The Vine Preschool at St James in Alexandria, VA

My daughter has been going to the Vine for almost a year, and she loves it. Not only is the staff very friendly, they are also held to a high standard by the owner. They are required to complete well above the Virgina state minimum for teaching courses, which is evident based on how well they teach, play, guide, and interact with the children. The facility has a welcoming atmosphere and is cleaned daily. The staff sends multiple photos and videos everyday, which ensures you are aware of how your child's day is going. The Vine also has several optional classes and programs you can choose to sign your child up for. This gives them the flexibility to try out different activities while also continuing to build friendships with their fellow Vine classmates. The staff is very responsive, and they typically respond to a parents message very quickly and thoughtfully. All the other families that go there are very nice too, and overall the Vine does a great job of creating a welcoming community that your child can learn and thrive in.

I switched my son to the Vine Preschool at St James after we had some issues with potty training at his old daycare. The teachers helped my son adjust to the school but also helped him get potty trained pretty quickly. I like the fact that meals are provided at a decent rate and they also provide gymnastics class once a week.

We switched our daughter to The Vine at 15 months after having her enrolled at a separate day care center in Old Town, and from the start the transition was amazing! The staff guided not just her, but also us parents through the transition. 10 months later and we could not be happier with our choice to switch to The Vine. We look forward to enrolling our next child in the infant class. You can’t beat this neighborhood daycare!

Our daughter loves The Vine and all the amazing teachers and director. We were nervous parents sending her to daycare but The Vine has been such a great fit for our family.

I am the proud mommy of an alumni "Kim's Kid". I love, love, love The Vine Preschool. My youngest son attended from 6 months old until he turned 4. This school was the best of all worlds, Noah was loved and nurtured as well as given a great education. I really appreciate the care and attention to detail that Kim and her staff take. Knowing how challenging traffic and commuting can be in the Metro DC area, I commuted from Woodbridge, VA to The Vine Preschool in Alexandria, VA to work in Maryland and back daily. I would do it again in heartbeat!!! There is is no short cut in my day that could measure up to the peace of mind I had knowing that my child was receiving the best care daily. Being an educator myself, I at times wonder if I have unrealistic expectations of what school and childcare should look like for my kids. But our experience at The Vine Preschool proved to me that excellence in care and education should be the expectation, not the exception. From an infant, Kim provided my family with developmental reports on how Noah was growing and learning. She also provided invaluable information on how we could use our time at home to create a learning continuum. I am a believer and advocate for small home learning environments, especially when children are young. It was a rare and awesome experience to find Kim and The Vine Preschool. Even to this day, I have a sense of "family" with the special group of people that we have been afforded the opportunity to share this very important time in our lives with. When people comment on how articulate and smart Noah is, I smile and remind myself it's because he was one of "Kim's Kids".