ABOUT OUR CENTER
Capital Kids DC is locally owned and our owners work on site. The West End neighborhood has been our home for over 30 years. Unlike many other centers, this is our one and only location and all of our love and attention goes into it. As far as childcare centers go, we are a small one! We enroll up to 60 children which is considerably less than many schools. Our small size is a strength and means more individualized attention for your child and a community feel that is sometimes lacking in larger centers.
We are located in the WWF headquarters building and our center is only accessible from inside the building. Anyone using the rear entrance of the building must use a key code, our suite is only accessible through key-coded interior door, and our building employs a full time security guard who is in the lobby. Also, parents have use of designated parking for drop off and pick up!
NATIONALLY ACCREDITED
​Capital Kids DC is nationally accredited by the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) organization. Accreditation is voluntary and goes beyond what DC licensing requires — it meant opening our doors to an independent review of our health and safety practices, curriculum, staff qualifications, and family engagement, all verified through an on-site visit and review of our materials. We pursued it because we're always looking for ways to hold ourselves to a higher standard, and accreditation gives us an outside measure of how we're doing. It reflects our ongoing commitment to giving your child the best early learning experience we can. You can learn more about the NECPA Standards here.
OUR CURRICULUM
Capital Kids DC has adopted the Experience Curriculum. Just like Capital Kids DC, this thematic and play-based curriculum has been around for over 25 years and continually improved for the benefit of students.
Experience Curriculum's integrated system weaves 35 research-based skills into playful games and discovery projects. The cross-disciplinary model supports a child's on-going social-emotional, physical, language, and cognitive development.
In addition, we supplement our robust curriculum with enrichment offerings from partner organizations who provide interactive music and movement classes and Soccer lessons!
OUR EDUCATORS
Our Director and teachers are dedicated educators who have pursued careers in early childhood education. On average, our teachers have worked here for over 8 years and some have worked here for 15+ years. Our Director, Dr. Erika, has her Ed.D in Educational Leadership and over 20 years of experience in early childhood education.
We offer teachers up to three weeks of vacation and an extra week of paid leave during Winter Break in addition to reimbursement for their CPR certification and CDA certification renewals. We also participate in the Healthcare4ChildCare program which provides major medical health coverage to all full time employees without any employee contribution. As a DC employer, our employees are eligible for 12 weeks of paid parental leave and 12 weeks of leave to care for themselves or a family member's serious health condition. We are proud of our teachers and support them so they can best support our students!
OUR OWNERS
Sulfyna Murji. Sulfyna has spent over 25 years working in and beyond the classroom across North America, Central Asia, and the Middle East, teaching, training teachers, and managing an international preschool while living abroad with her husband. Born in Vancouver, Canada, she's a passionate advocate for children with special needs and believes every child deserves to be seen and celebrated. She spent more than a decade as Director of Admissions for Global Encounters Camps, a global youth programme, before bringing that experience home to Capital Kids DC. She and her husband are raising two sons, a college junior and a high school sophomore. Sulfyna's happy place: family road trips, dancing with her boys, and the never-ending hunt for the perfect croissant.
Michael Jimenez. As a gay dad with two adopted sons who attend Capital Kids DC, Michael's goal is for our center to be one where diversity and differences are valued.​ Building community and improving youth outcomes is more than a business for Michael. He serves as Chair of the board of a local non-profit which creates opportunities for Montgomery County youth and families with the most need to realize their highest potential and thrive. He also serves as Chair of the Montgomery County Commission on Children and Youth. He and his husband enjoy checking out coffee shops and museums (when their children are cooperative, so not as often as in the past).