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.