A 10-year long journey. A decade of educational excellence.

Ten years ago, this month, the Primrose School of Ashburn opened its doors near the George Washington University campus near Route 7. It was the completion of a long dream for owners, Adela and Victor Taboada, and the start of a new journey that would prove laborious yet extremely rewarding.

Adela and Victor, a married couple with five children and four grandchildren, were living in Miami, Florida, and looking for a way to open their own school. Adela, a lifetime teacher, has always been passionate about guiding young minds and giving them the tools to allow them to realize their full potential, while Victor, an engineer, valued education for all aspects of life.

Seeing the extraordinary value of the Primrose educational approach to early education, which combines tenets from the most relevant thinkers on the field, as Montessori, Erikson, Vygotsky, and others, with modern-day techniques and research, the couple decided to explore the possibility of bringing this high-quality system to an ideal community. They found a rich, vibrant, and young community in Northern Virginia, an area that, before 2012, had never had access to the Primrose Balanced Learning approach. They were willing to be pioneers in the pursuit of their passion.

The Primrose School of Ashburn was the first Primrose school in the entire metro Washington DC market. The family of over 450 schools was looking to expand into the area, and the Taboadas would be the ideal candidates to bring this to fruition. Today, retracing the steps of the Taboadas, there are 14 Primrose schools.

Opening a new market is always challenging, families were not familiar with the Primrose name, the possibility of touring a school was not available, and the competition in what is one of the most coveted areas in the country was fierce. The Taboadas pressed on, conducting presentations in rented spaces, showing pictures of what the new schools would be like, education young families about the merits of the unique educational system, delivering informational packets to local doctors, offices, community places and to potential families. With their lifetime savings riding on the effort, the drive was permanent, and their strong conviction kept them going, while dealing with the construction of their state-of-the-art new school. “Quite a journey, indeed,” as Adela recalls.

Today the Primrose School of Ashburn is a reference for quality early childhood education in Northern Virginia. The school has been recognized, in every one of these ten years, and by most local polls and publications, as one of the best institutions for early learning in the area, but more important, the Taboadas have won the hearts and trust of our dynamic community. This support compelled them to open a second campus of the school in the community of Broadlands: the Primrose School of Ashburn at Broadlands, which opened its doors in 2016.

“It is wonderful to see those young children grow and develop, knowing that we contributed to their life journey by giving them a love for learning and providing valuable character-building lessons. What could be more rewarding?” comment the couple with a spark in their eyes.

Yes, dreams do come true, but hard work, dedication and passion reward the dreamers.

Help salute the Primrose School of Ashburn, and Adela and Victor Taboada, on their year-year anniversary by sending them a note to happy@primroseashburn.com …the journey continues!