Developing Literacy

How does your child develop literacy?
Literacy skills (reading and writing) start to develop in preschool when teachers begin to expose children to spoken and written language.

During this time you’ll find a teacher using a combination of pictures, printed letters and words, and speaking. Through this process your child will begin to make the connection that objects or pictures represent words that have meaning.

There are many ways this occurs in the classroom including:

• Nursery Rhymes: Children love the sing song cadence of nursery rhymes. In many cases children have heard these rhymes since they were babies, and a common classroom activity is to have them fill-in-the-blanks on favorite nursery rhymes and stories.

• Scribbling: as we spoke about in a previous blog, scribbling is the start of writing and scribbling on paper should be encouraged as much as possible.

• Printed Letters and Words: Classrooms that are full of pictures and words are the best environment for children to learn the basics of literacy.

There is no better way to develop literacy than reading with your child. The time you invest in reading to your child will be paid back as your child becomes a strong reader. Let your child guess the words as you read. Let them understand that pictures often give clues to the words on the pages.

Here are some other ways that you can reinforce literacy at home:
• Make books available
• Label objects around their room
• Read in front of your child. When they see you read they will want to read too.
• Encourage your child’s creativity. Writing, drawing and even finger painting all encourage literacy.

For more information on Goddard please visit our website : http://bit.ly/1wYOYNW

Separation Anxiety

Babycenter.com gives some great advice and background on separation anxiety and you little ones.  They offer tips and advice on when you may see separation anxiety, how to prepare for separation issues, and how to make it easier on your little one.  Click here to read the article.

Is Your Child Too Old for a Blankie?

Young children may have a “lovey” which may be a blanket or their favorite stuffed animal.  As parents we worry if our children are to old to be carrying their “blankie” around.  Scholastic magazine has a great article on dealing with this topic. Click here to read the article.

Packing Healthy Lunches

 It’s that time of year again and the kids are going back to school. Many parents struggle with what to pack in their kid’s lunches. Here are a few healthy lunch ideas that hopefully will keep you and your little ones happy.

 • Cold-cut roll ups (lean, low-fat turkey, ham, or roast beef with low-fat cheese on whole wheat tortillas)
 • Single portion-sized cups of unsweetened apple sauce or fruit without added sugar
 • Trail mix made with cereals, nuts, pretzels, dried fruit or raisins, and a few chocolate morsels
 • Low fat cheese spread on whole wheat crackers
 • Veggie sticks with low-fat dip or dressing
 • Baked chips or pretzels are a better choice than high-fat potato chips or cheese snacks
 • Whole grain bagels topped with cream cheese-vegetable spread
 • Air-popped popcorn flavored with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese
 • Low fat cheese cubes and seedless grapes make a delicious side dish for sandwiches or wraps
 • Cold strips of grilled chicken with honey mustard dip
 • Dried cranberries or cherries are a sweet alternative to raisins
 • Cold pizza (shredded mozzarella cheese with pizza sauce on a flour tortilla, whole wheat pita, English muffin, or mini pizza shell)

Children and Pets

By Sue Adair

Pets enrich the lives of many children and families. While children raised with pets show many benefits, safety concerns should always be a determining factor when deciding to get or keep a pet in a family with young children.

Choose wisely from breeds or species that are a good fit for your family, your home and your lifestyle. Behavior, temperament, excitability, patience and size are important characteristics to consider in a child-friendly pet that your little one can help care for. Pets should be free of disease and regularly checked by a veterinarian. Family allergies should also be taken into account. Young children should always be supervised during their interactions with pets. Animals can be easily harmed or provoked to attack if hit, poked or grabbed by young children. Children must be taught to play gently with pets and to keep their distance when an animal is eating, sleeping or caring for their young.

Involved parents, planning and open discussion are necessary in order for a family pet to be a positive experience. Young children can help with pet care, but can’t be completely responsible. They may only be able to help you with a few small tasks when feeding, cleaning or grooming your pet. For example, your child can join you when walking the dog, but certainly shouldn’t walk the dog alone. Allow your child to help care for the family pet in small, safe ways and always under adult supervision.

There are many benefits to children raised with pets. Positive relationships with pets can encourage children to love and trust others. Bonding with a pet can also help young children develop non-verbal communication, compassion and empathy. Caring for pets teaches children responsibility and respect. Both children and animals need exercise and pets are great playmates and a fun way to add physical activity into a child’s day. A pet’s life span can also provide parents the opportunity to teach life lessons about reproduction, birth, illness, loss and death.

For more information: http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/

Helping your little one to learn rules

Rules are an important life skill. At home, at school and then at work, rules are a fact of life. So starting early to begin to teach and reinforce the importance of your children following rules is a good idea. You might be asking yourself, how early can I start to teach this skill? Well, studies have shown that kids start to understand the difference between right and wrong as early as a year one year old. And, since rules are based on right and wrong you can start with some very basic rules at this age.

• Young babies need one word reinforcement. Use the words no and yes to reinforce good from bad. As your child gets older, begin to introduce the consequence behind the rule. No, don’t do that, because you will get hurt.

• Be specific about rules as your baby develops. For example, no don’t color on that picture book. Rules aren’t always black and white; it’s o/k to color in a coloring book but not in a picture book.

• Like teaching any skill, it is important to be consistent with rules. It may be a pain to always be the enforcer but if kids know rules can be bent or broken they will try to bend them and break them.

Your child looks to you and other adults to provide structure to their lives. Rules can actually provide comfort, support and boundaries to your child. This can help them become confident teens and well adjusted adults.

Protecting Kids from Sun Dangers

With the hot summer we have been having many of us are heading to the beach, pools or water parks to keep our kids cool, but being outside posses a big risk to our children.

Protecting your child’s Skin
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, even one or two blistering sunburns can significantly increase a child's risk for developing skin cancer later in life, With that said you don’t need to hide indoors during daylight hours to protect your kids

The first thing to consider is to schedule your playtimes before 10 am or after 3pm. Even when you go outside during those hours make sure you apply sunscreen paying close attention to their cheeks, backs of hands, and the tops of their feet. Also try to have kids to wear hats and t-shirts to protect their faces and bodies. Also try to sit in the shade under a tree or an umbrella.

Choose a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15 or higher. SPF refers to the length of time a person can remain in the sun before turning red. The higher the SPF, the longer a person can stay out, but the amount of time is also influenced by skin type.

Just because you have sunscreen on it doesn’t mean you or your children will get burned. Make sure you apply it 30 minutes before leaving the house. Reapply after swimming or perspiring even though it’s water proof or reapply every 2 hours.

Many people don’t apply enough sunscreen a quarter size dollop will cover one toddler arm and during the summer months you will go through a lot of sunscreen to keep the kids protected well. If you start young apply sunscreen you will be protecting and teaching your kids the importance on staying protected


Source: http://www.parents.com

Helping toddler curiosity grow

Curiosity is one if the basic fundamentals of learning. As you know from spending time with your children, if your child isn’t curios about something it’s impossible to keep them interested. The key is to help your children be curious about the world and about learning overall. Emphasizing that learning itself is fun and rewarding will help build your child’s curiosity and make them engaged learners and happy students.

Here's a few ways to create a stimulating learning environment

Infant
• Colors, shapes and movement – create an environment with interesting things to look at.
• Placement – putting toys and objects just out of baby’s reach will allow them to stretch and help develop early problem solving skills
• Multi sensory – smell, touch and taste can be a lot of fun. Try flowers, fabric and interesting foods
• Bubbles – another sensory experience that will keep your baby interested for hours
• Sound – musical toys, instruments (chimes and rattles) and games can keep a baby engaged for hours

Toddler
• Offer choices – let your toddler make simple choices such as what pajamas to wear, what activities to do (color or draw), what drink to have at a meal
• Surround them with educational resources - books, music and art supplies. Make easy for them to pick up education all around the room
• Take it on the road – libraries, zoos, museums, toddlers want to be on the move when it comes to curiosity and education

Sources: http://www2.scholastic.com/
http://toddler.yeahbaby.com/

Playground Safety

As parents we want to get our kids outside and playing during the warm months, and the local playground is the usual hot spot. It’s important for the kids and parents to have fun and socialize but, it’s also important to think about safety.

Stats

Overall playgrounds are very safe places to take your children but, there are risks that parents should be aware of. Here are a few statistics about playground related injuries:

* Each year approximately 211,000 preschool and elementary children received emergency department care for injuries that occurred on playground equipment.

* Boys had a slightly higher percentage of injuries (53.5%) than girls (46.5%).

* Almost 70% of all injuries occurred on public playgrounds

* 67% of deaths occurred on home playgrounds

There are several factors that go into playground injury. Playground equipment, children's behavior and adult supervision all make a difference in the injury rate.

Playgrounds are often viewed as an outdoor babysitter, but adult supervise should be a given to children of all ages with more attention being paid the younger the child is. One important factor in avoiding playground injuries is having an adult deciding if the equipment is at the proper development, age and level of coordination for the child. Here are some more safety tips.

Safety Tips for Kids
1. One person at a time on the slide and slide sitting down and facing forward.

2. Move away from the slide exit as soon as you reach the ground.

3. Climb stairs or steps slowly.

4. Wear proper footwear: sneakers are a good choose

5. Avoid climbing or sliding on equipment support poles or beams.

6. Don't stand up on swings; don't jump off swings in motion.

Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/
http://www.aaos.org/

How much is enough sleep

You need the right amount of sleep in order to be your best the next day. If a child has the right amount of sleep it may reduce their tantrums and meltdowns. But sometimes parents don’t know how much sleep their children need in order to function properly.

Babies

It might be difficult to establish good sleeping patterns with a newborn baby at the start. Newborns are can spend around 16 - 20 hours of the day sleeping. However those hours are not always consecutive. In fact, sleep for a newborn rarely lasts over 4 hours at a time. This is caused by a baby’s need to eat often. From 3 to 6 months, a baby may sleep 5 hours all together during the day and 10 at night. At this time 6-8 of the night-time sleep hours might be consecutive. From 6 - 12 months, a baby should sleep around 3 hours during the day and 11 at night time. Of course these are all estimates and your baby’s habits could significantly vary.

Kids Ages 1 - 3

Kids ages 1 - 3 should sleep around 10 -13 hours. Some of those hours may be during the day for certain kids. It’s important to find the right balance between time spent napping vs. sleeping at night but If your child does not seem to easily fall into a nap routine, consider taking away nap time altogether and opting for an earlier bedtime.

Kids Ages 4 – 5

Kids ages 4 – 5 should get 10 -12 hours of sleep on average. Like the younger children, this time will be in a mix of napping and sleep time. What time those hours are received is not as important as the fact they get them. If your child is phasing out of naps try to replace them with some quite time in the afternoon.

Kids Ages 6 - 10

School-aged kids need about 9 or 10 hours of sleep. This can vary greatly as your child is now developing their own personal sleep habits. To determine if your child is getting enough sleep, pay attention to your child’s cues. Irritability or hyperactive behavior may indicate the need for more sleep.

Keep in mind these are guidelines and only you know what works best for your child. If your child is waking up throughout the night or having problems falling asleep or staying asleep you may want to consult your pediatrician.

Source: http://www.thechildrenshospital.org/wellness

Preventing Summer Brain Drain

Summer fun means that studying goes right out the window. Studies show that kids can lose up to three months of learning over the typical summer vacation. In fact, math skills suffer the most loss over summer vacation. How do you help to protect your kids from summer brain drain?
Here are a few steps you can take to keep the loss of learning to a minimum.

Frequent trips to the local library – the more children have access to new and interesting books the more they will pick them up and read them. Your local library can also keep kids active in learning through free educational events and activities. So pack up the car and take the kids to the local library.

Some libraries and community centers offer educational camps where children can stretch their math, science and reading muscles. So try substituting an educational camp in place of a sports camp.

Try to concentrate on math – it’s hard to keep children interested in math so jazz it up. For younger children try board games or card games like go fish. These can keep basic counting, subtraction and addition skills sharp over the summer.

Take a Summer Trip Centered On Education - Virginia has so many educational and historical areas. Williamsburg offers an excellent opportunity to have fun while learning about our countries rich history. Ask your child to read about colonial times before they go to Williamsburg to make the experience even better. Take a day trip to Washington DC. With so many museums, you’ll really be flexing your child’s science, math, reading and history muscles.

Take an active role in preventing summer brain drain and your children will thank you for the summer fun and through better grades this fall.

Travel With Kids

With the unofficial start of summer starting today, many families are planning summer trips. Your family may choose a long trip or a day trip. As parents we all dread the question "Are we there yet?"

With a little preparing you can make traveling with your little ones enjoyable and stress-free by following these simple tips:

1. When possible, travel at night or get a very early morning start to your trip and let the kids sleep. But be cautious, because it's easy to get tired.

2. If you plan to travel during the day try stopping about every 90 minutes. By planning ahead, and using travel planning websites, you can find kid-friendly places such as parks with playgrounds, historic monuments to giving the kids a 15 minute break to work off some energy.

3. 1,000 bottles of root beer on the wall or B-I-N-G-O can really help to pass the time, and create some happy or sad memories depending on how good of a singer you are.

4. Create a goodie-bag. Toys, games, bubbles, coloring books can all help pass the time during a long trip. Bring toys related to your small stops, like footballs, Frisbees or soccer balls, which will encourage running off energy.

5. Have your children do quiet activities. Such as creating postcards or writing paper, or a journal to document where you’re going or where you have been on your trip. They can also practice the lost art of letter writing to friends they miss at home.

6. Of course if you need to you can always fall back on the hand-held games, CD and portable DVD players with earphones.

Let each child pack their own box or backpack of activities that way you can make sure they will like what they brought and it will keep their things organized and accessible.

Outdoor Activities with Your Children

As a parent you know that there are many activities a child can do inside. But when the weather is warmer, you want them to explore outdoor activities. Last week we talked about the importance of outdoor play and today we are going to give you some ideas for age appropriate activities that can be done outdoors.

Infant to Six Months

• Bring a blanket to the park to crawl on and a sturdy pair of pants
• Be prepared to climb and crawl yourself. This is the best way for you to ensure your child’s safety
• As your child explores the surrounding area, point out the details; name objects and talk about your experience
First Steps (12 to 18 months)
• Walk the trail with your little one on a riding toy
• Collect items to further explore when you go inside

Toddler (18 to 36 months)

• Bring some objects to the park like balls to throw and kick or a bean bags and a bucket.
• Go to the stream, lake or pond and skip rocks. Turn the rocks over to find creepy, crawly things.
• A pop up tent can offer an instant playhouse.
• If it’s raining but not lightening, take an umbrella and put on your galoshes and take a walk in the light rain.

Preschool to Pre-K (36 months +)

• Just go out in the backyard, lie down and look up. Seeing the world from a different perspective can offer hours of entertainment.
• Have a picnic, have your child pack the necessities and prepare the sandwiches.
• Play “I Spy” or “I Hear”

Teacher Appreciation Week

National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 3rd through the 7th, a week dedicated to the celebration of your favorite teachers. It is a week in which you can show your appreciation of the knowledge you have acquired over the years thanks to teachers who have impacted your life now and in the past.

History of National Teacher Day

National Teacher Day started around 1944 when a Arkansas teacher named Mattye Whyte Woodridge began corresponding with political and education leaders about the need for a national day of honor. Woodbridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt, who in 1953 persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day.

The NEA (National Education Association) lobbied Congress to create a national day to celebrate teachers. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only. Then it was changed to the Tuesday of the first full week of May. The actual date, therefore, varies from year to year.

How to Celebrate

It’s great to recognize a teacher during National Teachers Appreciation Week but, another great way to celebrate is to learn more about teaching as a profession and its merits worldwide. There is always a shortage of teachers somewhere and the biggest gift you can give a former teacher is by becoming a teacher and passing on the knowledge they passed to you. Teaching is a wonderful, fulfilling, challenging and dynamic profession that you can continue to grow in.

Teacher appreciation week is the perfect time of the year to take a moment to show your appreciation for all the efforts they put in each day to teach and for the education that we receive thanks to them.

So when you see a teacher, give them a shout out to let them know what they do matters.

Sources: www.nea.org/teacherday/
www.teacher-appreciation.info/
www.pta.org

Great Outdoors

Being outside is important for children and this is a great time of year to be outside, with plenty of sunlight and moderate temperatures.

The outdoors is a great place for young children to master newly developed physical skills and movement. With today’s busy schedules it’s sometimes difficult to find the time to get outside with your kids. But, considering the important role that activity plays in the physical, social, and emotional development of our children, it’s worth finding the time.

Physical Benefits of Outdoor Play for Children

Childhood obesity is a concerning trend in children. Children who play outside are more likely to maintain a healthy weight because they get the chance to burn off extra calories. They also view play with friends as “play” not exercise, this makes burning off the calories fun. Outdoor play is also important for children because it builds small and large muscles, strengthens bones, conditions the lungs, and improves their overall health.

The exposure to sunlight also helps our bodies make the vitamin D it needs for the development of healthy bones, and reduces the future risk of conditions such as heart disease, and high blood pressure. But, it’s also important to apply the sunscreen before sending your child outdoors to reduce the risk of skin cancer.

Parents also receive an added benefit from outside play. Children have the chance to use up the extra energy that can make the restless around the house. This can lead to better sleep, improved behavior and better concentration.

The benefits of outdoor play for children are endless. Playing outside makes kids happier, by providing a number of physical, social, and emotional developmental perks. On Tuesday April 20th Goddard Ashburn will be celebrating the Great Outdoors with obstacle course, yoga and relay races.

Sources: http://www.babiestoday.com/
http://early-childhood-development.suite101.com

The Key to Active Kids

Last month, the Goddard School launched its “Get Active” initiative to keep youngsters moving. Michelle Obama recently announced “Let’s Move,” a national campaign to combat childhood obesity through fitness and nutritional programs. Placing children on the right path to living and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential, and that is why Goddard initiated its “Get Active” campaign. The classroom, 360- plus Goddard Schools nationwide take great strides to get preschoolers, toddlers and infants up and moving. Here are some ways you can keep them moving at home.

1. Focus on fun. You don't have to call it "exercise," just consider it an activity. Find out which physical activities your child likes and encourage those.

2. Be a model of fitness. It's much easier to motivate kids to be active, if you lead an active lifestyle. Let them see you exercising. It will likely inspire them to do the same.

3 Encourage walking or biking whenever possible. Make the choice to walk to local stores, libraries or other places.

4. Get the whole family in on the fun. Have a funny dance party. Make up funny dance moves to entertain and exercise the family. Choose family activities that involve a lot of walking, the zoo, miniature golf or even the mall.

5. Limit TV and computer time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than "two hours of daily media exposure" for children ages two and older.

6. Clean up around the house. Make chores a game by singing, making funny faces or make it competition to see who can get chores done first. On a hot day, a car wash can make exercise a cool fun activity.

7. Go to the playground. A local park or playground offers exercise, exploration and fresh air.

8. Promote physical activity every chance you get. Give your child a jump-rope, hula-hoop, roller skates or a bike for their next birthday.

Any change that promotes activity now can have a lifelong effect on exercise habits that will keeps them active and healthy for life.


Source: http://www.pbs.org

Getting the Little Ones To Pitch In Around the House

One of the most common complaints from parents with toddlers is that their toddlers don’t clean up, because of their curious minds and nonstop energy they are into everything. By the end of the day your house looks like 50 kids had a play date instead of just one. However, there is some good news, toddlers can learn at an early age to pick up after themselves and even have a little fun while doing it. The earlier you start cleaning up and helping around the house habits the easier it will become as your little one gets older.

One of the most important habits is to have a routine for clean up. Try giving them a 5 minute warning that clean up time is coming. Next, is having a verbal cue to let your child know that it is clean up time. A favorite one used by teachers is the clean up song, you can make up one on your own or use the old time favorite. Singing will help pass the time while your child is picking everything up and putting it away. Now to make things easier for your child you need to be organized, it makes it much more fun when your little one knows where everything goes. One of the best ways to do this is to purchase some inexpensive bins and label them, take a picture of the toy that belongs in the bin and place it on the outside so all your child has to do is to match the toy to the picture. If you have older children also place a card with the name of the toy written on it, this will help with their reading skills.

Remember to keep a positive attitude. Your little one may not get all the toys back where they should go but they did clean up, so offer them positive encouragement for even the littlest effort. Your toddler will be so pleased with their accomplishment.

Developmental Milestones -1-2 years

The ages of one and two, means increased mobility, increased awareness of self and surroundings. A toddler has an overwhelming urge to explore new objects and new people. They now can recognize themselves in pictures or mirrors. They are imitating the behavior of others, especially adults and older children. Your child is becoming more independent and even showing some defiant behavior.

Developmental Milestones

•Walks alone
•Pulls toys behind while walking
•Carries large toy or several toys while walking
•Begins to run
•Stands on tiptoes
•Kicks a ball
•Climbs onto and down from furniture unassisted
•Walks up and down stairs holding on to support
•Scribbles spontaneously
•Builds towers of four blocks or more
•Recognizes names of familiar people, objects, and body parts
•Says several single words (by fifteen to eighteen months)
•Uses simple phrases (by eighteen to twenty-four months)
•Demonstrates increasing independence
•Shows increasing episodes of separation anxiety toward midyear, that then will fade

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, please contact your pediatrician or for more information please visit the American Academy Pediatrics website

Source: http://www.aap.org
www.medicinenet.com
www.education.com

Imaginary Friends

Imaginary friends come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they're human, other times they're animals, or character from your child’s favorite book or TV show. They also keep very odd schedules, sometimes they are infrequent visitors and at other times they stop by only every few days and other times they are your child's constant companion.

Talking to imaginary friends, drawing them, read books to them and even sitting at the dinner table with them are all common activities for kids and their imaginary friends but should these actions be a cause for concern?
In most cases, the answer is No. A child’s imaginary friend are a typically a normal part of the toddler years. They can actually serve as a good outlet for child’s creativity.

Imaginary friends are known as “Symbolic Thinking” by Developmental Psychologists. Symbolic Thinking can include playing with dolls or action figures or using everyday objects as an imaginary item like a spoon used as a race car at the dinner table. Like our favorite children’s story it’s the simple concept of make-believe.
There is generally no harm in humoring your child in their claims of having an imaginary friend. However, you might find the following ground rules helpful:

•Don't force your child to admit that their imaginary friend is not real. In fact, have some fun with the concept by greeting them by name, and looking out for them as you travel around the house.

*If you’re not the imaginative type don’t force yourself to interact with your child’s imaginary friend. Do whatever you feel is natural to support your child’s imagination and creativity.

*Avoid using your child’s imaginary friend as leverage to complete tasks like cleaning up after play or brushing their teeth.

Imaginary friends tend to disappear between the third and fifth birthdays. They leave as easily as they arrived, they are forgotten, sent to a distant planet of they go live with the neighbors. In the meantime, enjoy the wonder and creativity of your child’s imagination.


Sources: http://www.babycenter.com
http://www.familyresource.com
http://www.greatschools.org

Goddard School Ashburn Named Top Daycare

The Goddard School® Earns Top Honor


Ashburn preschool receives "Top Daycare Centers: 2010"

The Goddard School located at 45091 Research Place (University Center) in Ashburn has recently earned the "Top Daycare Centers: 2010" recognition.

The Northern Virginia Magazine selected the Goddard School “in recognition of going above and beyond what is required for molding the children who walk through your doors”.

"We’re proud to earn this top honor and be recognized for our commitment to reach the highest professional standards," said Madhu Govil, owner of The Goddard School located in Ashburn. "This recognition demonstrates to our community that children in our program receive the best possible care and early learning experiences. Our management and faculty have earned this achievement by performing their very best every day."

Excerpt from the Northern Virginia magazine (January 2010) states: “With so many households having both adults working and placing their bundles of joy in the hands of daycare providers, we here at Northern Virginia Magazine want to help parents make informed choices…The centers on the Top Daycare listing are centers whose staff and facilities go above and beyond both the state’s licensing requirements and the average center in Northern Virginia.” The evaluation was comprehensive and based on the Virginia Star Quality Program and NAEYC standards and the School was graded in five different areas: Teacher certifications, Teacher-to-Student ratios, Parent and Teacher Communication, Curriculum and Facilities. The Goddard School earned one of the highest Grades of all the Loudoun County Centers.


"We are humbled by this recognition and sincerely appreciate confidence and continued support of our parents. We encourage everyone to let their family and friends know about their School's achievement. Thank you" said Mrs. Madhu Govil.

About The Goddard School®:
The Goddard School located at 45091 Research Place in Ashburn, VA 20147 opened in January 2007. The premier preschool accommodates 140 children, ages six weeks to 6 yrs old. On-site owner, Mrs. Madhu Govil, along with her executive director, Ms. Teresa Roberts, and faculty, which includes teachers trained and experienced in early childhood development, are always looking forward to welcome children into this nurturing environment where the curriculum encourages learning for lifetime.

To learn more about The Goddard School, families are encouraged to please contact Mrs. Madhu Govil at 703-724-0601.