Schools near Kensington, MD

“We’ve been part of the SBMA community for 4 years and we have just loved the school so much. All the teachers are so kind and caring about our kids. You see their eyes light up when they share whatever new skill they have learned. Montessori learning has made my kids so independent and develop language that prepares them so well to enter elementary school. Diann, the Director of SBMA, has done such a terrific job especially during COVID. We were so nervous sending our kiddo back to school but she put in place a lot of safety protocols and communicated regularly with parents. I appreciated that so much. She has also worked to implement tools to help communicate with parents about the kid’s day. The community aspect of the school is something unique to SBMA that I value so much. The school really tries to connect all the parents together and foster relationships outside of the school. They are relationships I will take with me long after we leave SBMA.”

“My son, Nirvan loves to go to school. He not only learned the accademic subjects like english, math, science etc but also was grommed on other aspects such as manners, empathy, emotions to name a few. Goddard helped him have positive character traits in himWhen he started going to school at the age of 1&1/2 I was worried that he might not like the school and would hate to leave home. But thanks to the love and nurture of the teachers and administration in school, he hated to leave the school at the end of the day. He used to come home and teach me various things that he learned in school.Goddard has greatly contributed to his social, emotional, and physical well-being. Sending Nirvan to Goddard was a tension free experience for me and my family.Now he will soon turn 5 and will start the public school. I hope he get the same level of love and nurture as he is used to”

“We absolutely love Fingerprints, and we know our toddler does too. He learns so much from the creative and age-tailored activities (we love seeing the cool things he does on the app!), he has so much fun playing with friends and on the courtyard playground, and he simply adores his teachers. From Ms. Tabithia and Ms. Judy and Ms. Kayla in infants, to Ms. Monica, Ms. Michelle, Ms. Gabie, and Ms. Destiny in toddlers, he loves his teachers like family, and so do we! We have the piece of mind that he is with attentive, warm, fun, and energetic teachers and caretakers all day, and bringing home all these new skills and milestones to boot.”

“My daughter has been attending ESBP in Georgetown for about 11/2 years, and we are delighted! It is challenging for a parent to leave their kids somewhere else every day, but I feel at peace when I drop off my little girl at ESBP because I know she is in a caring environment. It is not only about my daughter. The caregivers are genuinely loving and professional at their work. I've seen repetitively how the teachers are so patient with the kids and handle situations very constructively. All the kids are spoken in Spanish, and it is incredible to hear the children using it even when it isn't their language at home. I love ESBP and highly recommend it!”

“I had an incredible experience with this daycare center. From the moment I walked through the door, I was greeted with smiles and warmth. The staff is very attentive to my children's needs and always went above and beyond to make them feel comfortable. My kids love the variety of activities offered, and every day they come home with stories of all the fun they had. The facility was clean, spacious, and well-equipped with everything my little ones needed. I highly recommend this daycare to any parent in search of a place where their child can learn, grow, and thrive in a loving environment.”

“My son studies at Celebree School in Rockville and we love it. My son is always very well received, and all the teachers and staff are always very attentive and helpful.”

“Last year, around this time, I was searching for a private school for my kid and reading a lot of reviews and visiting informal chats. Most parents who are researching private schools are probably strongly considering strength of the curriculum and costs. Those are important, but I really wanted to know about the personalities of the children and staff. We may assume that people affiliated with a religious background are kind and warm, but you likely know from life experience that this isn’t always the case. I heard from a few people who told me that their children/grandchildren/spouses were subjected to bullying, racism, and harsh judgments at their religion-affiliated private schools, and I read some reviews where some parents would write about how their kids were subjected to mistreatment, but the administrators did not care and did not address those issues, despite the high costs to attend these schools.Enter Christ Episcopal School. As my kid neared middle school, I could see that she might struggle with learning, in 7 different classes, and get lost in the crowd. She might have difficulty adapting to a large crowd of “real” kids who might speak to her roughly and she might not know how to respond. (Her brother went to this middle school, and has more street sense, but it wasn’t a great experience for him.) When I went to the CES Open House, I asked the head of school about whether there were conflicts in the middle school aged kids, and she responded so honestly, that it happens as you would expect among middle schoolers, but because the classes are so small, they are able to tamp down on conflicts before they escalate. I appreciated that candor, and I can confirm, it is true! The teachers and administrators get to know your children’s personalities and circumstances, and they will do their best to ensure that everyone is developing into a good citizen, feels supported in their learning, and is generally happy. And if you express concern about an issue your child is facing, the staff will address it, persistently if needed!All of this positivity may sound fake, but this really is a great little school. I want to go on and on, but I don’t want to lose your attention and take up further space. As you research school for your kid, I seriously hope you will consider CES … as all of these other parents have said, it is truly a hidden gem and I wish I would have learned about it when my older one was entering middle school.”

“Our daughter has been at Goddard for a month and has been welcomed with open arms. She is already comfortable at and enthusiastic about going to “school” and has made new friends and learned new concepts and skills. The staff and teachers have been wonderful!”

“We are so appreciative of the wonderful care that Lily Pads has provided. Their staff is caring, empathetic, fun, and so loving with our child and all of the little ones that attend. When I drop her off I do not worry about anything; I know she is having a great time with her friends and she is in the presence of delightful adults that have a tender heart for kids. Not to mention Lily Pads is open on time (I have never had to wait to drop her off at 7:30am) and is always available in the evening until 6pm for a late pick up. A special thank you to Ms. Manal, Ms. Vilma, Ms. Genet, and Ms. Aydee :) Thank you Lily Pads!!!”

“I enrolled my 2 children at A to Z Fun care in March 2023 and it has been a great year for my children. The teachers are caring and attentive. Ms Leila and Ms Belinda swiftly addressed the few concerns I encountered as my children settled in.The educational program is great especially for Pre-K and K and the Pre-schooler teachers are very caring.Thank you A to Z Rockville staff for the amazing job!”

“We have been so happy with 4CCN since our son started attending in 2022. The leadership, teachers, and staff are caring and warm, and the community is wonderful. It’s not only one of the most affordable options in the area but in my opinion among the best quality too. Highly recommend.”

“We had our son in pre-K here during the pandemic, and our daughter in the program Estrellitas started to enable kids to do remote learning with supervision. Our kids learned a ton of Spanish, and did art, games, walks in the woods, field trips, and playgrounds throughout the pandemic. Their staff is incredibly committed and hard-working, and showed up to help our kids throughout the pandemic when other people did not. I would recommend the program to anyone, and will definitely have my kids back for their summer program and school breaks.”

“We can’t say enough good things about Primrose at the Parks. The staff and all the teachers are caring, kind, and knowledgeable. Our daughter has moved up through the school since she was a young infant. In all of her classrooms, the teachers have provided an exceptional level of care. They make sure our daughter is loved and actively learning while we are at work. The staff is accessible and communicative. They listen to parents’ needs, answer questions, and are quickly responsive to concerns. Our daughter is excited to go to school. She is thriving. Her development has accelerated in the almost year we’ve been at Primrose. Finding great childcare is one of the most difficult and important decisions parents have to make. We would choose Primrose at the Parks over and over again.Edit June 27 2023: We're still very happy with the care our child receives, but we do have one gripe to convey. Resolving payment conflicts is unnecessarily difficult. The school was closed for a week last winter (Dec 2022), and it was not initially announced as part of the school year. We had to arrange alternate care on relatively short notice, and we were not pro-rated for that week. Additionally, our child moved to a larger class (more students per teacher) recently, which decreases the monthly fee. However, this occurred mid-month, and it was again not automatically pro-rated.”

“Starting preschool was a huge transition for our quiet and cautious 3-year-old. I'm not sure we could've picked a more nurturing and amazing environment for him to thrive in than ECC.The small class sizes drew us in, the awesome and caring staff moved us with how much they contributed to our son's development. He really blossomed socially, loved going to class, and was well prepared for kindergarten thanks to their play-based learning and emphasis on the whole child. The amount of care his teachers demonstrated towards him is really something we'll treasure forever, and the school director and support staff were also very friendly as well as communicative & organized.The grounds (on but not affiliated with the Rockville Unitarian church) were really nice. The classrooms themselves are quite small, but no problem for the small groups, filled with natural light, and well laid out for imaginative play and age-appropriate learning. They do a nice amount of school-community events for being so small; my son recently enjoyed a picnic even as an alumni recently :)Thank you ECC!”

“Both of my sons attended FELC starting in 2020. My older son has returned for the last 2 summers since graduating from FELC. Ms. Millis has become an extension of our family over the last 3 1/2 years. She taught my boys so much regarding preschool and kindergarten curriculum and spiritually. Your child will be in great hands with Ms. Millis and will be beyond prepared for kindergarten upon graduation from her program.”

“The CCBC Community is like family! We are so lucky to have landed at such a magical school. Our older son has been at CCBC for 3 years and our younger son will be going next year. The teachers, staff, and administration are wonderful and are deeply invested in making the school a fun, safe, and highly developmental learning environment.”

“The staff is extremely professional, patient, and kind with all the children! Lesson plans and great activities everyday! The chief administrator,Maadhaven, is so helpful and willing to get our little boys started quickly and made the transition from our last school to this Montessori an easy transition! Our 4 and 2 year old wake up every morning excited just to get to school! I recommend this Montessori to everyone!”

“Bight Start is an amazing center. The staff is so pleasant & reassuring. My baby started at 6 weeks old. I was very nervous about leaving him but everyday the staff make me feel he is loved and safe.”

“I love this place. The teachers are very nice, and the director. They took my child in, when he was 3years old, and now he is 7 years old. They teach my child the different between right and wrong. They’re doing great things with kids during summer(field trip, BBQ, pool etc….),I really appreciate it what you are doing….”

“The Goddard School in Silver Spring is a phenomenal school and community of teachers, students and families. My child has been at this school since he was six weeks old and he will be graduating from the kindergarten program this spring! I can do nothing but brag about how amazing this school is. I have made little books from all of the pictures I received through their parent app called tadpoles for each of the classes he has been in. As a parent I am blown away how it helped my five year old reach amazing educational heights as he is now a star reader on the first grade level, and in the 99th percentile in math for his age. The teachers here honestly care for your child, they strive for each of their students to glow and grow in each developmental stage. The administration here strive for excellence and really provide warmth, love and support as much as they can for everyone that attends this school. They are good, honest people whose goal is to provide a safe, warm and caring environment for every single child that attends and every prospective family that will ever walk through the doors. I tell my child that I would never let them go somewhere I do not think they would be safe or have fun. And I KNOW my child is all of those things when they are at the Goddard School in Silver Spring. From the daily reports to the daily interactions with teachers I would recommend this school to anyone looking for their child to thrive in a learning environment.”

“What struck me about Celebree when we were looking at schools, was the way the teachers talked about the kids when they thought no one was listening. They praised them as intelligent and celebrated their milestones! It was delightful. The staff have been consistently wonderful, treating our child as a member of their own family and helping us through challenging times in our household. The center is clean, organized, engaging, and well-run. Mr. Brian & Ms. Kate truly care about the children and staff, frequently organizing events and parties for the kids. Absolutely a great, safe place! Highly recommend!”

“Having my son at Goddard was the best investment I did for him. His transition to kindergarten (last week) was smooth because Goddard format is designed for "getting ready for school." Plus he is way more advanced in math, reading and writing than his classmates. My son actually ended up being in the same class as his friends/ classmates from Goddard and they are the only 2 who can read and write. Thank you Goddard for a great program. I will definitely recommend Goddard School in N. Bethesda to everyone that I know."”

“My kids love spending time at the day care. It’s clean and spacious for kids to run around. They have different activities, also teaches play piano so kids can sing and dance.Great place for kids to be:)”

“Our daughter, Abigail (Abby), has loved Primrose and we are incredibly grateful that we found them initially for backup care when our in-home daycare very unexpectedly closed. The team at Primrose welcomed Abby with open arms and has shown her so much love, and she has definitely learned a ton (academically, socially and emotionally) and made great friends within her class. The daily updates that the school provides via the Procare app are fantastic and it's really cool to feel like we are going to school with Abby! We have never had any questions or concerns about her safety and when she has experienced a minor bump/bruise, the Primrose team has proactively alerted us. Overall, we have had a tremendous experience - while the cost is higher than some other local childcare providers, it is 100% worth it in my view.”

“My daughter attended Glen Mill ELF for over a year, until she started ES, and she's still missing her daycare! The location is wonderful, the air here is so fresh and country-like, and kids have a fenced area outside with a playground. A part of the playground is under the roof so they can be outside even if it rains. The food was homemade and just amazing. Every day, kids had a filling breakfast, soup and second course for lunch and a healthy snack after napping; they also had veggies and fruit for snack and lunch every day. The teachers at Glen Mill were wonderful, very kind and caring. The important part of education at ELF is that it is only in Russian, so my daughter still speaks fluent and very good Russian. Thank you, Yana, Vladimir and all teachers at Glen Mill ELF!”

“All three of my kids attended Kiddie University over the last 6 years. It's a bit strange that we are no longer a member of the KU family but very happy with our experience. My kids thrived socio emotionally and created bonds with teachers, staff and other kids. The teachers cared for my kids and they were safe. Highly recommend this daycare center.”

“A wonderful, caring and truly warm place with small classes where students get a lot of attention from staff, and loving, responsible teachers. Both JAFA and SSLC are gems!”

“We used this center for back up care this week, and it was perfect for our needs! Ease of drop off and pick up, caring teachers who know how to settle a child in a new environment, and comprehensive end of day report with pictures. We'll absolutely be using this center again for back up care. To the teachers and staff: big thank you from this mamma.”

“I am very happy with Galway academy. The stuff are very nice and kind. My son loves to go to academy every day. I have see a lot of improvement since he is in school. Thank you Galway academy”

“Great place to bring your kids. Hard working staff & great environment that your children can develop in. ICC offers child care for infants all the way up to grade school, which is awesome because all your kids can grow together.”