Stepping Stones Childcare and Development, Inc.

My husband and I recently moved into Beacon area, and we were both so concern about our Childcare needs especially during a pandemic. A neighbor suggested we look at Stepping Stones

The Director was kind enough to meet us on a weekend because she was not hosting tours during the week to avoid any unnecessary exposer to the staff and children during the pandemic, I was very happy to hear that she was being proactive for everyone at the center.

Michelle gave us over an hour of her time explaining the program at Stepping Stones. It was so refreshing to hear how they incorporated leaning and play in the course a child's day. She showed us the daily schedule and explained that this is in place to give structure to the environment but of course somedays you have to switch things up to keep the little minds engaged.

They are shoeless center and I love that they provide daily sheets because at my sons last daycare the afternoon teacher did not know as much as I would like about his morning, we total get the lead teacher cannot work 10hr days, but the daily sheets help with simple communication and is very much appreciated but she reassured if there were any major concerns a phone call is always made.

The environment was clean and bright with great ventilation. We are thankful that we found Stepping Stones because as we all know, no one person or program is perfect, but my husband and I loved the honesty behind the program. A loving and safe environment.

This was a great decision for our family. We are thankful for all the teachers that have welcomed us into Stepping Stones with open arms.


Sincerely
Lori S

I have been working with Stepping Stones for almost 3 years. While working here i have been going to school for early childhood education. I have learned so much in my time here and have been honored to work with some of the best staff who truly love and care for all the children and families. Through COVID-19 I was always shown I was appreciated for coming in even with the risks. Stepping stones is absolutely one of the best daycares around

My family and I were so excited to find Stepping Stones. We looked at many centers and did our research. We looked at reviews but preferred to go with Word of mouth of present customers. We all know that reviews can be personally and not always facts.

I am very happy that the center is licensed by NYS and that the administration has a great relationship with their Licensor. Whenever they don't have an answer, they always respond with " let me look into your question and run it by our NYS licensor. This gave me and my husband great comfort.

I will have to say that during this past year we all have been faced with some difficult times with Covid-19 . The staff has been working so hard to make sure they are doing everything they can to protect the health of families. I couldn't imagine coming to work every day as an essential worker and dealing with such unknown. The staff at Stepping Stones went beyond what i could have ever expected to keep some normality for our children. We will forever be grateful to all of you for being there for our children during these uncertain times. (Blows my mind how they get my child to wear a mask) lol

The center is set up where each classroom has their own entrance door to the classroom. This allows us as parents to see the classroom and talk the teachers without being exposed to unnecessary contact from others. They take temperatures upon arrival and do a great job asking basic questions about my daughters' night to ensure they have a full understanding of what her day may be like. I LOVE LOVE LOVE they are a shoeless center.

I work in the city and i hate being so far away from my children but being a part of Stepping Stones has definitely relieved a lot of my fear and concerns.
Please if you are looking for a daycare / or has we call it School check out our hidden place you will not be disappointed.

I needed to take a minute to write a review about the staff at Stepping Stones. I am a mother of two Children each of my children attend differwnt programs at Stepping Stonws or as we like to cal it" our second home"

Being new to the area and not having many options. I toured one center but I just didn't think it was a good fit for my children. One day at the park I expressed by concerns to another mother that I felt so limited to choices for care for my two children. I needed to find a good balance between play, structure and learning. The
kind women at the park recommended Stepping Stones and after googling it and realizing I did have another option. I Sceduled a tour and the Director and owner met me at the center on a weekend due to their strict policy about essential visitors when staff and children were present due
to Covid-19. My husband and I were thrilled to hear they had polices in place even more than what was recommended. We knew we had to get our children back to some normality but ofcourse we were scared .

I highly recommend families to tour the center and see what we saw and I promise you that traveling alitttle out of the way for some peace of mind and a quality program will make you smile especially when your child says" Today was the best day ever!!!!" Or when your child refuses to leave at the end of the day ( like my two do lol) Trust your heart and you we know you found the right fit for our family after seeing how transparent the Owner and the Director were and how the program was structured as a nursery school and not just
another daycare.

During some unpredictable times I was very scared to bring my child anywhere. Having a Toddler and working from home was becoming more and more difficult and ofcourse being new to the area made me evem more nervous.

My neighbor recommended Stepping Stones and she could not stop talking about how transparent and honest and caring the Owner & the Director and staff is.

I scheduled a tour and was blown away not just from the beautiful property and classroom set up but how they incorporated learning and playing all in one. The Owner truly has a heart of gold and.the Director even came in on a Sunday to give my family a tour. Ms. Michelle was so informative and knowledgeable about age appropriate lesson plans for all age groups. I LOVED the fact that they focus alot of time doing Sensory play and self help skills.. We did have to be place.on a wait list. And we final get to start next month. I am feeling so relieved that I found this hidden gem my neighbor described.

Stepping Stones has been a big part of our family. Our Son was ask to leave another nursery school for bitting when he was 19months old. A speech therapist recommended we try Stepping Stones since she felt that they seemed understanding to theses developmentally milestones and that the director and the owner would put all resources to help my son grow and Development and still keep a safe environment for everyone. At first it was a struggle but the staff never gave up on my son. They would always tell me that we are in this together and we will do whatever it takes . As a mom its a horrible feeling to pick up everyday and get a negative report about my sons Changelleing behaviors but at Stepping Stones no matter how hard the teacbers day had been .. i was always greeted with all my sons Positive choices first!!!! My son has improved and is thriving at SS and i truly believe its because of all the dedicated staff that would not give up. My son is receiving all the outside resources he needs now and is thriving. Thank you Michelle , Denise and all his teachers for accepting my son and encouraging him to be the best he can be. We will be forever grateful.

I am extremely grateful for Stepping Stones. My daughter is so excited to go to school everyday even during theses unpredictable times. They have great policies and procedures regarding to Covid-19 and i love that they stand by their exclusion policy.
I love that Stepping Stones is a small center and that all the teachers know all the children. My child attends the Preschool class and i love the balance of academics and play. The director is so involved and is always communicating. The owner Denise is always in and out of all the classrooms interacting with the kids and staff. This center is clean and very organized. I feel like i send by daughter to a private school and not a daycare center. I am beyond thankful and my family appreciate all you do.

My family has been using this daycare from the day they opened. They are so transparent and honest with their parents. If they make a mistake they are the first to come forward with , I am so sorry I forgot to tell you , or I am sorry I did not know you wanted me to do that.

I find the other reviews very strange because our experience with Stepping Stones has been amazing, especially during this pandemic. They are always acting on the side of caution and never taking chances with the safety and health of the children and their staff. They made the center a shoeless center, staff are wearing masks instead and outside and they don't even merge our children at the end of the night when they are the last ones at the center. I am extremely grateful for all they do because their job is not easy and has become even more complicated by this pandemic. When we drop off the our kids we are always greeted with a smile. Sometimes I think they follow some of the policies and procedures to far but I always say when I leave there at least I know they are being proactive. Thank you to all the Stepping Stones Staff for being there for our family and providing the best care you can during theses unpredictable times.