A new day care center to accommodate 190 children is planning to open in the new Carlyle Crossing development in January.
There are 750 luxury apartments in Carlyle Crossing, and the Celebree School of Alexandria will be located within the 1 million-square-foot luxury residential development, on the ground floor of the brand new 13,648-square foot space at 2450 Mill Road.
The daycare franchise will be located in the same building as the Wegmans (150 Stovall Street), which opened in May. Its hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and it will be able to hold up to 190 children and 30 staffers working on-site at any given time, according to a special use permit filed with the city.
Founded in 1994, the school provides early education and childcare service-based programs for children aged six weeks to 12-years old.
The company has 26 corporate locations (24 in Maryland and two in Delaware), as well as 10 other franchises, and is “aggressively” expanding to open 150 new locations and franchises within the next three years.
“After developing successful schools in our home state of Maryland, Virginia was a natural next step as a target growth area for our continued franchise expansion,” said Richard Huffman, founder and CEO of Celebree School. “With a 25-plus-year history, we’ve built an incredible infrastructure for growth. By partnering with like-minded franchisees who believe in our brand and our mission, we’re poised for long-term success.”
There are four other Celebree Schools in Virginia — in Reston, Henrico, Ashburn, and Tysons-Jones. Sixteen new locations are also planned to open next year, including the Celebree School of National Landing, at Metropolitan Park in Arlington, in Herndon and Dulles.
After many daycares statewide closed during the pandemic, local parents might be relieved to hear a Nest Academy could open a large new daycare and preschool at the east end of Eisenhower Avenue.
According to an application filed with the City of Alexandria, Nest Academy is hoping to open a new 9418 square foot facility at 2476 Mandeville Lane on the northern side of the Hoffman Town Center. The facility will take care of children from six weeks to 12 years old.
The Nest Academy is a learning focused preschool and daycare that with locations in Del Ray and in Lorton.
A permit said the new facility could have up to 186 children at the facility at any given time and 35 employees.
Photo via Google Maps
If you are a daycare provider or have kids in child care, the Alexandria Health Department will conduct the first of virtual two town hall meetings on the subject starting tonight (Thursday, Oct. 15) at 6 p.m.
“Guardians will be reminded of the steps they can take to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and share resources,” notes a city release.
One recommendation the city asks is for child care providers to complete an emergency child care provider registration form.
“This application is for any child care center or family day home program,” according to the city. “To date, the response has been strong. It is clear that the child care community wants to do what they can to help.”
Parents are also asked to fill out the parent child care needs registration form, and the city says it will notify families of “potential care providers that meet their needs.”
Topics of discussion include:
- When to keep a child home from daycare
- When to get a child tested for COVID-19
- When to return a child to daycare
- What are some common infection scenarios
As of Oct. 5, there are more than 60 child care providers in the city. Over the summer, the Alexandria Emergency Child Care Collaborative and Smart Beginnings Alexandria hosted a virtual child care open house.
The next virtual town hall will be held on Monday, October 19, at 6 p.m.
New Residential Building Promises Daycare and Retail in Braddock Area — “Right now, that property is primarily garage and warehouse space for a variety of auto and other businesses.” [Alexandria Living]
Van Dorn, Eisenhower Metro Stations Reopening June 28 — “Several stations and stops were closed in March, in an effort to conserve cleaning supplies during the early stages of the pandemic.” [Zebra]
Residential Proposal Made for Old Town North Building — “The project, at 801 N. Fairfax St., goes before the City of Alexandria Planning Commission this Thursday and may go before the City Council on July 7.” [Alexandria Living]
Nectar Coffee & Wine Bistro Closes For Good — “Susan and I have made the extremely difficult decision to close Nectar permanently. We have loved our business, awesome staff, customers and neighbors and are truly grateful for your business over the past 3 years. See you in the neighborhood!” [Facebook]
The Water Taxi is Back — “On June 22 the Potomac Water Taxi resumed service between Alexandria, National Harbor, and the District. Dining cruises resume on Saturday, June 27. To ensure the safety of all on board, a number of procedures are in place. The safety measures include requiring face coverings for all guests (ages 3 and up), physical distancing, touchless entry boarding and ticketing, and reduced capacity onboard.” [Zebra]
TEDxOronocoBayPark Cancels All 2020 Events — “We are excited to be bringing the TED content to the community virtually through the TED Circles program – save the date July 20 7 p.m.” [Facebook]
Alexandria Symphony Premiers Virtual Concert — “Welcome to Alexandria Symphony’s Garden Sounds! Enjoy music from ASO musicians and appearances from special guests Paula Poundstone, Alan Gilbert and more!” [Youtube]
New Job: Bartender — “Be a part the Silver Diner Family! We are hiring full-time Bartenders for all shifts for our Grand Opening in Alexandria! Full-time Bartenders at our established locations can make $400-$700 in tips per week!” [Indeed]
If you’ve gotten used to working from home with your kids during the pandemic, a new daycare and coworking facility coming to Old Town could let you work alongside your kids.
Two Birds is a coworking office in D.C. with a focus on also offering child care. The company offers the usual coworking amenities, like coffee bars, dedicated desks, and conference rooms, but also comes with amenities aimed at early childcare.
The company has filed a special use permit to open a new location near the King Street Metro station at 1721 King Street.
“Because our childcare is licensed and available 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m., you’re free to choose half-day or full-day scheduling,” the company said on its website. “You can leave to go to meetings or run errands any time you like, with total freedom — and without the need to check in on your little ones unless you’re jonesing for some playtime.”
Two Birds offers programs for children from infants to pre-k, with full-time and part-time options. Full-time care is $2,365 per month and part-time is $1,300. A dedicated desk is $400 per month and a shared desk is $250.
In the application, the company said the office is designed with people using both the childcare facility and the coworking space, but said both uses would also be available to the public without needing to utilize the other.
Two Birds would utilize 28 adjacent parking spaces, with three more designated for pick-up and drop-off.
“The proposed uses are compatible with the existing commercial development surrounding the property, will meet the increasing demand for childcare in the city, and will provide parents with an opportunity to co-locate their office and childcare needs,” Two Birds said.
The application is docketed for review at the June 2 Planning Commission meeting.
Photo 1 via Google Maps, photo 2 via City of Alexandria
As Alexandria struggles with affordable daycare, a new facility is in the works near the Fairlington neighborhood.
A special use permit has been filed for Our First Step Daycare Center, a new daycare center planned for 2500 N. Van Dorn Street. The facility is planned by Liz Villa, who currently runs Little Rising Stars Daycare Center in Falls Church.
No pricing has been established for the Alexandria location, but Villa said the Falls Church facility charges $350 per week, which includes meals, sign language and Zumba classes.
Villa said the Alexandria facility will offer a bilingual program with a play-based curriculum. The program, she said, will be more structured than the Falls Church one, requiring a prepared and credentialed staff.
“I see there are a lot of schools around here that focus on one method of teaching, but not every kid learns the same way,” Villa said. “We have to be open to different learning styles.”
Villa said she started running the daycare program as an in-home facility to care for two of her own kids. Now with her oldest child aging out of the Falls Church program age range, Villa said the program in Alexandria will aim at a pre-school level.
“One thing I’ve learned is about being sympathetic to the parents,” Villa said. “I’ve never experienced dropping off my children at a center with strangers, so throughout the years, I’ve learned to be sympathetic to that.”
Our First Step Daycare Center is planned to have a capacity of 50 children, but Villa said she doesn’t expect to build to that until a few years down the road.
Next month, Villa said the proposed daycare will be going to the City Council to secure the permit.
Photo courtesy Liz Villa
