Summary
Contact Info
Stepping Stones Preschool
1329 7th Avenue
San Francisco
, CA
94122
www.steppingstonessf.com
Tel:
(415) 665-4189
Fax:
(415) 665-4189
Director:
Naomi Corson
General Approach to Learning
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Play-based with some structure |
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Predominantly teacher-led instruction |
Application Information
| Applications accepted |
After a face-to-face meeting at the school |
| Deadline for applications |
Rolling |
Key Statistics
| Student/teacher ratio |
6:1 |
| Age cutoff for enrollment |
2 years |
| School year |
Year round program |
Kindergarten Placement
Parent Ratings
| Parents at this school would recommend this school to other parents. |
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| Quality of teaching |
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| Development of social skills and work habits |
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| Home-school connection |
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| Parent community |
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| Discipline |
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| Facilities |
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| Health |
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| Safety |
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| Handling of separation |
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Survey Information
Number of parents surveyed:
12
Director survey: Yes
Savvy Source survey: Yes
Parents who send their child to this preschool also like the following preschools:
- Chinese American International School
- Gate & Bridges Preschool
- Little Gators Preschool
- One Fifty Parker School
- JCC-Rosenberg Early Childhood Center
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General Info
Basic Stats
| Student/teacher ratio |
6:1
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| Average tenure for teachers |
4.5 yrs.
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% of teachers with:
| - Teaching credentials |
50%
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Transportation and Drop-off Policies
Transportation
Dropoff Procedure
Features of the Preschool
Accreditation, Membership & Awards
| Accreditation by the National Association of Young Children |
No
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Other Memberships
Facilities
| CONDITION OF FACILITIES RATING (3.9) |
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| Building, bathrooms, hallway |
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| Classroom equipment and furniture |
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| Outside play equipment |
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Facilities Include:
| Classrooms (with bathroom attached) |
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| Classrooms (with kitchenette attached) |
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Playground
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Parents' Comments
Parent #1
Excellent teachers who are both nurturing, patient care-givers as well as thoughtful and enthusiastic instructors.
Parent #2
This school has everything most parents want: caring and warm teachers, strong academics, and a safe and secure environment.
Parent #3
My daughter started at Stepping Stones 3 months ago, so I don't necessarily have a full perspective yet! However, overall, I've been very pleased with Stepping Stones.
I think the real testament to Stepping Stones is the kids themselves. Walk into the school at any time - they all seem happy and engaged in whatever they are doing. They are also really great kids - within days of starting at Stepping Stones, 3 year olds classmates were wandering over at the neighborhood playgrounds to say hello to my daughter and introduce themselves to me. I noticed that knowing names and saying hello is one of the little skills that the school really emphasizes - so I think the school deserves some of the credit for the impressive out-of-school behavior I have witnessed.
At the very beginning, I was a little surprised by the teacher feedback - they expect alot from the kids, even those that are just barely two! However, the crazy thing is that - they get it! I was incredibly surprised at the rate at which my daughter suddenly developed real world skills - like walking down the block without stopping every two seconds, picking up a spoon and eating something neatly and promptly, etc. Little things - but boy do they make a big difference.
Parent #4
This school has wonderful teachers!
I however, found their way of disciplining the children to be over bearing and very harsh. They expect the children to fit into a very specific mold and my son really struggled with this.
Additionally they had a very hard time dealing with my speech delayed son(although they reassured me they could work with him if i hired an aide). They rarely communicated with me what was going on with him so when we sat down at parent/teachers conference we were shocked at how bad it was going..
I will say the few times i complained to the director, she handled it with much grace and tried to resolve whatever issues I had. But at the end of the day, not the right choice for us.
There is very little parent cohesion because everyone is working and too busy to hang out.
Parent #5
This preschool will absolutely prepare your child for kindergarten and life. It is fantastic. It is like a little, safe haven where you know that your child is happy, learning to her/his absolute potential, and learning to respect both self and others. By far, the best preschool in SF.
Parent #6
The academic program has structure, but is not overly structured or severe in its approach, enabling children at all developmental levels to interact in a beneficial way.
School Philosophy & Day in the Life
School Philosophy and Mission
We believe that early childhood is a time of exploration and discovery. We know that young children learn by 'hands on' expereince. Our staff is highly qualified to enhance each childs growth and development in a stimulating atmosphere of warmth and understanding. Our low ratio allows each child to develop as an individual as well as part of a group, in a happy safe and nurturing environment. Our goal is to focus on individual independence, self-esteem and social skills. Stepping Stones multi-clutural curriculum is activity based to develop skills through an array of learning centers suchs as art, music , language, science, pre-reding, pre-math and socialization.
Typical Day-In-The-Life At This School
Upon arrival time children are allowed free play and socialization. They can choose activities from learning centers such as: arts and crafts, music, language, science, pre-reading and pre-math. Next breakfast is served.
After breakfast the children go into their individual classes for circle time and project.
Outside time is next.
Lunch is at noon for one hour.
1 pm: Half Day program ends.
The full day children nap from 1:40-3 pm The rest of the afternoon is a combination of FREE play and teacher led activities.
Quality of Teaching
Teachers Are:
| OVERALL RATING: (4.5) |
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| Full of energy and seemingly happy in job |
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| Patient and affectionate with children |
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| Talks with children and listens carefully when they are talking with him/her |
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| Praises children for accomplishments and good behavior |
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| Provides feedback on what my child does during the day |
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| Shares insights on my child that are helpful and accurate |
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| Identifies my child’s strengths and weaknesses |
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| If necessary, provides additional support to my child during pickup and drop-off |
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| Resolves disputes quickly, calmly and fairly in a manner that allows children to learn from the dispute |
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| Notices children who are not on task and/or engaging with other children appropriately and quickly reengages them |
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| Manages the energy level of the children so that all children feel safe and able to learn |
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| Provides additional support to a child when s/he is clearly failing in her/his efforts |
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| Strikes the proper balance between active and quiet play for children |
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Director's Comments on Individualized Teaching
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
Felt uncomfortable answering the questions for one of the teachers because it can make the teacher 'look bad' when in reality she is great. Her personality is more of a calm influence (does not appear to be 'full of energy' as the other two teachers) but does seem happy in the job. Also, because the other two teachers are more extroverted, they 'socialize' more with the parents to provide feedback and insights, so the third teacher is a better as a 'do-er' with the kids. This actually is a great balance of the teachers' styles but the survey questions and computation might not show it. The teachers at the preschool are wonderful at adapting to the needs of each individual child, being conscious of special situations and needs. Whether dietary restrictions, current family issues, a particular 'phase' the child is going through, they are more than willing to work with families on them. Teachers have gone the exra mile to even do research, advise on issues, and shared techniques, whenever we encountered problems with our child. They care about the whole family, not just the child, knowing what is going on in the family can affect the child. It feels like a partnership between the parents and teachers in helping the children. The school is also great at listening and accepting input and suggestions from parents for improvements.
Parent #2
Most of the teachers at this school are wonderful. However, some seem burned out.
Parent #3
The teachers at S.S. are truly wonderful. With children this young, you don't just want "teachers," you also want them to be CAREgivers...as in, giving love and affection. In my opinion, the teachers strike a wonderful balance between these two roles. Children are more receptive to learning if they sense that their teachers care about them. My kids come home singing cute little ditties about the "Months of the Year" or farm animals and the sounds they make -- the teachers really understand how to teach to very young children, by making it FUN and interesting!
Home School Connection
Home-School Connection
| OVERALL RATING (4.7) |
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| Conducts an open house at start of school year |
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| Conducts a parent-teacher meeting at start of school year |
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| Conducts regular parent teacher conferences |
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| Provides summary of child’s learning at end of year |
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| Provides guidance on developmental goals for the following year |
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| Provides guidance on best Kindergarten and elementary schools |
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Separation
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Pre-entry meetings with parents at school
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Small group sessions
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Parents in classroom early on
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Abbreviated schedule at start of school year
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Director's and Parents' Comments
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
The school is a year-round school so it can be difficult for parents answering the questions to think in terms of beginning/end of school year. Also, if your child has not reached the age to consider kindergarten, the question for kindergarten does not provide the ability to state 'don't know' or 'not applicable' or 'not there yet...'
Parent #2
there is very little of this
Parent Community
| COHESIVENESS RATING (3.2) |
Parents:
Modes of Communication Between School and Home
Discipline, Health and Safety
Discipline
| OVERALL RATING (4.5) |
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| 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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Overview
Director's Description of Approach Toward Discipline
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
Parents' Comments
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) |
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| Temperature and overall air circulation is comfortable |
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| Healthy and nutritious snacks are provided
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| Toys and furniture are cleaned regularly |
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Food Allergies
Medications
Safety
| OVERALL RATING (4.7) |
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| Screen and identify all visitors
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| Parents may not bring sick children to school where they may infect others |
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Ages, Schedule & Tuition
Ages, Class Size, Days & Tuition
| Ages |
Class Size |
Days |
Tuition |
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From
2 years
to --
|
12 |
|
$1100/Month |
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From
2 years
to --
|
12 |
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$1100/Month |
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From
3 years
to --
|
15 |
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$1100/Month |
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From
3 years
to --
|
15 |
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$1100/Month |
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From
4 years
to --
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12 |
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$1100/Week |
Extended Care
Notes on Schedule and Extended Care
Notes
All programs are from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Extended care is provided from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM.
Calendar Year
School Year
Application & Admissions
Application Process
Admissions Process
Director's Comments
Comments
The $100 application fee is non-refundable
Kindergarten Placement & Tips
Parents' Admission Tips
Advice from Parents to Prospective Parents on Admissions
Parent #1
Be yourselves. Don't try to impress.
