My son got the luck--privilege of being accepted here AND into Ms. Melinda's classroom. This is not a call out - Everyone that works at the school with school---every single piece of the day is planned so well: it is seamless. I would if they could run my household. Thank everyone so much for the above performance you supply to all children. Ms. OT Ms. ST: You know who you are and the amount of gratitude I owe is priceless. Ms. Melinda and your Staff are priceless;I will Be indebted for a lifetime. read more

My sons went here 2 years and had a wonderful experience. This school ushered them into the world of education and it was wonderful. One son had a male teacher, which a friend jealously said he'd had to wait till he was in 4th grade to get a male teacher. I liked all the teachers there. I love it that it's integrated, that people with disabilities are included, and they have a dedicated specialist staff. So friendly were a couple of assistant teachers that after work they would come to the park to keep playing with my sons, after work. That is just awesome. It's a very warm and lovely school which I highly recommend. The sad thing is that it's not just filled with kids from around there, and my sons lost a lot of friends because people came from all over the place to go to this school. My eldest told me he was going to get married to his first sweetheart here. I asked him who he wanted as his best man, and he was confused. I wondered to the teacher if it was a bit weird. She said it was intimacy and that's good. Later my son had other girlfriends. He sure was a player in this preschool. They let you spend the day with your child, which I've done a bunch of times. Openness in a school is very important to me, so I just found that so cool. I adore the staff there and thank them so much for all their hard work. read more

Absolutely amazing. Truly. I wish we had found it earlier! My son attended pre-school here and it was such a fantastic experience. You get the feeling that every single member of staff loves the children. They all pitch in to collect the kids from the buses each morning, and they usher them in with patience and cheer; they seem to know all the kids personally, and it's astounding to watch. We were sold from the moment we took a tour, when the director took us into four classrooms and literally knew each child's name. As for my own child's education: Incredible. He was in an integrated classroom, so there were children with differing abilities and needs. It meant there was extra teaching support - one main teacher and three aides (including a male, which was awesome) for 14 kids. They were incredibly patient and attentive and gentle, but they also didn't baby them. There was some tough love, which I totally appreciate, as their role was to help the children become independent. Pre-K is a key time for social integration, and they teach the kids routine and responsibility and how to work together. I'm so happy this happened in a classroom where every kid had different social readiness. My son learned patience, acceptance, and different ways to approach problems, as well as the standard curriculum. He thrived intellectually and socially, and when he struggled, the teacher went above and beyond to come up with solutions - some of which required extra effort on her part. She could have taken the lazy way out and shoved it back on us, or sent him to someone else, but she didn't. The regular day (free for UPK) ends at 2:15, but there's aftercare until 5, for an additional $5 an hour. Bargain, especially compared to the insane costs of his previous daycares. There, they get to interact with even more children, and they have plenty of activities to keep them busy, as well as routines that keep them calm and well-mannered. One of the aftercare teachers took a shine to our lil genius, and spent extra one-on-one time with him when possible to encourage his abilities. It was incredible. Another amazing thing about this school is its support of many of its families. There are occasional evening workshops, on topics like patient parenting, how to deal with tantrums, etc. Not only are the workshops free, the school provides babysitting, snacks, translators and even transport for those without cars. I don't know how they do it, but what a resource! There are also school psychologists and social workers if needed, and a staff member who is invaluable in navigating the mess that IEP and other Board of Ed special services bureaucracy can create. Not to mention all the other therapists who provide such services on site, the main draw for most families. I would (and have) recommend this school for anyone and everyone. Total gem. read more

My daughter has been at Steppingstone for a year and we have good communication with the staff and they are constantly engaging my child in different activities to support her emotional and physical growth. I am grateful that my child gets the support she needs at this school. read more

As a therapist who worked there and a mother of three whose children attended preschool there I can truly say that a five star rating is not high enough- we need 10 stars. Having moved away and researching many school for both my children and for employment, I have realized that SteppingStone Day School is a one of a kind jewel. The school has heart. The primary focus is the education and emotional well being of the chldren, which in this economy is difficult for the budget and the paychecks. They make it work because their perspective is "how can we do this? How can we help this child achieve this goal?" and "every child can achieve". The staff there is dedicated going above and beyond. The proof: My children are in Junior HIgh and High School now and they still speak lovingly about their teachers,friends and experiences from preschool. They were well prepared to achieve in school and life, AND they are compasionate people willing to help others. read more

Ok i am a mother of two and my oldest just started going here last july for the summer and started pre k here two days ago. I loooooooove this school. My son needed Speech and OT and after the 6 weeks of summer classes his speech improved dramatically. Dont get me wrong, he still needs some improvement, but i was finally able to have actual conversations with him. He went from babbling to saying words that I didn't even know he knew! He also calmed down a little more than when he first went in. He was in a catholic nursery school for 5 months prior to getting evaluated and being accepted into stepping stone and there was barely any improvement. My husband and I couldn't understand a lot of his speech and it was a struggle. He was always over active and constantly needed movement. I can tell you that those 6 weeks helped him contain himself and find a proper balance for him to understand whats too much and whats just right. The teachers are amazing and so are the aids. They write to us in my sons notebook 2-3 times a week about how the week is going and anything exciting going on. They are very attentive when it comes to what your child needs and what they enjoy doing. It is very clean and full if fun art made by the kids. I am not too sure how much the cost is, he is being funded by the state. But believe me, if he wasn't, expensive or not, it is so worth it. I mean go and visit! You will fall in love. We decided to go with stepping stone as a gut feeling. We didnt know what we were getting into but after visiting, meeting the staff and even seeing how much my son has progressed in a matter of weeks, im so happy we went with this school and not a regular public school. Stepping stone offers so much and gives so much attention to your child. And the best part my son loves going to school!! He doesnt even care that he has to wake up early. He knows that his school bus is coming and hes going to be in a safe and happy environment. read more