Wendy Wortman, Center Director
Ages: 6 weeks to 12 years
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Welcome to Oakton KinderCare
Welcome to Oakton KinderCare! We are centrally located to serve the families of Oakton, VA, a suburb of Arlington. Our center proudly partners with families to make sure each child receives the highest quality care and education. We accomplish this in warm, welcoming, and supportive classrooms for children of all abilities, backgrounds, and experiences. After all, everyone belongs in our circle — we love our families and meeting new friends!
Our classrooms are places to thrive!
In our safe and healthy classrooms, your child will be engaged in learning experiences that meet them where they are, both socially and academically. With fun daily activities, passionate teachers, and great friends, a lifetime of confidence starts here. Contact the center director to learn more about our child care options and schedule a tour!
Meet Wendy Wortman, Our Center Director
At KinderCare Since: 2000
Education: Associate Degree
Meet Wendy Wortman! Wendy is the Center Director at Oakton KinderCare in Virginia. Wendy holds a Childhood Development Associate credential. She has been with KinderCare for twenty-one years now, her journey with KinderCare beginning in 2000. Wendy's favorite quote is, "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." She loves this quote because the more she learns, the more knowledge she has to share with the staff and students at her center. Outside of work, Wendy likes to be outdoors, do photography, go to the beach, and spend time with her family.
AMERICA’S MOST ACCREDITED
We’re so proud!
Nationally only 10% of daycares are accredited - nearly 100% of our learning centers are. That’s a big difference, and that means KinderCare kids are getting the very best. Here’s why.
SCHOOL-READY
What Learning Looks Like
Our talented early-childhood teachers set kids down the path toward becoming lifelong learners in a positive, safe, and nurturing environment.
Oakton KinderCare Programs
Infant Programs (6 weeks–1 year)
Leaving your baby in someone else’s care is a big step. Everyone at our centers—most importantly, our naturally gifted infant teachers—will work with you to make sure the transition goes smoothly. When you step into our infant classroom, you’ll see how much we want your infant to feel safe, loved, and ready to explore their world.
Toddler Programs (1–2 Years)
Everything in our toddler classroom is designed for little explorers. That’s because a lot is going on at this age. When your child is wandering all over the place, that means they’re learning and discovering new things every day. We’ll help them explore their interests (and find new ones!) as they play and learn.
Discovery Preschool Programs (2–3 Years)
This age is filled with so much wonder and curiosity. That’s why we offer a ton of books and toys and bring artwork down to kids eye level. Children in discovery preschool also begin to learn how we all work together in a classroom. Simple math and science, pretend play, and group play help them get used to a more structured school setting.
Preschool Programs (3–4 Years)
This age is all about expression, when kids really start to form their own ideas about what they want to play and how they want to create. Every day in our preschool classroom, your child will explore science experiments, create artwork, and play pretend—all the skills needed for their big next step: kindergarten!
Prekindergarten Programs (4–5 Years)
When you walk into one of our pre-K classrooms, you’ll see artwork and writing displayed around the room. Labels are everywhere to help kids connect letters with words. You’ll also see pictures on the walls that reflect the families in our community. Your child will also deepen their knowledge in language, math, science, Spanish, and social skills.
Before- and After-School Programs (5–12 Years)
You can count on us to provide reliable care for your school-ager while you’re at work, with safe transportation from our center to your child’s school and back! Whether your child wants to start a drama club, build a volcano, or create a comic book, they will have a place to follow their dreams. Your child will start and end the day with a whole lot of fun!
School Break Programs (preschool, prekindergarten, and school-age)
Winter break, spring break, summer break—when school’s out (but you still need to work), you can count on KinderCare to provide a safe and supportive learning environment that’s focused on fun. We welcome children ages 5–12 during school break times and make sure they have a sensational, screen-free experience they won’t forget.
Learning Adventures - Enrichment Program
Cooking Academy™ (3 – 12 Years)
In Cooking Academy, kids learn new recipes from cultures around the world and develop a healthy relationship with food. They’ll whip up everything from Southwest rainbow lettuce wraps to pumpkin muffins, building their skills in STEM, communication, and more along the way. And yes—little chefs get to eat their culinary creations!
Music Explorers™ (2 – 4 Years)
KinderCare families are already giving a standing ovation to our newest Learning Adventures program: Music Explorers! Kids will learn to sing, move, listen, play instruments, and even create their own tunes. Our original curriculum blends math, science, social studies, literacy, and mindfulness (think yoga!) for a uniquely KinderCare way of learning the foundations of music.
Phonics Adventures® (2 – 4 Years)
Learning how to read is a whole lot of fun at KinderCare! We help kids grow to love books and words (and get ready for kindergarten) in our Phonics Adventures program. From discovering the basics of vowels to practicing poetry, kids learn all about letters and sounds in small-group lessons made just for their age group. (Bonus: Kids who attend our phonics program are more prepared than their peers for school—and we have the data to prove it.)
Spanish
Spanish Adventures provides young learners with a foundation for later success with the Spanish language. Music, games, children's Spanish literature, and other tools give children multiple opportunities to hear, practice, and see Spanish language to develop vocabulary and conversation skills. Curriculum includes lessons on greetings, numbers, colors, animals, family, body parts, and pets, as well as how to engage conversationally during common scenarios at home, a restaurant, or at the zoo.
STEM Innovators (3-8 Years)
You’ve probably heard a lot about how important STEM education is for your child, but what does that really mean? Our STEM Innovators program takes kids’ natural ability to make sense of the world and applies it to robotics, chemistry, coding, geology, and more. While your child experiments, they’ll discover how to use technology to do amazing things!
Our Teachers
We're the only company in early childhood education to select teachers based on natural talent. Being a great educator isn't enough though. KinderCare teachers are also amazing listeners, nurturers, boo-boo fixers, and smile-makers. Put more simply, we love our teachers and your child will, too.
Meet just a few of our amazing KinderCare teachers!
A KINDERCARE TEACHER WITH
An Artist's Heart
"My classroom is full of art!” says Mary Annthipie-Bane, an award-winning early childhood educator at KinderCare. Art and creative expression, she says, help children discover who they really are.
We put our best-in-class teachers in a best-in-class workplace. We're so proud to have been named one of Gallup's 37 winners of the Great Workplace Award. When you put great teachers in an engaging center, your children will experience an amazing place to learn and grow.
Family Stories
Don't take our word for it. Hear what our families have to say about our amazing center!
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My husband and I both work full-time jobs, which is a challenge with two young children. I never thought we would take our children to a childcare facility, because I thought I would either stay home, or we would go the Nanny route. However, we were in a bind one day and called a friend of ours who recommended Kindercare, so we decided to give it a try.
Every parent remembers the first time they drop their child off at daycare. Try to convince yourself to be strong and everything will be okay. There was added nervousness from my European office colleagues. Their culture allows for them to take time off to raise their children until they can attend school, so they would ask, "why are you letting someone else raise your babies?"
However, after just a few short weeks, we stopped looking for a nanny because of the great care. For instance, while our eldest son was in the infant classroom, the center let me go up and nurse my little three times a day, which was highly important to me. My son soon came home crawling at nine months and, shortly thereafter, he started talking up a storm. I also remember coming into his classroom to visiting him. They were letting him try eating cereal with milk while using a spoon, which was shortly after he started using utensils! I thought, "wow they are brave!"
When he transitioned into the two-year-old classroom, he started regular potty-training. One day his teachers were able to get him to go by himself, so he came home proud thinking that he was such a big boy. By learning potty-training at school, it made learning at home very easy for us!
However, the best part of our experience these past two years has been walking in each day and being greeted by the teachers, who are eager to tell me how my son is doing in their classroom. They get excited when my child has reached a milestone, which shows how much they are invested in their learning and growth. I've laughed with them, cried with them, and truly enjoyed having them be part of our family.
When the folks in Europe now ask questions, like "how can you let someone else raise your children?" I just look at them and say, "My boys go to school with a lot of friends that they love and play with, they are very socialized, they learn a lot, and they are truly loved by their teachers." It's been a great experience!”Melissa B. - KinderCare Parent
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Our three-year-old daughter, Kendall, has been with Kindercare since she was a few months old starting in Connecticut and now Oakton, VA. In the nine months she's been with the folks in Oakton, she has continued to grow and learn things that amaze us on a daily basis. The center directors, Wendy and Katie, have been great in helping with whatever needs Kendall may have, and the center teachers have been great as well. We couldn't be happier about the learning experience and fantastic environment that she is in, and the level of trust we have for the Oakton staff.
”Chris W. - KinderCare Parent
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Our kids have been at Oakton Kindercare for four years now, with our third child starting here as an infant. We know the teachers love our children and all of the kids they care for. The excellent continuity of the staff speaks volumes about how good the center is and is a testament to the center director.
”Melissa P. - KinderCare Parent
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Our son, Ty, started at KC Oakton when he was a toddler. It is with great joy that we have watched him grow and thrive under the caring, attentive, and loving supervision of our KC family. Everyone on staff, from the administration to the teachers, shares in making the children and their families feel safe, cared for, and highly valued. It means so much to us to know that Ty is in such great hands every day. What's more, everyone is so warm and loving to my older son, who is not even a student there! He feels just at home there as if he were enrolled himself! And now, as Ty gets ready to head off to kindergarten, I look back with amazement at how much he has learned - socially, emotionally, and educationally. Thank you, Team Oakton!
”Fern H. - KinderCare Parent
Who Are KinderCare Families?
They hail from hundreds of cities across the country from countless backgrounds, and proudly represent every walk in life. What our families have in common, though, is the want to give their children the best start in life. We are so proud to be their partner in parenting.
Hear from just a few of our amazing KinderCare families.
A Globe-Trotting Family Finds A
Home in Houston
Four young children, four different passports, two languages, two full-time jobs…oh, and a few triathlons thrown in for good measure. Meet the globe-trotting Colettas—a family on the go.
Frequently Asked Questions
What accreditations does KinderCare have?
We are your trusted caregiver. Our centers are state-licensed and regularly inspected to make sure everything meets or exceeds standards, including child-to-teacher ratios and safe facilities. Our centers aren’t just licensed—most are accredited, too! Find out more.
Do you offer part-time schedules at Oakton KinderCare?
Everybody’s schedule is different. We’re happy to offer quality, affordable part-time and full-time childcare. Drop-in care may also be available. Reach out to your Center Director to learn more.
How does naptime work at Oakton KinderCare?
Our teachers meet every child’s needs during naptime. Our teachers know how to get babies to nap. In fact, they are pros at getting children of any age to nap. Visit our article on "10 Ways We Help Kids Get a Great Daycare Nap" to learn more.
Do you support alternative diets?
We strive to be as inclusive as possible. To that point, we provide a vegetarian option at mealtime, take care to not serve common allergens and can adapt menus based on your child’s food sensitivities. If your child has additional needs, we’ll work with you to figure out a plan.
Are meals included in tuition? Can I choose to send my child with lunch?
We provide nutritious meals and snacks developed by a registered dietician to meet the needs of rapidly growing bodies and minds. If your child has special dietary requirements and you would prefer to bring in their lunch, please make arrangements with the center director.
Does my child need to be potty-trained?
Every child begins toilet learning at a different age. Until your child shows an interest in toilet learning, we’ll provide diaper changes on an as-needed basis. When your child shows an interest, we'll discuss how to work together to encourage toilet learning.