Blue Bird of Alexandria
A child day center in Alexandria, Virginia 22314
346 Commerce Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. (703) 683-2701.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. Virginia’s own record is on legacy.dss.virginia.gov.
The short answer
- 1 deficiency in the last three years
- Oct 292026 the latest visit on record
- 145 children, its licensed capacity
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean4
- Inspection (survey)
- A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
- Deficiency, citation, violation
- What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
- Licence status
- Whether the state’s licence lets the place operate now, in the state’s own words: licensed, on probation (allowed to keep operating on conditions, after problems), provisional, pending or expired. Source: Each state’s licensing agency.
- Capacity
- The most people the licence or certification lets the place care for at once: residents, children, beds or apartments, as the state counts them. It isn’t how many are there now. Source: Each state’s licensing agency.
What did inspectors find?
14 inspections on record, the latest on Oct 29, 2026.
1 violation cited in the last three years.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations. Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated weekly.
When those deficiencies happened
1 deficiency in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Apr 2024. The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dec | |||||||||||
| 2024 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
Each deficiency, in its source’s words
Grouped by visit, newest first, with the level its source gave it.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations. Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated weekly.
Apr 16, 2024: inspection1 deficiency
-
Based on interview, and observation, within 4 of 8 classrooms there was not at least one staff member who met the qualifications of a program leader or program director who was regularly present.
“Evidence - The Center Director stated (during an interview that was conducted on the date of inspection - 04/16/2024) that the following classrooms have been without the direct supervision of either a qualified program leader or qualified program director: 1. The Infant Room and Young Toddler Room since October 2023. 2. The 2’s Room since August 2023. 3. The Pre-school III Room since September 2023.”
Nov 2, 2023: inspection2 deficiencies
-
Based on observation, areas inside the center was not maintained in a safe condition.
“Evidence - 1. On the date of inspection (11/02/2023), 2 windows (1 in the Pre-School II room, the other within the Pre-School III room) showed signs of chipped paint. 2. A window within the Pre-K room had a cracked pane that was on the inside surface to the classroom. Other windows on the upper floor of the center also showed visible cracks. However, all other windows either had protective plexiglass covers or the cracks were on the outside surface.”
-
Based on review, 2 of 7 children files indicated that not all of the required information was contained within each record.
“Evidence - 1. On the date of inspection (11/02/2023), documentation of the proof of identification for Child #1 and Child #4 were not available for review. 2. The start date for Child #1 was listed as 07/17/23. The start date for Child #4 was listed as 10/18/2023.”
Jul 28, 2022: inspection2 deficiencies
-
8VAC20-780-350-B-3
The inspectors’ words, 135 words
“Based on staff interview and documentation reviewed, staff to children ratios for 2 years old (1 staff: 8 children) was not followed while children were in care. Evidence: 1. On 7/22/22, Staff # 1 and Staff # 2 were supervising 14 children (ages 2 ? 3 years) in the Older Toddler’s classroom. 2. Staff # 1 stated that at approximately 11:20 am, Staff # 2 took Child # 1 out of the room without telling her. 3. Staff # 1 stated that when Staff # 2 left, Staff # 1 was left alone with 13 children for a few minutes. Staff # 1 could not recall the exact amount of time. 4. A review of children’s birth dates confirmed that of the 13 children, seven were 2 years old and six were 3 years old.”
-
8VAC20-780-400-B
The inspectors’ words, 463 words
“Based on staff interviews and records review, behavioral guidance was not constructive in nature, and was not age and stage appropriate. Evidence: 1. On 7/22/22, Staff # 1 and Staff # 2 were supervising 14 children (ages 2? 3 years) in the Older Toddler’s classroom. 2. Staff # 1 stated the following: a. At approximately 11:00 am, she and Staff # 2 each had a group of 7 children. Child # 1 (3 years old) was in Staff # 1?s group. b. Child # 1 got into an argument with another child and started to scream. Staff # 1 tried to calm down Child # 1 by talking to him, but Child # 1 continued to scream and ran away. Staff # 1 went after Child # 1 to try to stop him from running in the classroom and grabbed Child # 1 by his arms in that attempt. Staff # 1 sat on a child sized chair as she held Child # 1 by his arms, while Child # 1?s back was towards Staff # 1. While being held, Child # 1 rocked back and forth very fast and stomped his feet on the ground. c. When the screaming continued, Staff # 1 took him to another chair to sit on, and stood in front of him. Child # 1 continued to stomp his feet on the ground. Staff # 1 walked away from Child # 1 to start another activity with the rest of her group. 3. Staff #2 stated that on 7/22/2022, she observed Staff #1 grab Child #1 in the classroom. Staff # 2 stated that Staff # 1 grabbed Child #1 from the front and sat him in front of her. Staff # 2 stated that Child # 1 showed her his arm when he joined her group, shortly after Staff # 1 started another activity with the children in her group. Staff # 2 took him to Staff # 3. Staff # 2 then stated that she administered first aid procedures for Child # 1 at approximately 11:20am by cleaning the marks. 4. Staff #3 stated that when she checked the child, there were two marks on his right arm that were bleeding. Staff # 3 described them as ?nail digging? marks. 5. The incident report from 7/22/22 completed by Staff # 3 stated, ?Child # 1 notified Staff # 2 about the scratches on his right arm, Staff # 2 asked him what had happened and Child # 1 said nothing. Staff # 2 brought him to the office and showed Staff # 3. We investigated and noticed that Staff # 1 held Child # 1?s arm inappropriately. We immediately discharged Staff # 1 and contacted the pertinent authorities?. Staff # 2 also signed the report.”
Jun 8, 2022: inspection2 deficiencies
-
8VAC20-780-340-D
The inspectors’ words, 153 words
“Based on records review and staff interviews, the center did not have in each grouping of children at least one staff member who meets the qualifications of a program leader or program director regularly present. Evidence: 1. There were 2 staff present in the Infant classroom. Staff # 1 stated that currently there was not a program lead qualified staff in this classroom. 2. There were 3 staff present in the Crawlers (12 months to 16 months of age) classroom. Staff # 1 stated that none of the three staff were program lead qualified. 2. There were 4 staff present in the Young Toddlers (16 months to 2 years old) classroom. Staff # 1 stated that there was not a program lead qualified staff in this classroom. 3. There were 2 staff present in the Pre-K classroom. Staff # 1 stated that there was not a program lead qualified staff in this classroom.”
-
8VAC20-780-40-E
The inspectors’ words, 130 words
“Based on observation, staff interview and record review, the center did not follow their own policy as required by the standards. Evidence: 1. The center’s playground safety procedures listed in the policies and procedures used to train staff on center policies states that, “First aid kit and attendance board must accompany you outside”. 2. It was observed that the Young Toddler’s attendance board was left in the classroom while the staff and children had gone out to the playground. 3. Staff # 2 stated that they had not taken the clipboard out with them to the playground. 4. Additionally it was observed that the following classrooms had also left the attendance boards in their respective rooms while they were outside: 1. Preschool 2, 2. Older 2’s and 3. Pre-K classroom.”
Nov 4, 2021: inspection3 deficiencies
-
22VAC40-185-280-B
“Based on observation, hazardous substances such as cleaning materials were not kept in a locked place using a safe locking method that prevents access by children. Evidence: A bottle of sanitizing solution was observed on the diaper changing table in the Older Toddler’s classroom. No diapers were being changed at the time.”
-
22VAC40-185-340-D
The inspectors’ words, 186 words
“Based on records review and staff interviews, the center did not have in each grouping of children at least one staff member who meets the qualifications of a program leader or program director regularly present. Evidence: 1. There were 3 staff present in the Infant classroom. Staff # 1 stated that currently there was not a program lead qualified staff in this classroom. 2. There were 3 staff present in the Crawler’s (12 months to 16 months of age) classroom. Staff # 1 stated that none of the three staff were program lead qualified. 3. There were 3 staff present in the Young Toddler’s (16 months to 2 years old) classroom. Staff # 1 stated that there was not a program lead qualified staff in this classroom. 4. A review of records for Staff # 2 in the Young Toddler’s room did not include any documentation to indicate that Staff # 2 was program lead qualified. 5. There were 2 staff present in the Older Toddler’s (2-3 year old) classroom. Staff # 1 stated that there was not a program lead qualified staff in this classroom.”
-
22VAC40-185-570-A
“Based on observation, the protective belt was not fastened when a child was seated in an infant seat. Evidence: An infant was observed seated in an infant bumbo seat without the safety belt being fastened.”
All 14 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 29, 2026 | Subsidy health and safety inspection | No violations cited |
| Mar 31, 2026 | Inspection | No violations cited |
| Oct 30, 2025 | Inspection | No violations cited |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Inspection | No violations cited |
| Oct 17, 2024 | Inspection | No violations cited |
| Apr 16, 2024 | Inspection | 1 violation cited |
| Nov 2, 2023 | Inspection | 2 violations cited |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Complaint inspection | No violations cited |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Inspection | No violations cited |
| Nov 29, 2022 | Inspection | No violations cited |
| Jul 28, 2022 | Inspection | 2 violations cited |
| Jun 8, 2022 | Inspection | 2 violations cited |
| Dec 17, 2021 | Complaint inspection | No violations cited |
| Nov 4, 2021 | Inspection | 3 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Day Center: Two Year license, expires Nov 22, 2027.
- A current subsidy provider.
- Ages: 1 month - 12 years 11 months.
- Capacity: 145 children.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each facility’s page. Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated weekly.
Has Virginia acted against it?
- 2 complaint inspections on record.
- No complaint allegations published with findings.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations and Search for Child Day Care: each complaint’s page, with its allegations and findings. Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated weekly.
Who does the caring?
- Virginia doesn’t publish staffing levels for individual providers. State rules set staff-to-child ratios by age.
Who owns it?
- Virginia’s search doesn’t list owners.
How is it rated?
- Virginia’s search doesn’t show a quality rating.
How does it compare nearby?
- Among 171 child care providers in the City of Alexandria, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 7; this one had 1.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations. Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated weekly.
| Place | Violations cited in the last three years |
|---|---|
| Hopkins House - Helen Day Preschool Academy | 61 |
| Children’s Int’l School -Alexandria | 11 |
| Washington Street United Methodist Church | 0 |
| The Campagna Center - Lyles Crouch | 4 |
| Potomac Crescent Waldorf School | 11 |
| Innovation Station Child Development Center | 47 |
| American Day School #1 | 14 |
| Tiny Tots Playroom | 2 |
| American Day School 2 | 9 |
| Great Beginnings Early Learning Center | 30 |
| Blue Bird of Alexandria This child care provider | 1 |
| The Del Ray Montessori School | 3 |
What the record doesn’t say
- Virginia doesn’t grade how serious a violation is, so no severity is shown.
- Virginia publishes a complaint’s allegations and findings only when its inspection found a violation and the records are linked.
- Virginia doesn’t publish staffing levels or owners for individual providers.
- A plan of correction sent late, or not at all, isn’t online: Virginia says to ask the inspector.
- Virginia’s pages show about the last five years of inspections; for older ones, Virginia says to contact the licensing inspector.
- Virginia says this information may not be accurate, up to date or complete, and shouldn’t be the only source in choosing care.
Sources
-
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each facility’s page.
Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated weekly. No open licence; Virginia allows non-commercial use, so Care Ledger shows it free.
-
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations.
Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated weekly. No open licence; Virginia allows non-commercial use, so Care Ledger shows it free.
-
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each complaint’s page, with its allegations and findings.
Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated weekly. No open licence; Virginia allows non-commercial use, so Care Ledger shows it free.
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: Virginia Department of Education. Virginia’s own record is on legacy.dss.virginia.gov. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.
This copy of the record was made on Nov 5, 2026.
From the provider
The public record above comes first. Anything the provider adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the provider will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.
Paid listing
None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the provider”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.