindergarten.

For your convenience, we place a link to the EPGU with the municipal service “Enrollment in an educational organization” https://www. gosuslugi.ru/10999/

a disease suffered by a child, as well as in the absence of a child in kindergarten for more than 5 days (excluding weekends and holidays) in accordance with the “Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for the arrangement, content and organization of work in preschool organizations. SanPiN 2.4.1.3049-13″ it is necessary to submit a certificate from a pediatrician indicating the diagnosis, duration of the disease, treatment performed, information about the absence of contact with infectious patients, as well as recommendations on the child’s individual regimen for the first 10-14 days. In the absence of this certificate, the child cannot be admitted to kindergarten.

Due to the cold weather, are the children walking?

In accordance with SanPiN 2.4.1.3049-13 “Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for the arrangement, maintenance and organization of the work regime in preschool organizations”: the duration of the walk is reduced when the air temperature is below minus 15 ° C and the wind speed is more than 7 m / s . the walk is not carried out: – for children under 4 years old at an air temperature below minus 15 ° C and a wind speed of more than 15 m/s; – for children aged 5 – 7 years at an air temperature below minus 20 ° C and a wind speed of more than 15 m / s.

Does the child’s social circle influence the process of adaptation to kindergarten?

As a rule, the narrower the child’s social circle, the longer it takes to get used to kindergarten. Therefore, it makes sense to expand your child’s social circle even before visiting the kindergarten.

After starting kindergarten, the child began to get sick often. What is the reason?

More often the reason lies in the weakening of the child’s immunity by the stress associated with the start of attending kindergarten. The opinion that everyone brings sick children to the kindergarten, and their child becomes infected from them is by no means always justified. Because of the new unusual environment, the child has a lot of new experiences and worries. It is they who lead to stress, due to which there is a decrease in immunity, which, in turn, can easily make the child sick, even if everyone in his group is healthy. That is, the reason for frequent illnesses in the kindergarten is often psychological, and it is the support and participation from parents that can help the child cope with stress, and therefore avoid frequent illnesses.

My child eats on his own at home, but refuses to eat in the garden. Why?

It is difficult for children to transfer knowledge and skills to a new environment. The stress of starting kindergarten also makes this transfer difficult. Therefore, often with the beginning of visiting the kindergarten, children “lose” some skills. Don’t worry, things will get back to normal.

My child began to become very stubborn, tries to do everything the other way around, often throws tantrums. Is that what they taught him in kindergarten?

If your child is 2-4 years old, then perhaps some of these behavioral disorders are caused not so much by the kindergarten as by the “crisis of 3 years”.

How to understand that the adaptation process has already ended?

At the end of this process, the child should eat well, sleep well, play well and interact with other children in the kindergarten.

What is the best thing to do: leave the child in the kindergarten all day at once, or gradually get used to it?

Gradually better. You can start with 1-2 hours in kindergarten

Which children find it more difficult to get used to kindergarten?

How long before the first visit to kindergarten should one start preparing a child?

3-6 months. Read the recommendations above – you can apply some of them even half a year before your first visit to the kindergarten.