Request Information

Find out about pricing and availability

Overview
  • Programs
  • Our Team
  • Reviews

About Winwood Children’s Center, Fairfax

Bursting with history, arts, and culture, the city of Fairfax, Virginia is a fascinating place to visit, and, according to Forbes, “one of the best places to live in the country.” An excellent school system is one of the main reasons Fairfax received this honor, and many of city’s best and brightest students get their early start at Winwood Children’s Center, Fairfax.

NECPA logo

Our school is NECPA accredited and we have designed our preschool’s curriculum to strengthen and broaden the emerging intellects of our students. In addition to daily Language Arts, Art, Science, and Math small group projects, our early childhood education center offers a STARs program in which children enjoy weekly lessons in music, sign language, Spanish, and art, as well as a monthly exercise program.

Winwood Children’s Center, Fairfax kids love our state-of-the-art computer lab, especially learning computer skills through fun, yet challenging activities on our SMARTboard. Our big kids get plenty of exercise and time with friends during ballet and soccer time.

Our preschool offers an outstanding Before and After School Care program for Greenbriar East Elementary, Greenbriar West Elementary, Waples Mill Elementary, and Navy Elementary. We also provide enriching child care for teacher training days, snow days, and winter, spring, and summer break.

Our Preschool & Child Care Programs

  • Infant Daycare (ages 6 weeks to 1 year). In this infant daycare program, our child care staff provide stimulating, fun learning exercises to help your little one develop a strong foundation for his or her mental, emotional, and social upbringing.
  • Toddler Childcare (ages 1 to 2). Our caring teachers provide an abundance of art, joyous music, and exploratory adventures in supervised, secure environments in this childcare program.
  • Early Learners (ages 2 to 3). In this early childhood education program, teachers guide and nurture children with activities that focus on the basics of education and the development of positive life habits.
  • Preschool (ages 3 to 4). At Winwood Children’s Center, Fairfax, we make the most of this stage of development by incorporating activities that stimulate the physical as well as the socio-emotional and cognitive capabilities of students.
  • Junior Kindergarten (ages 4 to 5). This kindergarten program prepares your child with lessons in independent learning, and mastering gross and fine motor skills.
  • School Age Program (ages 5 to 12). Our specialized staff is here to ensure that your child is occupied in the company of friends when you have to work.
  • Summer Camp Programs (ages 5 to 12). At Winwood Children’s Center, Fairfax, our bright, cheerful staff lead kids on engaging educational adventures that stimulate their learning and keep their bodies in great shape throughout the summer months.

Our Philosophy

At Winwood Children’s Center, Fairfax, we believe children learn best through play, so we have developed a unique curriculum to ensure they are smiling and every discovery-filled day.

What Makes Our Preschool in Fairfax, Virginia Unique

We strive to keep you involved with your child’s day through a culture that fosters communication and community. In the classrooms for infants and toddlers, our caregivers send you regular updates about your child’s day. We send our preschool parents bi-weekly progress reports, and teachers for all classrooms send home a monthly newsletter and twice-a-year developmental assessment. In addition, our open-door policy and web camera keep parents continuously connected. We even have a Kid Report App if you prefer real-time updates!

Our preschool learning center has more than 30 amazing, dedicated teachers with over 110 years of combined experience. The majority of our teachers are CPR- and First Aid-certified and many have their CDA, Associate, Bachelor’s, or Master’s degrees.

More About Our Preschool Learning Center

Our preschool learning center is located at 12301 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway in Fairfax, Virginia, 22033. You can find us at the corner of Route 50 and West Ox Road, directly across the street from the Harris Teeter Shopping Center. Our early childhood education center is close to the housing communities of Penderbrook and Fair Ridge.

Our Team

Katy Thiltgen

Katy Thiltgen

School Director

Welcome, Thank you for your interest in Winwood Children’s Center. We are located at 12301 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway. Our center has been part of the community since Sept. 1998. My name is Katy Thiltgen and I am the Director of the center. I am originally from Pennsylvania where I attended Kutztown University and obtained my Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education with a concentration in Early Childhoods. I started with the company in Aug. 2004 as a teacher, an Assistant Director, and since January 2009 the Director.

We have more than 30 amazing, dedicated teachers with more than 110 years of experience with Winwood! The majority of our teachers are CPR and First Aid certified and many have their CDA, Associates, Bachelors, or Master degrees. Our curriculum is designed to strengthen and broaden the emerging intellect of our students. In addition to our daily Language Arts, Art, Science, and Math small group projects we offer a STARs program which highlights weekly lessons in music, sign language, Spanish, and art and a monthly exercise program. The children experience our state of the art computer lab including a SMARTboard on a daily basis. Children in the Preschool III program through Kindergarten also have the opportunity to participate in ballet and soccer. We offer before and after school care for Greenbriar East, Greenbriar West, Waples Mill, and Navy. We also provide care for teacher work days, snow days, Spring Break, Winter Break, and summer camp. We strive to have great parent-teacher communication to keep you involved with your child’s day. In the infant, infant 2, toddler, and two year old classrooms you receive a daily sheet about your child’s day. You will find bi-weekly progress reports in the preschool classrooms. All of our classrooms send home a monthly newsletter and twice a year a developmental assessment of your child. In addition, our Open Door Policy and web camera keeps you connected at a moment notice. On behalf of all our wonderful teachers, I invite you to stop by and visit our school. We would enjoy meeting you and your family and introduction you to ours.

Jenn LeVay

Jenn LeVay

Assistant Director

Ms. Jenn has been in the Early Childhood Education field since 2003 and loves everything about it. She has been at Winwood Fairfax since August 2020 and has been a part of the Winwood family since 2017. Ms. Jenn has her bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education Management as well as an Associates in the same field. Always ready with a smile and a warm greeting, she brings excitement to our school daily.

Naima Mendil

Naima Mendil

Teacher

Naima has worked with children for 25+ years, and has been with Winwood since shortly after we opened in 1998. Naima has always worked in our Infant program, and most enjoys creating artwork with the little ones and watching them smile as they learn in our care. In addition to a Bachelors degree from Algeria, Naima is MAT trained and CPR/first aid certified. She loves working closely with the families to make sure each baby is cared for in the most caring and loving way!

Reviews from Parents

4.7 Rating based on 66 Reviews Leave A Review
Leann Deneal • Google
I can say many amazing things about Winwood Fairfax, but recently they have been my saving grace. Ms. Katy has been gracious enough to send me one of her amazing staff members to keep my school from drowning. Ms. Nikki is so sweet, calm, friendly, and fit in great with our team here! When she's here she comes in with a smile and is ready to take on the day! Our kiddos really enjoy each day with her. Thank you, thank you for all your help!!!
verified
Patrick Nordahl • Google
Our experience with Winwood Children's Center has been nothing short of outstanding. As first time parents we were hesitant for our child to attend any childcare service or daycare but the staff at Winwood are such professionals that my wife and I are now actively dreading the day we have to move away. From our perspective the thing that sets Winwood apart from the other day care facilities in the area are 1) The fact that the staff are very experienced and are very professional and loving towards the children and 2) The staff create a unique community / family atmosphere within the facility where the staff and parents are positive and supporting each other no matter what is going on when you walk in. The director, assistant director greet us and our child by name every day when we walk in the door and the staff within the infant room always ask how our child is doing and if there is anything special they need to do for the day. That kind of care gives us the feeling our child is professionally and lovingly cared for while we are at work. Also of note for military families, this facility understands the requirements of the Child Care Aware subsidy program so it's one less headache you have to deal with if you choose to enroll your child here.
verified
Sami Omer • Google
My daughter attended Winwood for a little over year and it was a an excellent experience. Principal Katy and her assistant Jenn are phenomenal at running the school, always smiling, professional, and understanding. They were always available to chat about how our girl was doing and to address any issues or concerns. One thing you'd notice right away when entering the school is how well kept and tidy it is compared to other preschools, which is another sign of how well it's being administered. The school also offer some online accessible video feed of the classrooms your child is enrolled in + playground. The website feels pretty outdated, but it does the job well of checking on how our daughter was doing, specially on her first couple of weeks of enrollment. Our daughter spent most of her time there at the 3 year-olds class with Ms. Suttata. Can't express how grateful we are for all the work, love, and care Ms. Suttata has showed our little girl. She was always available and reached out many times on her own to give us updates on how our daughter was doing. We have seen quite a jump in her number sense and phonics skills, which is due in large part to Ms. Suttata's and her assistants' hard work and dedication. Highly recommend Winwood.
verified
Stephanie Minier • Google
I have had the pleasure of having my 3 girls at Winwood. We started here over 4 years ago and it was one of the best decisions I could have made. The staff has been so accommodating and super nice to myself and my girls. My girls have been in each classroom from infant to Jr. K and it's been so exciting to see them move to the next classroom and to see what they will learn next. To watch them grow at Winwood has made this experience for us amazing. They have helped in so many ways prepare my girls for Kindergarten!
verified

Winwood Children's Center

Fairfax, VA

Leave us a Review

We want to learn about your experience with Winwood Children's Center. Please take a moment to share your experience with us and let us know how we are doing.

Preparing Your Child To THRIVE

Your child is unique, and we are happy to provide an educational, fun, and nurturing environment where each child can develop and thrive in order to build a bright future with unlimited possibilities.