-
The Children In The Shoe is now open in North Bethesda! Welcome to The Children in The Shoe! High Quality Early Childhood Education Friendly Atmosphere Welcoming Place For Every Child Play-Based Emergent Curriculum Driven by imaginations
-
Welcome to The Shoe!
High quality child care and early education for young children
The Children in the Shoe began in 1977 in the Washington D.C. home of Judy and Ted Heintz. As more women began to enter the workforce, Judy recognized that there was a need for before and after care for school-aged kids, including her own. The Heintz family home was opened up for before and after care for school-aged kids and the Children in the Shoe was born!
In 1982, the Shoe and the Heintz family moved to Chevy Chase, Maryland, and Judy made the decision to focus more on providing quality care for young children. Beginning with in-home child care for small groups of young children, the Shoe slowly grew and the infant and toddler program was developed.
In 1990, “The Children in the Shoe, Inc.” was officially formed. The infant and toddler program expanded and the first group of 10 children in an in-home center was licensed to operate in Montgomery County.
As it became clear that the need for high quality care for young children was growing, Judy recognized that the Children in the Shoe would need to grow too! In 1997, the first center located in commercial space was opened. Known as the B-CC center, it is located in downtown Bethesda and is next door to B-CC High School. Just one year later, in 1998, the Shoe opened a second center. Also located in downtown Bethesda, the East/West Towers center is just across the street from B-CC High School, but both the East/West and B-CC centers operate independently.
In 2000, the Children in the Shoe added a third location in Olney, Maryland. After renovating the existing site, the Olney center opened and provided care for infants up to three-year-olds. It wasn’t long before the Olney center was expanded to include a space for pre-school children as well.
In 2004, the East/West center expanded, adding 4 new classrooms, including a pre-school classroom, and doubling in size. The following year, in 2005, the East/West center earned NAEYC accreditation (National Association for the Education of Young Children).
Tragically, in 2005, the founder and matriarch of the Children in the Shoe, our beloved Judy Heintz passed away. In 2007, Judy’s sons, Jon and Geoffrey (“Jib”) took over at the helm of the Children in the Shoe.
In 2009 the Olney center relocated just a couple miles down the road to a beautiful new location on 2 acres of land.
The Children in the Shoe grew again in 2014 when the fourth location was opened in Rockville. Serving infants through pre-school, the Rockville Center is licensed for over 100 children.
In 2020, The Children in the Shoe had to temporarily close down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All 4 centers were able to re-open in June 2020, and are currently providing care to hundreds of children.
-
- +
Our Children
Their smiles are what make our world go around!
Years in Operation
Serving our community!
- years
Average Staff Retention
A great place to work!
-
Our programs are play-based, emphasizing creativity, cooperation, and social development.
The key to providing successful learning experiences is to figure out what interests your child. We work to help your child develop a love of learning. Active play is at the heart of children’s learning, so we encourage them to observe, explore, take things apart, build, create, draw, and see what they can find out.
-
-
William is just so happy to go to school each day, and that gives me a little glimpse into the joyful way he spends each day at the shoe.
We love The Shoe! The staff has helped mold my daughter into a smart, caring and passionate child.
The teachers and staff at The Children in the Shoe are amazing!
The teachers are warm and caring. My children both love school and have learned so much. I also love the physical space of The Shoe.
We have been extremely happy with the quality of the care our children receive here! I feel like everyone in the center knows my kids and is happy to see and interact with them – not just their own teachers.
No other childcare center compared, hands down, when making my choice.
-
Contact Us
North Bethesda
6120 Executive Blvd
North Bethesda, MD, 20852
northbethesda@thechildrenintheshoe.com
(301) 448-3339
Click for PricingBCC
4401 East West Hwy
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
bcc@thechildrenintheshoe.com
301-654-9253
Click for PricingEast West Towers
4330 East West Hwy
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
eastwest@thechildrenintheshoe.com
301-656-5056
Click for PricingRockville
1375 Piccard Dr
Rockville, MD, 20850
rockville@thechildrenintheshoe.com
301-841-7708
Click for PricingOlney
16910 Georgia Ave
Olney, Maryland 20832
olney@thechildrenintheshoe.com
301-260-1200
Click for Pricing