Stepping Stones Learning Center

My daughter had a wonderful experience at this preschool! I searched high and low all over Pleasant Hill to find her a preschool when I went back to work and was disappointed in all of the schools until I finally found Stacie, the owner, at stepping stones. They have a great play area outside for the kids with lots to do and shade under big trees, and tons of great toys and activities Inside the classroom. They have great activities on holidays and in the summer. Stacie genuinely cares about all of the kids and was a pleasure to talk to and work with. We were only there for a bit less than a year so my daughter was only in the class for the oldest kids, we didn’t get to work with any of the other teachers. Her teacher didn’t immediately come off as super friendly but as we got to know her she did a great job. Now that my daughter is in kindergarten she keeps telling me how much she misses her old preschool! I highly recommend this school, it’s worth the tuition.

My two daughters are now going into 1^st and 4^th grade and my wife and I were speaking the other day about Stepping Stones. Admittedly, we have been remiss about writing this review so I finally decided to get to it. Both Stacey and the teachers there deserve to be recognized.
First off, we were the people who referred Judy H. and I agree with everything she said. We echo her sentiments about the atmospher, the staff, Stacey and the level of care and heart that exudes from this place. The only thing I can really add is that they passed the most important test that a day care should — our kids loved going there. Most kids have an initial phase of separation anxiety (as do most parents), but once that passes, Stepping Stone is like a second home.
Secondly, when you leave your child at Stepping Stone, you know they are safe and always learning. By the time my girls started kindergarten, they had all the skills they needed to succeed. Having the tools, the socialization, and confidence in themselves has made all the difference in their young school careers.
Thank you to Stacey and the entire staff at Stepping Stones for being unbelievable care givers and teachers to the two most important things in our lives… our two little girls

We love Stepping Stones! I was introduced to Stepping Stones through a friend who had both of her daughters attend there. My son will be graduating from there in a couple of weeks and I am very, very sad to say goodbye.
Stepping Stones is a rare gem of a place where you feel like you’re in a cozy home with warm, caring adults who really care about the children and their well being. There are arts, crafts, excellent lessons (my son is 4 and a half, can read small words and he will start kindergarten in the Fall), and their singing productions are too cute for words. To get all the kids to make/​put on/​keep on the costumes and sing and also do the sign language songs are phenomenal. As a parent, you will cry every time you see the performances. Hats off to all the teachers and the students.
In addition to what I wrote above, below are some additional highlights from our 2 years there:
* Flexibility — Stacey, the director, has been wonderful to work with my work schedule. I first had my son in the school full time, then part time, then changed days and hours, then one month increased hours, then the following month decreased, and sometimes needed to drop him off for a couple of hours, etc. and Stacey worked with me through it all. Never made me feel bad about asking, she was a great partner and I am forever grateful for her flexibility.
* Heart — The teachers at Stepping Stones (we went through 3 classes during 2 years there) were so receptive to me when talking with them about my son, his progress, any concerns, etc. With the small class sizes, it was really wonderful to see the individual attention my son received.
* More heart — We had a tragedy where one of the moms died of cancer, leaving behind two very little ones. Stacey, the director, opened her school to them, offering free childcare during their very difficult time. Several of the moms also pitched in to help. It was wonderful to see such care from not just the school but the fellow moms.
* Healthy focus — Loved the fact that they encourage healthy food instead of junk food.
* Holiday events — Loved all the holiday parties but my favorites are the mother’s day tea and father’s day lunch. Such a special way to spend time together. Oh, and Halloween where they dress up and go trick or treating around the fellow businesses, that’s pretty cute too.
* POTTY TRAINING!!! They totally help make this transition easier.
My older child attended Fountainhead Montessori, as well as pre-​school at Pleasant Hill Park and Rec and I wish I would have known about this place earlier so she could have attended Stepping Stones as well. Fountainhead was a bit too big for us and we loved Pleasant Hill Park and Rec pre-​school, but they have limited hours because it’s literally just 3 hours a day.
Stepping Stones has been a wonderful landing ground for my son for the last 2 years and my son (and I) will truly miss seeing the wonderful faces of his teachers and friends. Thank you Stepping Stones!

I wanted to write a fair review because I experienced some issues and I know that when I’m searching for schools and activities for my kids it really helps to have some reviews. To be honest, we only were at this school for one year. Also, to be honest, I would not return. I have two kids pre-​school aged and I send my daughter to Growing Tree in Moraga which is a great experience for her. But, she is very outgoing and social and loves all the ‘experiences’ that they have there. I chose not to send my son there because he is very high energy and is quite impulsive and I knew that it would be too much stimulation for him. He needed smaller class sizes and a less stimulating environment with structure. I do think that Stepping Stones provided that. I also did really like his teacher, Danielle. She was patient, calm. My son also really loved her.
The school has some very fun extra activities which we enjoyed. They have a trick-​or-​treating parade to the local businesses which is nice, and a pumpkin patch at the school… in the spring they have the spring sing event. For most of the year I felt pretty good about the school. I had a few things… but to be fair I never mentioned them. I figure you are never going to be 100% thrilled and the issues were small.
Unfortunately, near the end of the year several things happened which resulted in my being exceptionally unhappy with the school (not the teacher, but the policies of the director) and pulling my son. Also, to be very fair, I asked for a tuition refund because I was so angry… and she dropped it to me the next day.
The events that I experienced were as follows: 1) Near the end of April my son came home and asked me why two of the girls had told him that no one would marry him because of his skin color. I talked to the pre-​school director about it. She just sort of brushed it off without even noting that it was a problem. This might have been a great opportunity to pull out a diversity book or something. It was a teachable moment and it was missed and I was a little disturbed that the Director didn’t seem to think that this was something to think about.
Then, graduation time came and it came to my attention from one of the (very upset) moms that not everyone would be graduating together. She only lets those kids who are moving on to a kindergarten program graduate… if a kid is moving on to a T-​K at a public school or something like that, she doens’t let them graduate. This means that 70% of the class will graduate and the other 30% will sit there wondering why they are not good enough. I mentioned this to my mother who is a pre-​school teacher for 30 years and she about blew her lid. She’s never heard of this practice… at every school she’s taught at the whole class graduates together. She was really livid about this policy and the more I talked to her and to the other mother, the more I realized that it really is a sad policy for a bunch of 4 year olds.
Then, the summer session began. Although my son did graduate, he was not moved ahead with the rest of his class in the summer session. He was really confused and upset that he wasn’t with his friends anymore. I asked and she refused to move him with his class because it would be ‘too much change’. It didn’t make sense. Also, he came home upset the first day that a boy in his class spit and called him names. I asked about it and she, without checking with anyone, told me that it was a ’ complete fabrication’. When I picked him up from school, she had taken him aside and told him that that was «lying». He asked why Ms. Stacey thought her was a ‘liar’ and cried after school that day. I know him… he wasn’t lying about this, but now he’s been taught that if he is bullied, he shouldn’t tell an adult because they will think he is lying. I think those were inappropriate words for her to use no matter what she thought. In the end, while we had some good experiences, I wouldn’t return… I have questions about their commitment to a kind environment. PS — we do love Growing Tree in Moraga… I’ve never had a problem there, its been a great experience!