Stepping Stone has been such a positive experience for my family. This was both of my boys first real experience with school. My 4 year old adjusted easily but my 2 year old had never been away from me and he struggled. He spent the first week very upset at drop off and at every transition, but the staff was very attentive to him and helped him through the adjustment. He is thriving now and having a wonderful experience. He is learning and socializing and growing and I appreciate the efforts they have made to make this a great memory for my family. We have been here 6 months now and both boys are still growing and learning and happy to be a part of their stepping stone family! read more

Stepping Stone School -Lakeline - First day of school - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Austin, Texas

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My son started here two weeks ago, he LOVES it. He feels safe and is learning both Spanish and ASL, and we see it at home. He is learning to swim and that is really his favorite thing to do outside of school. He calls it "my school" and loves the room he is in, the playground, and the teachers. Best change for our family and totally worth it. read more

We love Stepping Stone! The staff is great. We are able to work in peace while our 6 month old is under their care. Thank you Mrs. Hana and thank you to the rest of the staff that helps with our baby boy. As a first time day care, we really enjoy getting all the pictures and videos to reassure us that our child is doing okay. I appreciate everyone's wonderful attitude. I do highly recommend this little school to anyone in need of child care! I know for a fact my baby loves it. read more

They suggested my son was autistic which is fine if that ends up being the case but shouldn't be diagnosing students. Wrote my 2 year old up 7 times in two days. I mentioned he was behind and doesn't talk and gets frustrated sometimes & they said all of that was normal that he'll do great and they'll work with him. Definitely far from the truth. The asst principal was watching over his class while they were looking for a teacher the second day I came to check on him they had one teacher watching over two classes during nap time while 3 teachers (one being the asst principal) gossiping in a circle in the baby room. They won't work with your kids if they're behind even though they claim not to discriminate. They let him be there for four days and told me by Friday if his attitude doesn't change that he can no longer attend. He doesn't eat regular food he's stuck on pouches & baby snacks which I have been working on but claimed the first day he ate all of his food. And after I asked for pictures of him doing so, so I can feed him the same thing at home if he was eating it they started saying he picked at every meal after I said that but when I seen them in person claimed he didn't eat any of it. So they basically just want to sound good on paper. Don't have real patience in fact I picked him one day and the kids were all in the baby room and they left one kid there sitting in a high chair just crying and another one screaming in the crib. I also dropped him off one day in the morning and met the new teacher to see my son wanting to play with other kids and watched the whole time and the asst principal was outside talking with the new teacher my son fell and tried to walk up to them for comfort and then the asst principal just shooed him away. He literally walked away with his head down. I wasn't expecting the school to put him on a pedestal but they could of atleast acknowledged him and patted him on the back or something for god sakes he's only two. They just want your money I literally had told them all my concerns from the first day and they just brushed it off and had only gave me a partial refund. & didn't even give my two year old a chance four days to adjust to a new environment. What a joke. read more

Stepping Stone School -Lakeline - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Austin, Texas

Stepping Stone Lakeline is a fantastic preschool! Our kids attended for a total of 6+ years, and they both left ready to start kinder socially, educationally, everything. From the baby room all the way to school age, the teachers are caring and encouraging. The love they showed to my children, especially Ms. Alex who taught each of them for years, is something we will always appreciate more than words can say. read more

This is a fantastic school with a great afterschool program. My son started at the smaller location down the street 3 years ago. He is now in kinder and attends this location afterschool. It's very well organized and the teachers are so friendly and professional. We've never even had 1 thing to complain about in all these years. Often times when I am a little early to pick up my son he doesn't want to leave yet lol!! He really has a lot of fun afterschool!! I am so so glad I chose to go with stepping stone for his daycare and afterschool. It's worth every penny!! read more

We have been with the Stepping Stone family for 4 years and couldn't be happier! We just moved our three girls to the Lakeline location because we've heard such fantastic things about Ms Samone "Pepperoni". Ms S. teaches the Pre-K class and we can see a huge difference in our daughter. She is excited to work on her homework each week, brings her favorite book to read to the class and has show and tell. We can really tell she is getting what she needs to be prepared for Kindergarten. Our two year olds are also doing great in their class. All of the teaching are super attentive and we can really tell they want to be there with the kids. We highly recommend Stepping Stone at Lakeline! I read more

I highly recommend the Stepping Stone School ay the Hymeadow Location. Every single one of their staff is very friendly and helpful. My 5 year old son is currently going to this Daycare after Elementary School. He loves it there. He also attends Stepping School full days, when there's no school. Their program with the children is amazing. They provide field trips and other great activities. I trust every single on of their staff with my son. I can work worry free, because I know he is in good hands there. If you are looking for a daycare or before- and after school daycare I highly recommend them. My son is currently in Mr. Austen's class and he is loving it. They work hard and are always friendly and in a good mood. Every time you walk in there, you're greeted with a smile from every single one. They are only closed on major holidays, which is perfect with my work schedule. Thank you for all the hard work you guys do. I appreciate you all. read more

We continue to love and appreciate our time at Stepping Stone. It is so clear that the principal, Ms. Jacquie, and our son's teacher, Ms. Samone, love the kids. Our son loves his class and we appreciate how much everyone knows him and us. My biggest ask of school at this age is that our son is safe, kind, and had fun - all of these are taken care of here. read more

This school has only gotten better since we started. The current staff is the best. Especially Tiffany and Samone! Can't say enough good things about our experience here. read more

I recently checked this place out and left in horror. The blonde Director named Lindsey, running the place, actually told me she would resort to sitting on my child's legs to hold him/her in a chair when I asked about how they handled discipline. She also told me she makes children pick up rocks from the astro turf outside and put them in a plastic cup as a form of punishment outside. Sure enough, toured outside to find a handful of plastic dixie type cups on the ground. WHAT? Lindsey also told me the teacher for my child was accredited by the "Stepping Stone University" a six week program paid for by the facility. WHAT? Place is filthy, smelled like crap, grunge, dark nasty paint, no windows, AND tiny little classrooms that hold 25 children each! WHAT? Oh yeah and ratio is 18:1 people (state guidelines) The classroom was TOTAL CHAOS and only 1 non-educated teacher for a class room crammed with kids. The "teacher" also gets her lesson plans from the books in Lindsey's office termed "Principals Office" WHAT? For $775 a month you can get this dump and the crap that works in it taking care of your child. I was MORTIFIED and I wish there were some way to report this Lindsey moron. Who the hell tells a parent they will physically sit on their child? I AM NOT A FORMER EMPLOYEE, I DO NOT KNOW ANYONE PERSONALLY AT THIS PLACE. I WOULDN'T LET THEM TAKE CARE OF MY GERBIL... read more

If you are looking for childcare in the 183 & Anderson Mill area, I highly recommend Stepping Stone on Hymeadow! The curriculum is excellent! My 18 month old grandson ( I know, I'm tooo young to have a grandson, a discussion for another day) loved it there!! He had never been to daycare before and a had a hard time when I dropped him off, but they showered him with love and attention each time & after a week and a half he was smiling when we pulled up! If thats not a seal of approval, I don't know what is! He loves his splash days, dancing to music, learning sign language and playing in the gym and outside with the other children. His speech and socialization have improved tremendously as a result! He really has learned so much in soo little time! I'd like to take all the credit for that, but I know Stepping Stone and their facility has alot to do with it, and I am so very Thankful. Lindsey, his teachers and especially Ms Kim really made our Ayden feel special, and made it so much easier for us to go onto work knowing he was in such good hands. They also recognize when parents are doing their part, and even "Thanked us" with an appreciation certificate, so nice! read more

I have just completed 10 years as a Stepping Stone Hymeadow parent. As happy as I am to have both of my kids out of preschool and in grade school, I will miss my Stepping Stone family. Each of my children started at this location at 8 weeks. I have found them to be reliable, kind and education-driven. I LOVE their director-- Lindsey-- she is an amazing combination of sweet and unflappable. I have gotten some of my best parenting advice from her. My daughter's recent teacher, Miss Lauren, is the best teacher either of my kids have had-- including my son's elementary school teachers. My little girl entered kindergarten very well prepared thanks to this team. A great testament to the quality of this team is that the bulk of my daughter's class were together for 3 years and a few of them started in the infant room together when the moms went back to work. It's hard to retain customers in any business, but in childcare, that kind of retention is exceptional. Thank you to Lindsey and your team! We will miss you! read more

We started our daughter when she was 18 months old and she struggled with the initial adjustment. With COVID we can't go inside to drop her off however I felt the Stepping Stones staff worked hard to make her comfortable and now she loves going to school. They focus on educational activities and outside time as well as provide nutritious lunches/snacks. read more

We have been absolutely pleased with the care of our baby at Stepping Stone (Hymeadow location) overall. Our little one is especially happy when he sees the director (Miss Lindsey) or his "up to 12-month" teacher Miss Cindy, and I know that's because of their true love for him and care for his well-being. I don't take that for granted, and am very thankful that they made it easy (relatively speaking) for me to leave my baby in their care and go off to work every day. The only reason I rated 4 instead of 5 is due to a few growing pains when our baby moved up to the "over 12-month" classroom (his teacher quit, and it was rough going during the transition to a new permanent teacher). However; this did not hurt my overall impression of the school, and the new full-time teacher in that classroom is very caring - I can tell my little guy is really taking to her. I would recommend Stepping Stone School (Hymeadow) to anyone. read more

Love this school. My daughter has been attending for a few months now, and I know she will be more than ready to start kindergarten. We also love her teacher, Ms. Samone. I feel like they are fair with discipline and making sure the kids are kind to one another. read more

**WARNING** We recently had the displeasure of going through an extremely damaging experience - which photos will be posted of my daughters attack. She not only had 3 severe bites to her cheek and eye which broke the skin and caused swelling to the entire right side of her face, but had 2 additional bites on the back of her neck which also broke skin and another one on her arm. All from one instance. This was so severe that the school agreed to completely remove the other child at our request in order for us to even consider staying at this institution. We got a call 2 days ago that our daughter was once again attacked BY THE SAME CHILD with more severe bites to both the eyebrow and cheek which again broke the skin and is now infected. Not only were they completely negligent when it came to the safety of my child and other children at this school by allowing it to happen more than once. But they are are not taking responsibility for their huge mistake of not removing the other child by sharing personal background information on the little girl who attacked my daughter and her living situation and using it as an excuse - which I'm pretty sure is against major confidentiality laws. I don't know how this many bites can occur, this significantly with no one hearing my daughter scream. WHERE THE HELL ARE THE TEACHERS AND STAFF?!?! We have been at this school for 8 years and this is our 3rd child to go through here. I am absolutely disgusted at how they chose to handle this situation and basically "agreed" to what we asked in order to keep our business but did not uphold to that agreement. I would highly recommend looking elsewhere for your childcare needs as no family should have to deal with a situation like this. read more

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We've been taking our kids here for 2 years now, since my littlest one was 4 months old. We've been so happy with the care our kids have received. The vice principal Tiffany is amazing, it's clear she has fun with the kids and they absolutely love her. Principal Jackie is friendly and so helpful with our changing schedule. Samone, my 4 yo's teacher is awesome; she plans fun things like pajama day but more importantly has taught my son STEAM! Also, my 2 yo has come home saying Spanish words she's learned. The hours are great and they feed the kids healthy lunch and snacks which is so incredibly helpful. The only reason I gave 4 stars and not 5 is because there was a period where there was a lot of turnover and transition with teachers and admin staff but they seem very stable now. read more

Stepping Stone Hymeadow is a great facility run by a really wonderful and caring staff. The teachers and directors go out of their way to make sure your son/daughter are comfortable through the transition to day care. Drop in and check them out, ask for Lindsey! read more

Stepping Stone has been the daycare for our 15 month old for 11 months. They send us multiple pictures/videos per day, leave detailed notes on his sleep, nutrition, and diapers on the Tadpoles app, and have been quick to respond to any questions we may have about the programs. They allow us to bring our cloth diapers and notify us of any situation before pickup. My son is in Ms. Fatima's class now and loves her. Kelly, the principal, and Christine, the assistant principal, are professional and are great representatives of Stepping Stone. I would recommend this location to any parent! read more

My child has been at this location since she was 7 weeks old and we are heartbroken to leave but we are moving. I read a previous review by Miss S and actually laughed out loud at how ridiculous and false it is. I'm constantly amazed by my daughter and others compliment me on how social she is and how large her vocabulary is. I feel sure that had I been a stay at home mom, even with a teaching background, she wouldn't have the vocabulary that she does today. It is going to be such a hard transition for us to leave Stepping Stone as we feel like we are leaving family. Miss Lindsey somehow knows everyone's name immediately and has an amazing way of relating to both students and adults alike. The kids all take to her instantly and often the day doesn't begin or end without hugs. The facility has excellent safety and wellness protocols, lesson plans are posted outside of every classroom. Parents are informed well in advance of changes (classroom promotion, etc). Parent teacher communication is fluid. Students learn respect for each other, themselves and their environment. I will never regret letting my daughter spend her days with the wonderful people at Stepping Stone-Hymeadow. I'm a teacher and I was VERY picky when selecting childcare for my daughter. These are a few of differences I remember that stood out when I was looking: -The teachers at Stepping Stones are ALL trained. At some facilities, the main classroom teacher may be trained but the person who comes to watch the kids when that teacher takes a break may not even be CPR certified. -Sign language is incorporated into the lessons (i.e. if they are learning about water, they are learning the sign for water) at other facilities when I asked how they use sign language I was just told "we use it" -carpet is never walked on without shoes being covered, some daycares had parents coming in -parents get a daily report emailed as to what your child did that day -it never has a feel of chaos -their chef has been their for over 10 years read more

Love the staff here and their enthusiasm! Even on days the kids are acting crazy, our teacher is always wearing a big smile and singing a song. I have encountered other teachers and members of the staff during pick up time and always find whoever my child is with is thorough in giving me details about their day and offers some positive feedback about my childs activities. I am so thankful to have this group of people involved in my childs day and would recommend this location to anyone seeking a structured, supportive environment for their child! read more

Love Stepping Stone at Lakeline/Cedar Park. Perfect place for my elementary aged child to spend the summer!

Upon arriving in Round Rock as a single parent of a 13 month old daughter, I had some time before I was required to report to work. During this time I researched and personally toured 13 different Round Rock pre-schools. I was taking notes on length in business, turnover rates, ages of staff, appearance of staff, men to women staff ratio, quality and square footage of facility, food or no food, ratio in rooms and more. I was looking to see if the kids were clean, if the facility was clean, if the kids were happy, if the staff was happy. Was there enough to play with? Inside? Outside? Is there shade? Do they learn anything here? Is safety a priority? Is the place secure? Was there enough staff to make sure that everyone had support if they needed it? All of these factors came into play in my decision. In the end, my final two choices were the Stepping Stone on O'Connor and the Stepping Stone on AW Grimes. Neither were the most affordable on the list or the most expensive, but I felt the value was extraordinary. I chose O'Connor for its better shade and that team had been together longer under Jan's supervision. Four years with the O'Connor group has resulted in my daughter learning excellent group and team skills, she knows her letters and sounds. She is an excellent artist. She is caring and empathetic. She loves books and learning new things. She was fed well and loved the playgrounds. She was loved like family and we both made several friendships that I know will be life-long. When I dropped Lydia off in the mornings I did not worry about a thing. She potty trained in 30 days at 2 and a half years old when her teacher, Jackie, and I decided it was time to try. She has thrived with the routine at Stepping Stone. Now that Lydia is in kindergarten, I'm so glad that we have another Stepping Stone location on Hymeadow to provide her after-school care. The bus transfer is flawless and safe under Lindsey's direct supervision and when I pick Lydia up she is smiling, laughing and so happy. So so happy, all over again. The facility is beautiful, clean and exciting, there is plenty of shade, access is restricted and the staff is beyond excellent. Collectively they are caring with a no-nonsense attitude toward behavior that is so helpful at home. These people are amazing. I feel lucky. So very lucky to have found the Stepping Stone group. They have made all the difference at a time when she I both really needed it. I am forever grateful. read more

When my niece started here last year, it was amazing! Great staff, great communication. Fast forward to this year, it's like a different place. Every time I would pick up my niece, the class was out of control, kids yelling and fighting and doing whatever they want. All the friendliness from the staff had all but disappeared. There seemed to be no compassion or genuine concern, much less actual teaching. The communication came to a complete stop. I would absolutely not recommend this place to anyone, not until they get their act together. Huge disappointment, especially at $860 a month!!. My niece no longer attends this school. read more

I recently moved my daughter to this location from another Stepping Stone location and I wish I had made the move sooner. The school's philosophy of learning through play is evident in both what I have witnessed at the school (pick-up and drop-off times) and at home. There is ample time for play alongside the education. My daughter is learning so much beyond a curriculum, including social skills and etiquette. She has a best friend, but also enjoys her time with most of her classmates. She adores her teacher and all the other staff (Director, Assistant Director, and other teachers). Food is provided, but dietary restrictions are accommodated (or you can provide your own food if you wish). I feel like my concerns are listened to and addressed appropriately. And the tuition is about as affordable as daycare gets considering all the perks the school offers. I hope the current staff stays for a long time - one of the main reason we moved locations was due to unusually high turn over at the previous location. read more

I have had two kids attending Stepping Stone 6 for almost two years. I don't usually write reviews, in fact I never have. However, I stumbled across this and noticed the negative review someone gave Lindsay. Considering that I know Lindsay from numerous conversations and personally witnessing the excellent care she provides my children, that negative review is most telling of the author's ignorance and possibly irrational thought patterns in general. Lindsay is one of the best Directors/Principals that I have seen. She has a personal approach with both the kids and parents and it's obvious she is hands on and knows what is happening in every classroom. Just reading that reviews discredits all other reviews found on the Internet at least to some extent. How could someone lie about Lindsay and portray her in that manner when she is the most awesome director I have seen. I am passionate about this because I gladly trust my children with her daily and she does beyond an excellent job. I work as a firefighter and I travel several times monthly to various daycare centers, speak with the teachers, principals, and children so I feel I have seen most in this area and can make a good comparison. I would put Lindsay up against any of them and I have never felt I have had my kids in an inferior school. I have never smelled anything foul and I am there twice a day, I have never seen anything but caring staff (especially "the blonde" Lindsay). For anyone to accuse Lindsay of claiming she would physically restrain a child by sitting on their legs as discipline, is outrageous and an abuse of Yelp. If anything was said remotely like that, I can assure you it was distorted and taken out of context to the point where I can conclude the writer was either a bold face liar or suffers from some other issues. The rocks that end up on the AstroTurf are resemblaint of little quartz crystals. My daughter is 4 she once in awhile brings home a few of those rocks and says "I found you a crystal mommy". It's fun for them and has nothing to do with discipline. The cups are there for the ice water they bring outside for the kids. I think if there was any mistreatment I would have heard from my kid about it or one of the other parents of the other children my kids have befriended. I am not current or former employee. I am a parent who gladly takes my kids to Stepping Stone 6 and who is comforted to know Lindsay is in charge there. read more