Little Steps Christian Pre-School

My 4 year old son has been going here for 9 months. After leaving the horrible preschool he was at for a few weeks (Mission Bay Montessori Academy) I was not sure how his first day was going to go. When I came to pick him up he actually wanted to stay. He has not cried once since being here. The teachers here are absolutely wonderful. They have plenty of play time but also have learning time where they teach them how to write and read in order to prepare them for kindergarten. They do lots of crafts and have sports like soccer shots and amazing athletes every week. Although this place does say preschool they do have an infant and toddler classrooms as well. Each class has there own curriculum even the babies. They work with the babies to help them reach there next mile stone and do crafts and outside time with them as well. A major pro for me is that they allow you to bring your own food as long as it is peanut free. Also I love how you have to know the access code to get in so it is very secure. I am going to be sad to leave this place in August when he goes to elementary school.
I would say the only issue I have is that the class he is in does not always go outside at 4:00 like it says on the schedule. They tend to go out a bit late. It would be nice to have them get more outside time like the other classrooms.

Took my child a while back for their first experience in preschool and our child was there for 4 hours. He came back scared and with a diaper rash. We returned the next day to pick up our child’s belongings and the staff didn’t even ask why we withdrew our child. Apathy and lack of care were concerning. Glad this facility works for others. Didn’t work for our family.

Choosing the right daycare/​preschool for your kids is a huge decision. 2 ½ years ago, my husband and I were in a bind, we no longer liked our son’s (20 months at the time) daycare, I was 8 months pregnant with our daughter, and we needed to find spots for both of them for the upcoming months. After visiting Little Steps and meeting the teachers and director, I immediately felt comfortable and signed both of them up. During the last 2 ½ year both of my children have really enjoyed their time at Little Steps. Our son who is 4 ½ loves going to preschool and is even excited about doing homework. Our daughter loves the teachers in the infant room so much that, still at 2 ½ years old she goes to say hi to them every morning and is always welcome with a big hug from the teachers. I feel comforted that I know my children are around people that love and care for them tremendously. The director Liz, makes time to listen to every concern, as crazy as it might be. I am happy to have found Little Steps.

My wife and I were juggling babysitters who were constantly having conflicts so we started exploring preschools in the area. Several had long waiting lists, were extremely expensive, were too far away and/​or we weren’t in love with them anyway and then Little Steps came upon our radar. Our son has been a student at Little Steps since January of this year and he started in the 1 year old class and transitioned to the 2 year old «Hallelujah Hearts» class a couple of months early. We were a little nervous about that as we loved his teachers and how much he was getting out of that class, but the transition went extremely well and we immediately fell in love with his new teachers as fast as our son did. He has thrived. We also know that potty training came much easier to him as he was able to see older kids doing it and he wanted to be doing what the older kids did. Huge blessing as that was incredibly easy for us.
With mommy in grad school, our schedules have changed quite a bit each semester and Liz, the Director, and his teachers have been more than accommodating while working with us to make it work for both sides. The flexibility and option to do «drop-​in» days when needed is an additional blessing and has always worked out for us.
If I had to choose one word to describe our experience there, it would have to be «family». From the Director to the teachers, to the children and their families, everyone gets along and is there to support each other. Being a Christian Pre-​School, it has been an added bonus to have faith introduced to our son. Several of us have even met as a group during the most convenient day of the week for the past 5 weeks where the church has made everyone dinner and then the kids go down to their classroom under supervision while parents who are going through some of the same challenges in parenting get together and get to relax outside of work with peers while our children are in good hands. We have received a lot of good advice from our peers there. In relation to that, the school has also had multiple fundraising nights (ie: Taco Tuesday) that have been great opportunities to get together with other parents and raise money for new items for the kids over some tacos and adult beverages while the children are supervised by the staff. It’s been great running into some of our neighbors around San Diego who have children our son’s age and they’re already «buddies.»
The staff is constantly surprising the kids with different activities and field trips to nearby areas such as pumpkin patches, parks, etc. They have given us tips during some difficult first-​time parenting steps that have been more than helpful. My wife and I were not raised in SoCal. We are a little jealous at how much outdoor time he gets each day playing with one of the most incredible views of America’s Finest City. Watching him grow and develop into a toddler has been amazing to watch. We even requested that he be placed with a bilingual teacher and Little Steps made that happen as well.
I could ramble for paragraphs about how blessed we are to have our child enrolled at Little Steps Christian Pre-​School and when we grow out of our current house, our next move will definitely have the driving distance to Little Steps as a major factor!

My wife who is a 1^st grade teacher would not send our toddler to anywhere that isn’t close to her standards. She toured each and every pre-​school/​day care center in the area before we chose Little Steps. It’s absolutely fantastic, the teachers are great and our daughter loves it. We’re really happy with everyone there.

I love little steps, my son has been going there almost a year and we couldn’t be happier. He runs in when I drop him off and doesn’t want to leave when I pick him up:)

After researching and touring several preschools in La Jolla/​Pacific beach and UTC, Little steps was the stand out choice. Our son has been there for a year and a half now and we couldn’t be happier. The curriculum is great and we find that he is learning things other schools aren’t teaching until years later. The outings are fun and the teachers and other parents feel like a family rather than a school. Everyone is friendly and the kids are taught wonderful Christian values. I’ll be sad when it’s time for him to graduate!

Little Steps is a great daycare and preschool! The teachers are knowledgeable and loving toward the children, and they communicate well to the parents. The teachers in the infant room even text me pictures of my baby throughout the day sometimes, which is always a comfort when I can’t be with her. I also love the Christian influence at Little Steps. It creates a warm learning environment while embracing the core teachings of Christ. All around, Little Steps is a great place to have my baby. I feel fortunate that she is loved and cared for while I’m away.

We love Little Steps.
We have two boys (now 3 and 1) – both have been here since they were infants. It has been such a relief for us knowing that our boys are loved and well taken care of. The bright, open classrooms make it easy to see what’s going on inside, all of the teachers know all of the kids by name (even those not in their classes!), and communication has always been open.
Our boys have both thrived here. Their vocabularies are excellent for their age, they’ve learned colors and numbers and letters, how to listen and stand in line, and on and on it goes.
The best part? They both RUN into school in the morning, and more often than not don’t want to leave at the end of the day. There are days when my wife and I feel bad that we both have to work, but knowing that my boys LOVE being at school and seeing how much they’re learning and growing makes it that much easier.
Is it the cheapest? Probably not. Do I trust the teachers? Absolutely yes. And that seems to overwhelmingly be the case for most parents, many of whom exclusively use Little Steps teachers as baby-​sitters. I HIGHLY recommend Little Steps if you’re looking for a pre-​school, day-​care or infant care in the La Jolla/​PB/​Clairemont area.

My husband and I both work full-​time and have three kids 6 and under. Our oldest just «graduated» from Little Steps, and our 3-​year old and 6-​month old are there now. Little Steps is absolutely as good as it gets; the teachers are wonderful (we use many of them regularly as babysitters) and the director is always striving to make the school better and better. Every day I leave work and race to pick up my kids, only to find them happy and not wanting to come home. They have made great friends and have learned so much. If you are considering a daycare of preschool, please visit LSCP for a tour — you will not be disappointed.

As a first time mommy it was difficult for me to find a place that my 7 month old (now 20 months old) that I could trust and feel comfortable in leaving my little one. All of the teachers and Liz, the director have been wonderful to work with. They’ve taken care of my little one and helped him grow, develop, and mature to a young toddler. They have always been so flexible with drop in dates and drop off /​pick up time. We are moving to a different area of San Diego, but I hope our next place will be just as great! For those of you looking for a warm and welcoming daycare, I would highly recommend Little Steps!

I have a preschooler and an infant at Little Steps. We have been at the school for the past year and I can’t tell you how much my husband an I have appreciated being a part of the Little Steps family. I do say «family» because that is the type of environment it is.
We have been at Little Steps throughout the turnover of teachers at the school. We loved the teachers that were there when we started but we also love the teachers that are there now. I feel like the program has grown so much in terms of the experiences and organizations that the new director has gotten the school involved with. This past summer, the program has had 2 – 3 events a week — from a visit with a police car to celebrity readers to a bouncy house. On top of that, there have been pizza days, popsicle parties for the class with the most school spirit, and water days. Both my husband and I work full time, so our children are at school all day, almost every day. I am so grateful that they have an engaging, caring, warm family at school with teachers that will look after all of the children to make sure they are growing emotionally, academically, and physically (making sure they nap and eat their snacks/​meals) while I can’t be there.
Academically, I am SO happy that the program has been rigorous and has prepared my preschooler to be well ahead of where the kindergarten teachers start in September. I’ve toured 10 – 15 public and private schools looking for the right place for kindergarten, and I’m sure that my son will be in a very good position, academically, when we start in September. For my infant, the teachers take so much care to make sure she is stimulated and engaged so that she can make as much progress as she can towards early developmental milestones.
For anyone considering Little Steps — I strongly encourage you to see the school and talk to the teachers and other parents yourself. I’ve found that this school to match or exceed the standards of every other preschool I’ve visited.