The best organizations – the ones that really shine, soar and sustain in what they do – are the ones led by brilliant people who are interested, involved and invested in every facet.
Which is why Stepping Stone School is the best.
RHONDA PAVER
Founder, Owner & Executive Director
Rhonda Paver
Rhonda Paver represents the rare unity of pioneering spirit and security junkie, of heartfelt compassion and logical decision-making, of good person and good businessperson.
Rhonda grew up in Alaska during its early years of statehood. Her father was a banker whose work directly helped their community grow and prosper, while Rhonda helped her mother run the household and care for the family.
On her 12th birthday, Rhonda and her family lived through the Great Alaskan Earthquake, the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America. This life-altering experience impressed upon Rhonda two indelible concepts: the resilience of a community working together, and her own need for stability.
Rhonda earned her Bachelor of Arts in History, with minors in philosophy and theology, at Spokane’s Gonzaga University. Ever drawn to education, she worked as a high-school teacher and a college program director before she and her husband Bill landed in Austin with their three young children in 1979.
Rhonda created Stepping Stone School as a solution to her own problem of finding high-quality, educational childcare. While simultaneously raising her children and launching her business, Rhonda began schooling herself in the field of early care and education. As Stepping Stone School and her children grew, so did Rhonda’s depth and breadth of knowledge, culminating with her Master’s Degree in Child Development from The University of Texas.
Rhonda used her Early Care and Education mastery to develop Stepping Stone School’s Trademarked Curriculum, and worked diligently to ensure her rigorous standards weren’t compromised as the business continued to expand. Today, not only is Stepping Stone School Central Texas’ largest privately owned and most respected preschool, but its training program and Quality Assurance system – both developed by Rhonda – also remain at the leading edge of the early care and education field.
Today, Rhonda herself is regarded as a leading expert in early care and education. She was named by the Governor to the Texas State Advisory Council for Early Education & Care, and also is an active member of the Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition and of the Early Childhood Education Consortium. Rhonda serves as a business consultant on childcare needs as employee benefits, and is an oft-sought writer and speaker, having presented multiple times at the World Forum on Early Care and Education, and at the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s National Conference.
Among Rhonda’s notable honors are being the recipient of the Jeanette Watson Award from the Austin Association for the Education of Young Children, and being named as a Distinguished Alumni by The University of Texas and as the Small Business Administration’s Small-Business Person of the Year.
Rhonda and Bill – a Ph.D. in Higher Education – have five grown children, most of whom live in Austin and one of whom [son Jim Paver] works at Stepping Stone School in center development. They also enjoy their five granddaughters, many of whom attend Stepping Stone School.
A Culture of Stability
Rhonda Paver hand-selects her executive team, and works closely with them to play an active role in the day-to-day management of all 18 Stepping Stone School campuses.
But Rhonda’s guidance may best be seen in the culture of stability she and her staff create for Stepping Stone School teachers, parents and children – because they know that happy, engaged teachers mean classrooms full of happy, engaged children.
Stepping Stone School team members receive consummate support from our leadership, including:
- comprehensive in-house orientation and training, custom-designed by a team of early education and care experts;
- extensive information, input and insights related to classroom curriculum;
- ongoing opportunities for continuing education – including scholarships, conferences, local, state, and national trainings, and principals’ symposiums; and
- a work experience where great ideas are respected and rewarded, promotions happen from within, and help is provided whenever and however it’s needed.
