STEM Preschool

"STEM Preschool is an incredible asset to our community. Owner Portia Thomas and Administrator Editha Cortes have created a pristine environment that focuses on safety, skill building, education and fun. This beautifully sunlit school serves as an extension of our home for my two children and continues to prepare them for what life has to offer. I can’t thank them enough for the resources, time, effort and love they put into this school."

"Setting up for success! My child has attended STEM Preschool since she was an infant and is now 2.5 years old, so this review is long overdue. From the nurturing communicative teachers/admin to the great education, we have been thoroughly happy with our child's growth. When our daughter attends extracurricular activities or social events we know that our child growing up in STEM Preschool has a lot to do with how well behaved, socialized, and smart she is. We are forever thankful for the STEM Preschool environment!"

"After my son was born, I had a really hard time with the idea of leaving him with someone else when I went back to work. When we did our walk through at STEM, I immediately felt so much better about the obvious love and care they put into their students. My son started his time at STEM at about three months old and now, three years later, we have seen him (and now his younger sister) blossom with each and every teacher he has had. I love that there is a true curriculum and that we receive a lesson plan each week. It really helps us to reinforce lessons at home and build on that love of learning. I’m constantly amazed at the level of education and instruction. Whether it is Spanish class, the STEM experiments, or fun singing and dancing, the focus is on fully developing a child - while having fun. The teachers and administration are very responsive and are great at communicating about what is happening with the students and the class. The pandemic has been hard for everyone and childcare providers were certainly in a challenging spot. STEM Preschool staff did a great job asking for parent feedback and responding to CDC and local requirements. Not every decision was easy and I’m sure not always popular, but their communications made it clear that their intentions were truly to keep the kids and community safe. STEM Preschool truly feels like a family and a part of the Fairlington/Arlington community. I love that I can drop my kids off at a place where they are surrounded every day by love and learning."

"We love STEM Preschool and we highly recommend it! The teachers are so patient and caring. When we started in March 2021 our then 2.5 year old was a little quiet, shy, and somewhat reserved. The teachers worked with her and now she's an outgoing, bouncy, four year old. She sings and loves music. She loves Spanish which is phenomenal. She's learning self help skills. STEM works with local libraries and nature centers to broaden educational horizons and we can see this in how much our daughter loves to read and learn about nature. They also work with local soccer, dance, karate, and tumbling programs to refine gross motor skills.They have a garden which teaches children about growing food and making healthy food choices. The administration is very responsive to questions and concerns. When our son was born in 2022 we knew he would flourish at STEM just like his big sister. Truly a wonderful school with a caring staff that we can fully trust with our two kids. Again, as a growing family with many needs we highly recommend STEM Preschool since they are wonderful with children and have many great programs for the kids."

"My daughter has been attending STEM Preschool since January 2021, and initially I was nervous to leave her with someone outside of family for a full day (both my husband and I work full time). I am so happy to have found the staff and teachers at STEM because they have been so invested in her happiness and her growth. Before she went here, she was shy and was a little behind in her word milestones, but very quickly she has not only caught up, but is exceeding our expectations in both loquaciousness and extroversion. I believe this is from the encouragement and engagement of the teachers and staff at STEM. Additionally, I really appreciate the hours that STEM is open, as it was hard to find a "full time" care that met our needs. Great program, great staff!"