See what our clients have to say about our staff and services by reading some of the testimonials they sent. If you like to share your experience in working with us, you are more than welcome to send your testimonials.
See what our clients have to say about our staff and services by reading some of the testimonials they sent. If you like to share your experience in working with us, you are more than welcome to send your testimonials.
When we first enrolled our just barely two-year old daughter at Early Steps in September 2016, we were just thrilled to have found an open spot in a pinch due to our move to the area from California. We had already made the tough decision to transition her from the incredible Spanish-speaking nanny she had known since 9 weeks of age to a school environment and could not believe our luck that the one preschool with an opening just happened to provide Spanish immersion bilingual education. It was not only serendipitous, but also marked the trajectory for the next three years of our daughter’s academic and social growth and progress.
We had a difficult transition in the first few months of preschool due to so many changes in our daughter’s life – new city, new home, the loss of her beloved caregiver nanny, and a new environment with other children demanding attention away from this only child. Luckily, our wonderful nanny had made many efforts to socialize her, but it was still a challenging time because of all the other previously mentioned change agents. We were fortunate to have the loving and supportive guidance of Early Step’s personnel, especially the teachers and classroom helpers, who expertly helped her to weather the trials and tribulations of full-on toddlerhood, including potty-training, sharing with others, using her “listening ears” and the occasional (yikes) biting. Along the way, she continued to learn to communicate in Spanish. As she progressed from the Chicks (2-year olds) to the Tigers (3-year olds) class, we saw her develop more maturity and confidence, form deepening bonds with adults and kids alike, and soak up learning that she couldn’t wait to share with us at home each day. And, we cannot forget to include our kiddo’s positive feedback on the delicious and nutritious meals and snacks provided by the marvelously talented Ms. Yolanda. “Yummy!” is a direct quote. Quinoa and spaghetti and meatballs scored big.
Now she has graduated from the Bears (4-year olds) class, and we are transitioning once again, this time to Kindergarten in Fall 2019. We also again lucked out and she will be attending Francis Scott Key (“Key”) Elementary school, where she will continue her education in a Spanish-language immersion environment. She recently took her first exam ever, an oral assessment by Arlington Public Schools Language Services Registration Center, of her English and Spanish language comprehension and speaking ability. We were not at all surprised to see that she scored tops in English, since she is particularly garrulous, with a well-developed vocabulary. She scored a 6 on the WIDA Model (“Knows and uses social and academic language at the highest level measured by this test”).
What really exceeded our expectations was the report from the Spanish-language assessor, which stated that she earned FSS (Fluent-Spanish Speaking), Level E (highest of all the levels) with Advanced Oral Proficiency, on the IPT Oral Proficiency test. We knew she understood Spanish. We knew she spoke it at school, but we had not fully anticipated the impact that Early Steps had made in her Spanish language development. We speak English in the home. Only one of us is fluent in Spanish, but it is as a second language and most attempts to speak in Spanish at home are generally rebuffed by our daughter. We credit the rigorous academic program at Early Steps for our daughter’s results on the test and are grateful that she is entering Key Elementary with such an advanced level of Spanish language comprehension. Apart from the Spanish language aspect of her education, we would be remiss if we did not also provide accolades for the overall academic instruction at Early Steps, and note the reading, writing and mathematics progress she has made, especially in the last year as a Bear. As Ms. Maria, her Spanish lead teacher, noted – her recent advances have been like bursts of popcorn kernels, coming suddenly and one right after the other. But this didn’t come out of nowhere – teachers and influencers in her life, including Ms. Maria herself, had to plant the seeds, fertilize the soil and take every other nurturing step that made each little explosion of ability transpire.
We will miss our Early Steps family as we move on to new adventures and experiences, but we will never forget the love, care and attention to our child’s personal and academic well-being that have provided her with the best possible foundation for a successful future.
“When we decided to send our son to school we never thought he will quickly adapt to the new environment and make a lot of improvement in a short time. Our son, Salvador, was born prematurely and ever since his first day with us we decided to shelter him with as much care and love as possible. The first four years of his life went by very fast, and at his four-birthday, we were confronted with the dilemma of keeping him at home for a couple of more years with a babysitter or to send him to a preschool to socialize and learn with other children. We spent a significant amount of time trying to find a preschool in which Salvador could fit in. At home, we spoke to him only in Spanish; for this reason, we decided that the school should be bilingual. Also, we were looking for a preschool that other parents would recommend. We spoke with many parents about our quest for a preschool for our son, and this is how we heard about Early Steps Bilingual preschool.
Since Salvador joined Early Steps Bilingual preschool this Fall, we have noticed an incredible change in his social and academic skills. The first couple of weeks transitioning from home to school were extremely hard for all of us. He did not want to stay at school, and cried when one of us dropped him off. Since he was born, Salvador dealt mostly with adults. We knew that he lacked the basic skills to make friends, to play with them and to share space and toys. We also knew that taking him out of home and placing him in a completely new environment would provoked an earthquake in his life. However, after a month and a half in Early Steps Bilingual preschool, we began to see some changes. He stopped complaining about leaving him at school. He is now very well integrated with other children, playing and sharing time, space and toys. Every day, after we pick him up, he talks about his friends and the activities he did at school. We believe this growth would not have been possible without the consistent support from his teachers and Ms. Joy who is often checking with us about his progress. Our son’s teachers have been warm, gentle, kind, caring and helpful with Salvador. We want to thank everyone for their patience and support. Our initial worries have dissipated, and we feel now that our son is enjoying and learning in his new school.”
My daughter attended Early Steps to prepare her for kindergarten. She had attended daycare prior to preschool. After her first day, her cognitive and behavioral transformation was amazing!
The school is one of the best in Virginia. My daughter learned how to converse in Spanish in less than a year and her writing has improved dramatically. She has become an artist – drawing on her own now. She plays independently and colors on her own at home.
Most importantly, her teachers – Ms. Carolina and Ms. Silvia – truly care for the children. They are professional teachers and treat the kids as adults, not toddlers. Everyone is respected and bullying is not tolerated. They encourage friendships outside of the school to help the children interact with each another like a family.
The children at Early Steps have performances throughout the year. My daughter painfully cried on stage during her first performance. Although it was heartbreaking, Early Steps worked with her to overcome nervousness and later perform like a star! By the second performance, she overcame her stage fright completely and started taking the lead. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Our little toddler had become a big girl – confident, mature and kind. It is with great pride that I recommend Early Steps in Arlington, VA.