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Little River Children's Place, Chantilly

Based on 16 reviews

About

CURRENT OPENINGS: All ages!
Welcome to Little River Children's Place, our bilingual Spanish daycare and preschool in Chantilly, VA!
About Us:
I’m the owner and lead teacher of this educational child care program. I’m a mother myself and I have 12 years of experience in child care and early childhood education. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Business Engineering and I’m CPR and First-aid certified. I run my home daycare with my 2 assistants who are also moms themselves and together, they have 26 years of combined experience. We are a team who always strives to provide a home-like environment where children feel safe and loved while learning. We are on a mission in helping parents get their little ones ready for school!
Program:
Our home daycare and preschool is open year round between 6:00 am and 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday. We provide full-time care for infants as young as 4 weeks, as well as toddlers through preschoolers up to 5 years old, including children with special needs. We serve USDA-approved nutritious meals to all children attending our program (lunch and snacks are both included in the tuition). Because of possible allergies, we run a peanut free environment.
Curriculum:
Our program follows the Play-based teaching principles that allow children learn through play. We also offer a personalized early learning experience, tailored to each child’s unique needs and developmental stage. Our fun learning activities include arts, story time, crafts, dance, drama and exercise & fitness (I’m also a fitness personal trainer). We also teach music and musical instruments taught by a professional music teacher every week! Our facility has a fenced backyard playground with age-appropriate materials, so children are safe while having fun during our outdoor playtime! In addition to English, we teach our little students how to speak the Spanish language. This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to become bilingual at a young age! We also communicate with parents on a daily basis, so you will always know what your child is doing and learning each day.
Location:
Little River Children's Place is near Little River Elementary School, in the South Riding community of Chantilly, VA. Our facility is right off Braddock Rd (route 620) with easy access to John Mosby Highway (US-50) and a few minutes’ drive from the I-66. Please send an email or call to schedule your visit, we’re excited to meet your family!

Parent Reviews

Megan B.
Verified Parent
Posted 4 months ago
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we’ve had two kids go through daycare with them, and we know they are loved and well cared for every day. the facility is always clean, health care is taken seriously and the kids are happy.
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Crystal R.
Verified Parent
Posted 4 months ago
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The daycare owner and team have been life savers to me for 2 years. Being a single mom, coming from states away for a new job, no family and no friends, this daycare relieved a big weight off my shoulders with peace of mind and great care. I appreciate her flexibility and communication. We will miss her!
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Daniella C. M.
Verified Parent
Posted 2 years ago
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My son has been attending this daycare since he was 4 months old and he is 18 months now. He loves his friends and his teachers. It gives me piece of mind seeing how he gets excited when we approach the door to drop him off. If you have questions, the owner is really great in providing the information requested in a timely manner. I have also been there at different times throughout the day and have seen them dancing, outside playing, eating and napping. I am happy I have found such a caring and fun daycare for my son.
2 out of 2 think this review is helpful
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Lexi E.
Verified Parent
Posted 2 years ago
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We’ve had our oldest child enrolled here for over a year. We’ve been so impressed. Our son has learned so much and has developed immensely since coming to this daycare. Her daughter is awesome with my son and even went on a bug hunt one time with him before the rest of the kids came. She is very caring and always informs us of how his day went and what he ate for that day. During summer we were sent pictures of my son and the caregiver's mom playing outside, which was very sweet to see how much involvement there is with the kids from everyone there. Another joy was seeing pictures on Easter and what they did for all the kids. She is always willing and happy to send photos of your kids with or without asking. Enrolling my son here has been a great experience for us, we’ve never had a complaint and he genuinely loves coming every day.
2 out of 2 think this review is helpful
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Joshua L.
Verified Parent
Posted 2 years ago
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The owner puts her realtor job in front of her childcare job. She is double-dipping and scamming parents. Read on for the full story, or just drop your kid off and pretend it's fine, never ask questions, never hold these expensive in-home daycares to a hire standard, never say "hey, uh, let my kid play outside for more than 20-25 minutes, how hard is that??? No, I don't care that it's not 76 degrees and sunny. Stand at the door and watch from inside for all I care." Maybe if parents cared more, these places would provide better service. Sickening experience all around. Said Sickening Experience: I'm a single father with full custody (24/7) of two beautiful sons , who were 3 and 1.5 when under this provider's care. I work as a full-time lawyer at a non-profit in Springfield. I live in South Riding. I was concerned about my older son feeling cooped up; he, like every three-year old boy, needs to be outside. I couldn't afford a larger center, and I wanted my boys to remain together anyway, so we ended up here. My extra concern for my older son led to me dropping my boys off as late as possible sometimes. One day I dropped them off at around 10:15 AM to find the owner not home. Just her assistant, Marta. I counted the children and, including mine, there were 11 children. This included at least one young baby in a bouncy (maybe technically an infant), multiple babies in high chairs (still eating breakfast, right?), and some other toddlers. I absolutely regret not taking a video. I asked Marta if the owner was home. Marta doesn't speak much English (to be generous) and was clearly coached what to say in this event, and she tried to tell me the owner's mother was upstairs "making lunch." I sat there and counted the children in front of Marta and she got the picture. In fact, she understood so well that she contacted the owner, who immediately contacted me and wanted to know why, if I have a question, I didn't just call her. I told her, in not so many words, hey, I'll talk to whomever is watching my kids, and trust me, you're on the list of people I am going to speak with, we'll talk at pick-up. I got there at pick-up time and, as usual, there was only one person. (It took me awhile to "pick up" on the one-person thing. In the AM, I figured, 'ok, not everyone is here yet.' In the evening it was 'ok, some of the kids have been picked up, two people are no longer required.') This time, the one person was not the owner's 17 yr old daughter, who occasionally was there by herself at pick-up, it was the owner herself. And, in classic "I'm guilty as bleep" fashion, she came at me hard. "Why were you questioning Marta? YOU MADE HER FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE! Counting the kids!? You should've called me. I told you to call me." etc. I told her it was my intention to make Marta feel a little uncomfortable, just as it's my intention right now to make you feel uncomfortable for leaving my kids here under supervised and borderline neglected while I pay you out the ears to watch my kids. Then she tried to tell me her mom was upstairs. I said, "Ok. Is upstairs downstairs? No? Well then I think we can agree that her being upstairs does not count as her being downstairs. And where was her car? The boys have been here for months. You always talk about your mother, yet I have never seen her." Owner: "Are you calling me a liar?" Me (with supernatural help to remain calm and not flip out and cuss her out): "Yes. Yes I am." She said we should part ways. I said, yes, we should. But I need the rest of this week and next week to find a new place, and we agreed. The next day, for the first time, I saw a vehicle I hadn't seen before (her mother's) and her mother was downstairs with Marta. (haha) Quite the "coincidence." Anyway, two days later Marta was downstairs alone with the kids again. I JUST ASKED HER IF THE OWNER WAS UPSTAIRS. She said yes. I went outside to my car. The owner comes out her house (dressed REALLY NICELY to WATCH SOME KIDS ((clearly preparing to leave, again, to show a house...what a piece of work)), approaches me at my car as I am about to leave for work, gets huffy that I am "questioning" Marta again, and tells me to take my kids RIGHT THEN. Totally breaching our written (and verbal) contractual agreement. On a Friday, at 9 AM or so. SO MUCH FOR GOING TO WORK. She proceeds to talk nonsense as I go to get my kids, so I basically tell her to shut up and that she left 11 kids with Marta so she could go make even more money (perhaps for another $50,000 Mercedes) selling houses. She says "I never left 11 kids here with Marta. There were not 11 kids. And Marta can watch up to 7 kids by herself by law anyway." Which led to my favorite part of this whole fiasco, as I proceeded (recording all of this on audio, by the way) to count the kids there at that moment, and there were 8. It was great. Her response was, VERBATIM "Really? One extra kid?" Yes. If the one extra kid is mine, then yes. And ya know what, even if the one extra kid is someone else's. Because there are people who exist who care more about children than money, believe it or not. I know that is a foreign idea to you. It shouldn't be though, because you RUN A DAYCARE. I contacted CareLuLu who did a decent job, but there wasn't much they could do except plan to do more drop-ins. I asked for the contact information for the state agency that supervises childcare places and they gave it to me. They refunded me the appropriate amount of money and offered to help me find another place. Thank God I have since moved on from in-home daycares. It's too bad, she could've done a great job---she is high-energy, high-performance, and seems pretty caring. But she's walking a fine line, ethically and practically. Had my kids gotten hurt, this could have gone much differently.
Response from the provider:
Mr. Joshua L In response to your review of my business, I would like to respond with the following. First and foremost, I have never put my daycare behind my other career, nor have I put a child or family at risk in any way, shape, or form. The day you came in where you counted eleven children my mother accompanied my assistant in the daycare. She had to go upstairs and make lunch for the kids, which is customary and necessary. When you questioned Marta, she merely answered your question. When you came in later that day to pick up your children, I did my best in answering all of the questions you had. I mentioned that you had made Marta uncomfortable because I expect the same mutual respect to my workers as we provide to our clients. You created a hostile environment that was inappropriate. I also mentioned that you should have called me as the owner of the facility, so that we could have addressed your concerns or questions promptly. Two days later when you saw me in my driveway, I did not tell you to take your kids right then and there without reasoning. You verbally attacked me, cursed me out, and started displaying violent behavior while picking up your kids. You continued to yell and act unprofessionally, creating a hostile and uncomfortable environment. In fact, you were so unprofessional, I had to ask you to leave the premises as I can not have that kind of disturbing behavior around the children. I then contacted social services and the police to report this incident. You verbally attacked me on my personal property and to make matters worse, after making passes at me and asking me out, you attacked me personally in retribution to a denial of your advancements. You made inappropriate and irrelevant comments about my lifestyle and my personal income. None of which is any of your business. I found this to be very invasive and inappropriate. I am sorry you are so hateful and feel you must try and bring others down due to your unhappiness. You dropped the kids off so many times, telling me you hated your life. Even to the point where one day I was so concerned, I spoke with you outside about it. Additionally, at our first meeting, you mentioned how bad your current provider was, so I tried my best to understand your requirements. We tried our best to make you comfortable but your demeanor and unprofessional behavior made it impossible. The kids were happy and safe but you let your personal issues get in the way of the situation they were in.
6 out of 11 think this review is helpful
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Kathryn L.
Verified Parent
Posted 2 years ago
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we love this daycare! Christopher has built up his vocabulary and social skills all while being safe and well taken care of. The provider has been extremely flexible with our schedule and Christopher’s dietary needs as well. We have been very happy with this choice!
2 out of 2 think this review is helpful
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Dalasia H.
Verified Parent
Posted 2 years ago
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My child has been coming here for a while and he loves it! the staff here are so friendly and helpful.
3 out of 3 think this review is helpful
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William H.
Verified Parent
Posted 3 years ago
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A great place, my son really enjoys it. They are very nice there
1 out of 1 thinks this review is helpful
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Meghan S.
Verified Parent
Posted 4 years ago
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We love the provider and her daycare! We have been attending this daycare for over 6 years (2 kids for approx 3 years each). Her facility is very clean and the kids have great options for toys, books, and games. My kids have always been happy when they are dropped off and happy when we pick them up.
2 out of 2 think this review is helpful
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Kelly E.
Verified Parent
Posted 5 years ago
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Our son, Finn has been with this provider and her staff for over 6 months now and we could not be happier with how things are going. Finn always comes home happy and loves the fun environment and loving attention he gets while there. He willing goes to his favorite providers and can be seen constantly interacting with the other children. He has grown so much since starting at this place and is learning so much so quickly. We love how clean the facility is and that it is set up very similar to a company owned daycare facility. This provider gives us daily updates of his food intact and activities for each day and is very communicative and responsive when it comes to Finn’s health and well being. We highly recommend this facility to any family looking for a fun and safe environment.
2 out of 2 think this review is helpful
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Erus C.
Verified Parent
Posted 5 years ago
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I love the facility and the staff. My son is excited to go to "school" everyday. It's a wonderful childcare facility.
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Sara M.
Verified Parent
Posted 6 years ago
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Both of our children went to this provider from the time they were three months until they were three years old. We loved it so much with my son that we never even considered another option when our daughter came along. We had a great experience and felt that our kids were very loved and well cared for. The daycare is very clean and the child care assistants are incredibly loving and engaging with the kids. We highly recommend this daycare!
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Marielena J.
Verified Parent
Posted 6 years ago
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The home is beautiful. Premises are super clean and teachers care are five hearts!!
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Kerry C.
Verified Parent
Posted 6 years ago
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The provider and her staff are extremely caring for each individual child. We have been with this provider for 2 years now and I know when I drop my children off every morning that I'm leaving them in loving arms. She takes time to help capture their days and share pictures with parents. This provider always takes time to talk with parents about the children's days and any issues that may arise.
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Sarah E.
Verified Parent
Posted 6 years ago
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I was so thankful to have found this provider when I was looking for childcare. I had gone to many different daycares to interview for my children and I knew the moment I met this provider she was the one!!! She is very caring and loves the kids. My kids absolutely loved her which made it so much easier for all of us when they needed to go to daycare. I highly recommend her to everyone I know in need of childcare.
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Jenn S.
Verified Parent
Posted 6 years ago
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My girls loved being at this daycare. It is the perfect place for the age group from newborn to 3. My girls were well loved and safe and ran to the door when we arrived there in the morning. They were taught all of the basics that need to be taught at that age... Eating with utensils, drinking from a cup, a good sleep schedule, ABCs, counting, how to socialize with their peers, sitting at a table, following directions and waiting their turn. My best memory is when there was severe weather and a tornado warning. I was so worried about my twins, but this provider and her team kept me updated with what was happening and made sure all of the kids were in a safe location. What relief to a mom who can't get to get kids during this time. Although my girls are now in preschool, they still ask for the provider and her team.
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Contact This Program For Free
Meet The Staff
Owner & Director
Bachelor's Degree In Business Engineering
12 years of experience, mom of 1
Child Care Assistant
20 years of experience, mom of 3
Home-based
Hours
6:00am - 7:00pm
Ages
4 weeks - 5 years
Kindergarten
No
Accreditation
No
Meals Provided
Yes
Transportation
No
Facilities
  Fenced Facilities
  Playground
  Multipurpose Room
  Library