Photo courtesy of The Goddard School
The Goddard School future Alexandria location.
Taruna and Rahul Jain have lived in Northern Virginia for 20 years. As the parents of two children, a high schooler and a second grader, education and child development is important to them. After noticing a lack of early childcare in the area that both nurtures and educates, they decided to do something about it.
“When the kids were growing up, we were always looking for high quality, premium childcare in our area. And unfortunately when our kids were growing up, we never had the opportunity. So it was always in the back of our minds to have something, it was a dream to provide exemplary childcare,” Rahul Jain explained.
Three years ago, the Jains became familiar with The Goddard School. According to the school’s website, it was founded in 1988 as a “preschool franchise to deliver a high-quality, play-based learning program to families all over the United States.” Today, The Goddard School has 70,000 students enrolled in more than 525 schools in 38 states.
Photo courtesy of The Goddard School
The Jain Family
The Jains were impressed with the school’s strong reputation and by the positive feedback from some of their friends who sent their young children to Goddard locations in other parts of the country.
A number of unique factors set The Goddard School apart from other childcare providers. “Yes, we are a high quality childcare, but we are a school. We are not just a daycare where you drop them off and pick them up. There is actually a learning process, and that comes from all the research that Goddard has done over the years.” Rahul Jain said.
The Goddard School is known for valuing collaboration with parents and developing strong communication between parents and teachers. Teachers are highly engaged, passionate and tailor their lesson plans to every child and his or her learning styles.
“Goddard truly believes children learn the best when they are having fun. So we ensure that our lesson plans are based on your children’s interests and we keep in mind that they are having fun," Taruna Jain said.
Parents also appreciate The Goddard School’s standard learning program. Unlike some schools that offer special electives like Spanish at extra cost, Goddard offers a number of enrichment programs ranging from fitness, foreign language, music and robotics as part of the curriculum.
One of The Goddard School’s mottos is “school ready, career ready, life ready” and everything about their learning program is geared towards preparing young children for the rest of their lives. According to a review done by the Children’s Progress Academic Assessment (CPAA) and verified by Hanover Research, The Goddard School students score 45 percent higher on mathematics and literacy assessments compared to their peers who do not attend Goddard.
The Goddard School will be take extra precautions due to the threat of COVID-19 as well as follow all Virginia guidelines in order to keep students and staff as safe and healthy as possible. These precautions include health screening and temperature taking, sanitation of high touch areas, reinforcement of good hygiene among students and staff, complete separation of classrooms and not allowing parents and visitors into the school building. Virtual tours for prospective parents and students will be virtual or offered outside of school hours. Goddard will be use a Zono machine to sanitize toys and other learning materials.
The Goddard School in Alexandria is currently under construction at 1703 N. Beauregard St. Once the school opens in the early part of 2021, the hours will be 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. and will offer a variety of options including half-day, full-day and part-time for infants through pre-K. Parents interested in enrolling their children can contact the school via The Goddard School's Alexandria website to find out more about the school’s admission policy, vaccination policy and tuition.
The Jains are discussing the possibility of expanding to offer school age support and after-school programs in the future.
