USDA Child Development Center

FYI: They’re currently in the GSA building on 18^th and F St NW while they renovate the old location.
The internet is a crazy place. It’s hard to find up to date non-​anonymous reviews on a daycare because… people are crazy. Now that my kid is out of this daycare, I feel comfortable reviewing it.
The teachers are nice. I’m extremely over protective and paranoid and they all passed my very thorough Google background check. My daughter doesn’t like anyone, but she ran to hug all of them in the morning. They were professional, but their personalities were more in line with aunts or older relatives. Very… down to earth.
I don’t know what witchcraft they used, but they taught my daughter to at least pretend that she respects me. She went in with the mentality that little things like, «Hold Daddy’s hand» were optional. Within two weeks, she reached for my hand automatically, stopped at curbs and gave up playing her old favorite game, «Who wants to ride in an ambulance.»
Now let’s talk money. Tuition was surprisingly cheap. Like, «Do these people have a license» cheap. Bright Horizons asked me to choose between rent and daycare. «Yes, Daddy would like to go home too, but the bank took it when you started going to daycare. Now get back under the tarp where it’s warm.» My tuition was two-​thirds of what Bright Horizon’s quoted.
I have no idea what they did all day. She came home singing songs that I couldn’t understand and bringing me cave paintings that I misinterpreted as cries for help, but she swears they’re boats and animals.
I really liked this place and the teachers, but ‘free’ (public school) beats affection every time.