San Francisco, CA
Stepping Stones Preschool

Discipline

OVERALL RATING (4.5)

Parents at this school, on average, believe that conflicts between children:
...are handled extraordinarily well in a way that not only gives me confidence in the safety of my child but also reassures me that my child (and his/her peers) are learning the early skills needed to socialize effectively with one another

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Director's Response to a Sample Discipline Scenario

Description of how teachers handle the following scenario: Child A and Child B are good friends and usually play together. One day, Child A decides to play with Child C and tells Child B, 'I don't want to play with you today. I'm playing with Child C instead.'


We would tell child A that she can play with whomever she likes but that child A needs to tell Child B that they still are friends even though s/he has chosen to play with someone new. We would also remind Child A that s/he can have old friends and new friends that can play together.

Parents' Notes on Discipline, Health and Safety

Parent #1
There are not formal outside play equipment as the children go to the park daily. The facility is roomy and large enough for the children to run and ride tricycles indoors, in addition to the inside play structure on rainy days.

Parent #2
Stepping Stones has no outside play equipment. Children walk together with their classmates everyday that weather permits, mainly to Golden Gate Park. They also go on a weekly picnic to Golden Gate Park with all classes.

Parent #3
the children are taken to golden gate park every day because the school has no outside play equipment. There is a lot of construction going on next door. The furniture and equipment is more or less up to date. The classrooms are kept relatively clean although they are having problems with fleas right now

Parent #4
The Stepping Stones physical setup is a little unusual. The preschool occupies the ground floor of a church, and the church reclaims the space from them occasionally. Also, there is no outdoor play area right at the preschool.

Don't be put off though - the school has figured out how to turn this situation into a good deal for your kids! First, they have one absurdly large indoor room, in which they construct an indoor playground for the kids to play in twice a day. Second, they take the kids to Golden Gate park every day! Third, to deal with a few awkward gaps in the schedule where they need to clear away the indoor playground for the church, they've filled those schedule gaps with fun activities for the kids like dance class.

Parent #5
As all buildings are in San Francisco, the facilities are old...but that is of little concern to me since everything is CLEAN and SANITIZED daily. There is no outdoor play equipment due to the urban environment (no yard), but the kids walk to Golden Gate Park every day, weather-permitting, for outdoor time.

Health

OVERALL RATING (4.7)
Temperature and overall air circulation is comfortable
Healthy and nutritious snacks are provided
Toys and furniture are cleaned regularly

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Safety

OVERALL RATING (4.6)
Screen and identify all visitors
Parents may not bring sick children to school where they may infect others

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Montessori? Waldorf? Play-based?

What school type is right for your child? Is one model better than another? What does the research say?

View an example from the Savvy Source guide to learn more.

This is a fun version of tag to be played with a group of children - at least 4 is best. Divide (read more)

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