Planning a Trip? How to Include Your Child and Develop Literacy Skills at the same time!
Spring break is almost here, and whether you're embarking on a family trip or staying local, it's a great opportunity to involve your child in planning while also boosting their literacy skills. Here are some tips and resources to make trip...
🚀 Welcome to Destination Exploration: Your Summer Adventure Awaits! 🌟
Are you ready to embark on an unforgettable journey filled with excitement, discovery, and fun? Look no further than Destination Exploration at The Brainery™! Our summer camp program is designed to ignite the spirit of exploration within ...
Fostering a Healthy Relationship with Food for Your Child
Raising happy, healthy and thriving children is a primary goal for parents. Helping your child develop a healthy relationship with food at an early age will provide the foundation for healthy nutrition later in life. Food is not only a vita...
Stepping Stone School Continues to Elevate our High Standards and Progressive Program!
At Stepping Stone School, our focus is, and always will be, to provide the highest quality care and education for our children and families. From digital literacy and safety to emotional intelligence and positive self-regulation skills, our...
The Value of Constructive Play & How to Encourage it at Home
As a parent, it is easy to overlook the value of everyday toys, such as blocks, Legos® and Tinker Toys®. However, the daily utilization of these toys are proven to be a vital benefit to a child’s development. These toys fall under the c...
Leadership Skills for Children
Research suggests that tomorrow’s leaders will be those with highly developed “Soft Skills.” Soft Skills are interpersonal aptitudes focusing heavily on communication and problem-solving abilities which support success in children l...
Fostering a Playful Environment at Home
Play is an important part of childhood, helping children learn and grow. Often, when parents think of play, their minds are automatically drawn to the idea of providing children with more toys. However, cultivating a playful environment in ...
The Benefits of Sensory Play in Childhood Development
Children are naturally curious and absolutely love exploring the world around them through their senses. Sensory play includes activities involving touch, smell, sight, sound and taste, but it also covers movement, balance and spatial aware...
Montessori, Reggio Emilia or Play Based?
Montessori, Reggio Emilia or Play-Based? Stepping Stone School: Where Education Meets Innovation At Stepping Stone School, our commitment goes beyond just providing quality early care and education. We are dedicated to nurturing the...
Exploring Archaeology: Unearthing the Past at Stepping Stone School
At Stepping Stone School, we believe every child's education should be an exciting adventure. While preschool is often associated with basic learning skills and play, we love to introduce our young learners to a world of knowledge in innova...
Outdoor Classrooms
As parents of young children attending Stepping Stone School, you're likely aware of the importance of outdoor play in your child's early education. But do you know just how impactful it can be? Let's explore the numerous advantages that ou...
Stepping Stone School's Historic Gift: Teaching Children the Power of Compassion
In a heartwarming display of compassion and commitment to making a difference, Stepping Stone School marked a historic moment with a remarkable donation of $16,728.00 to the Ronald McDonald House of Central Texas. The children raised half o...
Lifelong Friendships Start at Stepping Stone School
Friendship is a bond that transcends time and distance, connecting us in ways that often leave lasting impressions. It is a testament to the power of these enduring relationships that we find ourselves cherishing the memories created during...
Interview with Rhonda Paver, CEO, Owner and Founder of Stepping Stone School
Rhonda Paver's vision for better early care and education in Austin began over four decades ago. In 1979, Rhonda and her husband Bill arrived in Austin with their three children and struggled to find affordable and high-quality options. Det...
Encouraging Emergent Writing
For young children, art and early writing skills go hand in hand. At first, your child will start experimenting with crayons and the cool things that they can do. Children often start to develop early writing skills through creating art, su...
How to Prepare for Beginning Early Care & Education
We understand how changing routines, new encounters, and meeting new people can be challenging for both parent and child. Stepping Stone School wants to make the experience as comfortable as possible for you and your family. To that end, we...
City of Austin Proclaims March 23, 2023 as Rhonda Paver Day
March 23, 2023 – Austin, TX - The City of Austin, today acknowledged Rhonda Paver, owner and CEO of Stepping Stone School for her commitment to improving access to high quality early care and education for families in Austin. Rhon...
Fun Spring Activities to do With Children
Spring is in the air and with the warmer weather brings bright colors and new blooms which can be exciting for children. Activities with children in the spring are a way to celebrate the changing weather and nurture an appreciation for the ...
Cultivating Kindness at Every Age!
“The basis of all good human behavior is kindness.” Eleanor Roosevelt Throughout the month of February, the children at Stepping Stone School will learn that kindness matters, as they read stories, identify acts of kindness, and part...
7 Simple Ways to Teach Manners and Etiquette to Children
“Let’s play Fancy Restaurant, Mommy!” 3 ½ year old Eva suggested before dinner. “How do you play Fancy Restaurant?” her mother asked her. Eva went on to describe all the things her teacher taught her with the roll out of th...
Raising a Reader: Starting with Infants
From the moment you are expecting your first child, you are overwhelmed with information and advice about the importance of reading. There are good reasons for this as it is important to instill good reading habits and skills in your child ...
Safety & Security at Stepping Stone School
At Stepping Stone School, the safety and security of our students and families are the foundation on which everything rests. Providing a learning environment that is safe and secure is our number-one priority! Our outstanding safety measur...
Your Guide to Exploring the Great Outdoors with Your Child
As the weather warms and Summer approaches, most parents are planning fun outdoor activities with their children. For a child, everything is new and even the tiniest things are interesting and exciting. In today’s technology-driven world,...
Thinkery Launches New Interactive Exhibit, Notion of Motion
Dedicated to growing impact in early learner and STEAM education for ALL Central Texas children, Thinkery celebrates major museum refresh with the Central Texas community May 26, 2022 – Austin, TX – Thinkery, the philanthro...
Three Ways to Improve Your Child's Sleep
For many families, sleep issues are present for parents and children alike. Many adults experience problems with getting a good night’s rest due to everyday stress factors, such as balancing work and family life, along with all the stress...
Easter Baskets to Make with Your Child!
These easy to make baskets are the perfect activity to welcome spring! Tissue Box Basket Materials: construction paper, glue, scissors, stapler, empty cube tissue boxes or other small boxes, ribbon, and markers ...
Happy World Water Day - Make Your Own Underwater Viewer!
In honor of World Water Day, we are sharing an activity that showcases the importance of clean water which is a vital part of the ecosystem! Help them make an underwater viewer to explore this important resource. Make It! What you’ll ne...
Earth & Beyond - Summer Camp at Stepping Stone School 2022
This Summer at Stepping Stone School, the children will discover what makes our world so amazing! With weekly themes focusing on Animals, Plants, Conservation, Weather, Space and Geology they will gain an in-depth understanding of the Earth...
Two’s Day Activities for Tuesday 2/22/22!
Here are some fun ideas on how to celebrate 2/22/22 with your child! 1.Enjoy some skip counting fun! 2.Create a mini book all about the number. 3.Go on a two scavenger hunt looking for the number two. 4.See how many different exercise...
The science behind how parents affect child development
By Yuko Munakata Parents, take a deep breath: how your kids turn out isn't fully on you. Of course, parenting plays an important role in shaping who children become, but psychologist Yuko Munakata offers an alternative, res...
Good Gut Health is Important for Brain Development
A healthy diet can play a vital role in a person’s life and one of the most important factors of our well-being, frequently overlooked, is the health of our gut microbiome. As with an adult’s gut, a child’s digestive tract contains do...
6 Ways to Beat Boredom on a Family Road Trip!
The holiday season is here! And that means hitting the road and traveling for many families. Although road trips can be a great time to bond with your children, traveling together for long hours can be quite boring, especially if there aren...
Fun Ways to Teach Children About Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a special holiday that signifies gratitude and compassion for others, community, sharing and spending time with those you love. Children, especially at a younger age may have a different perspective of Thanksgiving. They may...
2021 Stepping Stone School Turkey Call
This year's annual Turkey Call at Stepping Stone School Shoal Creek was a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn all about turkeys, sing a festive song and try to get "Tom" the turkey to gobble! This is also the kick off event ...
Stargazing: A Fun Family Activity!
Spending time outdoors can be both fun and educational for families. In fact, the Draconid Meteor Shower, runs through October 10th. As we venture into the final months of the year, celestial events are set to grace our night skies, pain...
The Importance of Strong Grandparent/Grandchild Relationships
The bonds between grandparents and grandchildren have real, significant effects on each other’s psychological well-being long into grandchildren’s adulthood. Now, more than ever fostering these types of family relationships is vital to ...
The Benefits of Aromatherapy for Children
Aromatherapy has been around for centuries. There is vast scientific evidence that aromatic plant and flower extracts have many therapeutic benefits for mental health, not just for adults, but for children too. For many of us, Covid-19 r...
Night Time Fun!
Nighttime games can liven things up—and maybe boost mental health. For most children the dark is a scary place. When the lights go out, imaginations run wild and our visual and auditory senses become more active. Since the connections bet...
Peace of Mind for Parents - Talking Time!
Why is a large vocabulary important for children? Because it’s linked to their reading and school success. Help your child learn new words through conversations, reading aloud, and singing. Try these vocabulary-building ideas...
Peace of Mind for Parents - Make Mealtimes Learning Opportunities!
Mealtimes are great opportunities for children to have conversations, use their manners, and even practice math. Here are some ways to keep the fun and learning going at your next family meal. Set the table. Together you and yo...
Peace of Mind for Parents - Choosing Meaningful STREAM Activities for Your Child
Young children love to explore the world around them—and STREAM activities are a great way to help them do it. STREAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. There are lots of STREAM activities available online f...
Peace of Mind for Parents - Developing Your Child's Spatial Thinking Skills
Research suggests that children’s early mathematics learning—including spatial-thinking skills—is related to later success in both reading and math. Spatial thinking involves children learning to navigate through their environment, to...
How to Achieve Successful Transitions from Home to School!
Stepping Stone School is uniquely qualified and committed to help support warm and positive transitions at all levels. The teachers and campus administrators at Stepping Stone School are specially chosen for their Kindness, Helpfulness a...
12 Days of Kindness at Stepping Stone School!
On the First Day, we Shared Tips on Self Regulation Self-Regulation is described as the ability to monitor and control your own behavior, thoughts, and emotions. Changing how you respond depending on the circumstances. During the mon...
Teaching Self Regulation in 5 Easy Steps
Ethan had spent the entire center time working on a puzzle. He was within a few pieces of finishing it when I heard tones of frustration. Asking him about the challenge he was facing, he pointed to the edge of the puzzle. The corner are...
Preventing and Helping Choking in Young Children
Infant choking is scary, but it is largely preventable. Infant and young children’s airways are smaller and easily obstructed. It also takes time for infants to master the ability to chew and swallow food, and infants may not be able to...
How to Create Five Child-Made Holiday Gifts using Items around Your Home
This holiday season, gift-giving may look a little different for families. Creating a gift with your child for a loved one provides a meaningful and memorable experience while creating something someone else will enjoy. While creating ...
Raising Responsible Digital Citizens
The Internet is a wonderful place for learning and entertainment, but like the world around us, it can pose dangers if precautions are not taken. Allowing free access puts your child, your computer and your personal data at risk. Rem...
Peace of Mind for Parents - Encouraging Curiosity at Home
“Why is the sky blue?” "How does a car work?" "Where did that plant come from?" These are only some of the many questions that your precocious child likely asks you. It’s not always easy to answer children’s questions, but ...
8 Ways to Help Your Child Through Immunizations
With the onset of the flu season and a COVID-19 immunization on the horizon, we wanted to help prepare you and your child for their visits to the doctor for immunizations. Parents can take an active role in changing their child’s attit...
34 Random Acts of Kindness to Try Today!
In honor of World Kindness Day on November 13th, we are sharing several ideas that you can safely try with your family - many can be done from home or within your neighborhood! It’s important to have compassion for yourself, too! Mak...
All-Inclusive Tuition at Stepping Stone School
At Stepping Stone School we are dedicated to supporting the development of the whole child while strengthening families, enhancing lives and setting and maintaining the highest standards for Early Care and Education! Our all-inclusive tui...
Peace of Mind for Parents - "Making" At Home
Making is a term for hands-on, creative expression that gives children opportunities to explore, create, learn, and try something new through activities such as woodworking, sewing, weaving, constructing with recycled materials, and experi...
Halloween Safety in the Age of COVID-19
Halloween is right around the corner and all of our traditional ways of celebrating the holiday now need to be reconsidered based on the presence of COVID-19 in our communities. While traditional Halloween activities are fun, some can in...
Infants Learn by Watching Caregiver’s Faces
In this time of mask-wearing, it is particularly important for us to understand how infants and young toddlers learn. Young children learn an enormous amount of information from faces. From language to social cues, developmental psychologis...
Yale and American Academy of Pediatrics Study Summary
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Peace of Mind for Parents - Fun, Easy Ways to Play with Math at Home
Sing songs and chant! Many songs, chants, and verses have patterns. Learning a song’s pattern helps children remember the song. Patterns repeat in a predictable way that helps children know what comes next. Songs and chants...
Peace of Mind for Parents - Going Beyond the Playground: Math, Science, and Outdoor Fun
Going outside for a walk or to a local park to play are great ways to help your children learn! In addition to spending time at the playground, take time to explore: do you see trees to count, neighbors to greet, or street signs to read? ...
How to Make Easy Taste-Safe Finger Paint
While painting, children practice fine motor skills, color recognition, and self-expression. Around six months of age, infants will often show an interest in creative activities. Since very young children primarily explore with their mout...
5 Easy Ways to Encourage Cooperation!
Each center in the classroom was occupied and there were children sitting at tables working on various activities. “Five-minutes to clean-up!” I told each child in my prekindergarten class. Over the several days leading up to this m...
How to Make Taste-Safe Moon Sand
How to Make Taste-Safe Moon Sand Moon sand is a special craft sand that can hold its shape for a brief time similar to the sand you find at the beach. Most moon sand recipes require actual sand, but not this one! This recipe uses ing...
Peace of Mind for Parents - Four Fun Ways to Learn Everyday Information
Recipes to Road Maps: Four Fun Ways to Learn from Everyday Information Information is all around us. Learning how to find, critically read, and create information are important skills that you can start helping your child build today. In...
How to Make Playdough
How to Make Playdough Making playdough with your child is a fun way to practice math skills. Measuring each scoop of flour, counting drops of food coloring, plus learning the difference between units of measurement equal hands-on mathema...
Peace of Mind for Parents - 25 Simple Ways to Encourage Children
Simple Ways To Encourage Children When you’re used to recognizing children with traditional praises, using encouraging phrases can be a little awkward. Since saying ‘good job’ is a favorite praise among parents and caregivers, her...
Stepping Stone School Provides Safe Full-time School Age Virtual Learning Pods This Fall
We are ready and eager to assist our school age children begin the fall semester virtual learning in a safe and clean learning environment. Since March, 2020, we have continued to successfully provide healthy and safe full-time School Age P...
Peace of Mind for Parents - Fun Ways to Build Your Child’s Literacy Skills While Doing Laundry Together
Turn laundry time into learning time! Whether you're washing clothes at home or at the laundromat, there are plenty of things to talk about with your child. These rich conversations help to build your child's language and literacy developme...
Progressive Learning Plans and Learning Pods at Stepping Stone School
As ISD's and private schools are approaching the gradual opening of school, we would like to confirm the continuation of our verified and progressive learning plans and LEARNING PODS for all children in our educational care. With the offi...
Five Tips for Teaching Your Children about Diversity
As parents, it is our job to help our children build positive identities and a respect for differences. Diversity should be a part of a child’s everyday life. We all want our children to grow up in a world free of bias and ...
Peace of Mind for Parents - Spark Creative Thinking with Open-Ended Questions
It’s easy to fall into a routine of asking your child simple questions. Many yes, no, or other one-word response questions are necessary—but to help your child learn and develop, open-ended questions are better. Questions that ask child...
Exciting News From Stepping Stone School!
With the recent announcements regarding how various local school districts will or will not be holding in-person classes, we want to update you on what Stepping Stone School is doing to provide education and care for school-age children who...
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION LEADERS TAKE ACTION FOR ACCEPTANCE, INCLUSION AND BELONGING
LINK The Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC) commits to using combined resources to formally incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion into programs. WASHINGTON, June 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Early Care and Education ...
The Necessity of Beauty
Four-year-old, Jamie stood motionless in front of a flower. Moving closer, I noticed a small white butterfly perched on the petal of a purple flower. Jamie reverently whispered, “See the dot on its wings, it has the same on both!” ...
How to Help Your Child "Connect the Dots" to Develop Ownership Skills
My four-year-old enjoys connect-the-dot puzzles. She loves revealing the hidden shape after connecting each letter or number in sequential order. In life, helping children “connect the dots” or link the cause and effect between acti...
Ten Tips for Working at Home with Your Children
Many parents and their children are immersed in a new reality, working at home together because of the Coronavirus. While veteran teleworkers may have the perfect setup, they never planned on including family members in their work, much les...
Helpful Tips for Practicing Patience with Children
During this highly unusual time of sheltering in place with our children, we are all in new territory. What we are currently experiencing gives the term “Work and Family Balance” a whole new meaning. Most of us don’t work from home an...
How Gardening Benefits Children
While many families are at home together this Spring, this is the perfect time to start a garden or revamp one you may already have. Children are curious, like to learn by doing and love to play in the dirt. Working in a garden, a child can...
Welcome Back Kyle Families!
Dear Valued Stepping Stone School Families: We are pleased to report the Mayor of Kyle has lifted the ban on providing early care and education services as of this coming Monday, April 20th. In order to ensure a smooth transition for ...
Read, Create, Connect - Stepping Stone School Celebrates WOYC 2020!
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has dedicated April 11-17, 2020 as a week to celebrate young children! In conjunction with NAEYC and TXAEYC (Texas chapter of NAEYC), Stepping Stone School is celebrat...
Stepping Stone School Supporting Families & Learning at Home Week 2
Take a trip around the world without leaving your house!
With many of us staying home, you might be looking for fun educational activities you can do with your children! Why not take a trip around the globe right from your own home! World Map. Before you started off on your trip around the ...
Six Ways to Support Your Child’s Happiness
Recent studies by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that Danish parents raise the happiest children in the world. In fact, they found that the Danish people are the “happiest people on earth” for almost 40 ...
Seven Practical Tips for Helping Your Children Feel Safe During the COVID-19 Pandemic
As public conversation and news reports around COVID-19 increase, your children may worry about themselves, their friends and their family. Parents and family members can play an important role in easing your children’s anxiety and fears....
Seven Reasons Why Coding is Important for Children to Learn
Coding is a basic literacy in the digital age. It is important for children to understand and be able to work with and understand the technology around them. Having children learn coding at a young age prepares them for the future. Co...
Create Hand Print Hearts!
The month of February is a great time of year for young children to celebrate the importance of friendship, as well as, showing kindness to others. Here is a great craft for them to participate in with a family member or a friend! Materi...
Five Ways to Develop Empathy in your Children
The definition of empathy is the ability to identify with or understand the perspective of another and share their emotional state. Empathy involves putting yourself in the place of another. It is dependent upon a person’s ability to feel...
Help Your Child Think Before Acting
Executive Functions are the ability to “stop and think,” regulate emotional responses and focus attention. These functions are strengthened as the brain (specifically the frontal cortex) develops. Executive Functions have three maj...
Make a "Coupon Book" of Helpful Gifts !
Use this activity as an opportunity to talk about the many ways we each give and receive and a way to encourage your children to develop “an attitude of gratitude.” Materials Several sheets of paper or index cards Kid-saf...
Developing Self-Regulation Skills with Conscious Guidance
This past year, we integrated Dr. Becky Bailey‘s comprehensive self-regulation program, Conscious Discipline into our Platinum Learning for Life Curriculum™ (identified as “Conscious Guidance” on our learning plans). During the mo...
New Year's Resolutions
The dawn of a new year is traditionally that time to celebrate new beginnings and for many of us, the new year means that it is time to take stock of our lives and set resolutions, that positively promote our growth. Not only do adults bene...
Banana Pancake Snowmen!
This is a fun and easy recipe you can make with your children on Christmas morning, or anytime during the holiday season! Ingredients 1 cup complete buttermilk pancake mix 3/4 cup water 1/3 cup mashed ripe banana 1 teaspoon...
Finding a Balance with Technology
Technology has improved our lives in many ways and in this day and age, plays a vital role in our day-to-day activities. When it comes to children, especially, the right amount of exposure to tech can spark an interest in STEM subjects and ...
Santa visits Stepping Stone School!
Every year Santa Claus makes a special visit to Stepping Stone School! We are always thrilled to welcome Santa to many of our Stepping Stone School campuses! Watch the video below for a behind the scene look at how Santa Rick prepares eac...
Mr. Rogers and His Spirit of Compassion
Over Thanksgiving weekend, I joined the crowd of moviegoers to watch A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood starring Tom Hanks. Hanks plays the role of the beloved children’s show host Mr. Rogers. Throughout the movie, each person who inte...
2019 Turkey Trot
AUSTIN, Texas — It's an Austin tradition that has been going on for 29 years. Every Thanksgiving, thousands of people meet at the Long Center for the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot. The event has raised almost $3.8 million for Carita...
2019 Stepping Stone School Turkey Call
Stepping Stone School is proud to continue its long term sponsorship of the Kid’s K at the annual Turkey Trot supporting Caritas and we thoroughly enjoy our visit from a turkey and the contest to see who can get the turkey to gobble. T...
Learning Gratitude with Thanksgiving Activities
Thanksgiving is the time of year when we express gratitude and give thanks for the blessings in our lives. Gratitude is a fundamental component of both our overall happiness and our relationships with loved ones. Expressing gratitude is jus...
How to Teach Perseverance
My oldest son scraped at the interior of the giant pumpkin he was preparing this past month. “This is hard!” he exclaimed. I smiled, “You’re sticking with it though, that means you’re developing perseverance!” After som...
Building Integrity
Each month, Stepping Stone School educators implement our Kindness and Empathy™ curriculum which provides activities with the purpose of teaching character development as a part of our Platinum Learning for Life™curriculum. During th...
Cooperation Counts!
In eager anticipation, children recently began a new school year. I heard child wonderings about new friends and old friends, new classrooms and new teachers, and what they will learn. At the beginning of the year, it is the goal of t...
Spotlight on PreK
Advanced Pre-Kindergarten children are budding scholars! Our experienced and committed educators implement our Platinum Learning for Life™ curriculum which creates a solid foundation for future academic and social-emotional success. Adv...
Cultivating Creativity
It is a common assumption among many parents that creativity is a talent their children are born with and either do or do not have. While it is true that a creative talent does not come equally to everyone, evidence suggests that creativity...
Helping Young Children Understand Fairness
A teacher invited the children to sit down for circle time. Holding up a box of band-aids, she asked the children to pretend with her as they began a discussion on fairness. Turning to the closest child in the circle, she asked him to s...
Creating Child Initiated Learning Opportunities at Home
Nurturing self-directed learning is a combination of allowing for free and loosely-guided play and activities. Cultivating curiosity and independence in your child are the first steps to helping them become self-directed learners. Self-dire...
Summer Activities that Promote Learning
Summer is here and it is the time of year when parents take on the challenge of keeping their children actively and mentally engaged. With Summer Brain Drain being a very real occurrence, it is important to choose activities that not only e...
How to Instill Responsibility and Independence in Your Child
Over the last several weeks, I have been working with my children to instill a sense of responsibility and independence in preparation for the birth of their baby sister. We have focused on establishing morning routines to help us get out...
5 Ways to Develop Empathy
This month at Stepping Stone School, we are focusing on the development of Empathy as a part of our Communities of Character™ curriculum. Empathy is a key aspect of emotional intelligence through which individuals imagine what...
1.4 million words
Astounding new research estimates that young children who have been read to multiple times a day from infancy until they reach school age have heard an average of 1.4 million more words than their peers who have never been read to. Even i...
Supporting the Understanding and Development of Ownership
Fred Rogers, the host of Mister Rogers Neighborhood, testified before the Senate in 1969 discussing the need for the continued support of public broadcasting. Towards the end of his testimony, Rogers quotes the words to his song, What Do Y...
Teaching Your Child Health and Wellness Habits
As a parent, you instinctively want your children to grow up leading happy and healthy lives, while developing good habits. Not only are good eating habits important for a child to learn, but, establishing health and wellness habits that nu...
3 Important Ways to Communicate with Your Infant
For a new parent, it can be frustrating not knowing what your infant’s wants and needs are. What does a loud screeching cry mean? Does it mean that he is hungry or hurt? What about a soft cry? Aside from the crying, what do her body sig...
Teaching Children to be Trustworthy
This month, Stepping Stone School will focus on the character development trait of trustworthiness. A trustworthy person is honest, follows the rules, keeps a promise, is not unkind, and does not take things that do not belong to him. D...
The Benefits of Gardening with your Child
With spring right around the corner, most families look for opportunities to experience the outdoors and enjoy the warmer weather with their children. The list of possible outdoor activities that are fun for you and your child is endless, b...
Demonstrating Respect
My school-age children came home with report cards not that long ago and I noticed a section describing respectful attitudes towards school property and treatment of others. The idea of grading one’s development of this character trait ...
Kindness Makes an Impact
In anticipation of accepting a new child into our classroom, I had my prekindergarten children create a welcome card. They spent quite some time writing their names, thinking about the colors they thought this child may like and drawing p...
Infants and Toddlers and Math, Oh My!
The idea of very young children participating in mathematical thinking may seem strange to some, however, researchers have observed infants at six months of age demonstrating matching skills, sorting and classifying, and recognizing amounts...
Developing Self-Regulation Skills
Self-regulation, the ability to manage one’s own emotions and to empathize with others, is a leading predictor in the future academic success of a child. When children can self-regulate, they recognize when they are getting frustrated a...
Family Traditions
The winter holiday season is often accompanied by specific activities we participate in each year like visiting family, giving gifts, feasting, lighting candles, and celebrating. These traditions often go back generations in one form or an...
Living a Compassionate Life
The holiday season often causes us to think of others. What is it that a loved one needs physically or emotionally during this time of year? We ask ourselves questions like, “What can I do to make another person feel the joy of the sea...
Welcoming a New Sibling
After almost nine months of preparation, most parents feel prepared to welcome a new child into the family. But when the new child is a second or third child, how do parents prepare the soon to be older siblings? Various doctors and ch...
Developing Perseverance
Beyond intelligence and raw talent, the ability to push through challenges and continue reaching towards a goal is the best indicator of the future success of children. Persistence, as described here, is a character trait which can be taugh...
2018 Stepping Stone School Turkey Call
Stepping Stone School is proud to continue its long term sponsorship of the Kid’s K at the annual Turkey Trot supporting Caritas and we thoroughly enjoy our visit from a turkey and the contest to see who can get the turkey to gobble. W...
Halloween Safety
With Halloween on the horizon, consider some of the following safety tips to keep you and your children safe during this exciting time of year. Careful Costume Considerations Think visibility One of the biggest concerns about Halloween T...
Building a Foundation in Writing
Wrapping his tiny toddler fingers tightly around a large crayon, two-year-old Bentley stands over a piece of paper making firm strokes across his page and states then with excitement, “I write!” Considering her picture from different...
Developing Integrity at Every Age
Each month, Stepping Stone School classroom teachers focus on specific activities to teach character development in an age-appropriate manner through our custom-created Kindness and Empathy™curriculum which is part of our Platinum Learnin...
Cooking with Children
Have you ever had Thunder Cake? It was my first successful from-scratch cake and I made it with a classroom full of four and five-year-olds. I was still fairly new to the world of Early Childhood Education and my principal challenged ...
How to Help Your Child Learn to Cooperate
I recently came across a cooperative board game in which three or four players work together to complete a task to win the game before they run out of time. Interested, I tried the game out with my own children and here is what I found: ...
Stepping Stone School Children Award Donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas
Austin, Texas – August 16, 2018: On August 15, 2018, the school age children of Stepping Stone School proudly presented at check for $14,361.22 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas. The funds for this generous donat...
How to Teach Young Children Fairness
Have you ever wondered why we enjoy sporting events where the “underdog” wins the day or hearing “rags to riches” human interest stories? Using functional MRIs, a team of researchers at Rutgers University discovered how the brain...
Creating Routines: Promoting Love and Learning
From those earliest days after a child is born, parents begin employing new routines to meet the needs of an infant and keep up with the daily obligations of home and work. As children grow and develop, family routines change. Research d...
Preparing for Beginning Early Care & Education
We’re excited you’ve chosen to enroll your child sat Stepping Stone School. We understand how changing routines, new encounters, and meeting new people can be challenging for both parent and child, and we want to make the experience a...
Best Childcare in Austin
EDIT: Update July 2021- Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 23rd year! EDIT: Update July 2020- Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 22nd year! EDIT: Update July 2019- Stepping S...
10 Safety Tips for Independence Day
My memories of Independence Day celebrations are filled with cookouts, visits from friends and family members, and staying up late to watch the fireworks displays. My siblings and I would spend most of the day chasing each other around in...
Thank you, Mister Rogers
For over 30 years, Fred Rogers entered the family rooms of preschool children across the nation to say, “It’s you I like.” Using songs, puppets, and stories, Rogers taught children how to work through what he called, “the inner dr...
Teaching Responsibility
In many of our Stepping Stone School prekindergarten classrooms, you will notice a classroom chore chart. Using this list of chores, teachers encourage children to take on certain roles and responsibilities as a member of the classroom co...
Teaching Children to be Caring
Ruth had just woken up from her nap and was sitting alone near her mat with her head lowered, arms crossed, and a sad expression on her face. Three-year-old Lizzie walked over after noticing her friend was not moving to participate in the...
The Value of Drawing
Starting with Scribbles Handing a child a crayon for the first time is a game of chance often ending with the removal of crayon wax from his mouth. However, once he is taught to use crayons with paper rather than as a teething toy, he so...
Explore Your Creative Genius this Summer!
Summer at Stepping Stone School During Stepping Stone School’s Summer Break Camp at The Brainery™, students will investigate their own unique Creative Genius while exploring the various art forms that inspire us. Each two-week session ...
Kindergarten Readiness at Stepping Stone School
This month, many of the children whom we have watched grow from infancy will be donning their cap and gown as they walk across the stage to receive their prekindergarten diploma. Our end of the year programs celebrate the accomplis...
5 Ways to Help Children Take Ownership of Their Behavior
My four-year-old is obsessed with connect-the-dot puzzles. Revealing the hidden shape after connecting each letter or number in sequential order brings him a special thrill In life, helping children “connect the dots” or recognize t...
Healthy Habits for Happy Teeth!
Even if your child is only an infant or toddler, you can start now to help your child develop strong, healthy teeth and build habits that last a lifetime. Begin cleaning your infant’s teeth as soon as the first tooth appears. U...
Earth Day Activities for Children
Earth Day is April 22th and Stepping Stone School is celebrating the roots of Earth day as well as sharing an appreciation for learning through hands on exploration and investigation! The idea for a national day to focus on the environme...
Developing Trust
Developmental psychologist Erik Erikson was best known for his theory of psychosocial development. He identified the first stage in this model astrust vs. mistrust beginning in infancy until approximately 18 months. During this time...
Big Body Play
Puppies do it. Kittens do it. Elephants and monkeys do it. And yes, young boys and girls do it. Rough and tumble or big body play (BBP) like running, climbing, jumping and even wrestling is necessary for proper brain development in chi...
5 Ways to Teach and Encourage Respect
In preparation for this month’s Kindness and Empathy™ focus, I asked my four-year-old about Respect. He pondered for several moments and then provided an exasperated reply, “I don’t know; what is it?” I found myself challenged t...
Developmentally Appropriate Chores for Children
Spring is in the air! Which also means spring cleaning is just around the corner. This year, consider including your children in this annual home ritual. Through age-appropriate tasks, children acquire important social skills as they cont...
Mathematics Development and Learning
The “M” in S.T.E.A.M. stands for Mathematics! Concrete experiences with math concepts and interactions with teachers have a direct impact on your children’s acquisition of mathematical skills. When children manipulate material...
The Five Best Coding Toys that Won’t Break the Bank!
At Stepping Stone School, we are excited to unite technology and learning as we teach introductory skills in our early childhood classrooms by focusing on Coding Foundations. Coding foundations include higher order thinking skills associa...
Seven Ways to Encourage Healthy Eating Habits with Your Children
Stepping Stone School is your partner in raising healthy, happy and confident children. To that end, we serve balanced and nutritional meals and snacks and offer the following suggestions for encouraging healthy eating in children. ...
Kindness Matters
February 17th is National Random Acts of Kindness Day, to celebrate, Stepping Stone School is teaching children about kindness through daily interactions by focusing on acting friendly, giving generously, and being considerate of others. ...
Toilet Training Toddlers
It is that joyous yet challenging time in the life of a child, the moment parents trade in their child’s diapers for the coveted “big kid underpants.” Most children begin toilet training between 2 and 3 years of age, but each child ...
Higher Order Processing Skills to Improve Resilience
When you look closely at the Stepping Stone School learning plans, you will see a set of parentheses under each activity in which teachers communicate the purpose of each activity. We call these descriptive words our “Purpose Notations....
The Importance of Classic Literature
Research demonstrates that the single activity with the greatest impact on a child’s reading readiness is being read to on a regular basis. Each day, the children at Stepping Stone School listen to read-alouds, observe environmental print...
Self-Regulation Tips for Toddlers
At Stepping Stone School, we strive to support our families through the many ups and downs of early childhood. The toddler years are a pivotal time in the life of a child. No longer infants, toddlers are transitioning, developing commun...
The Benefits of Quality After School Care
Many parents rely on afterschool programs to care for their child(ren) after they get out of school until they can pick them up after work. Often though, it is difficult to know which program to put them in when the benefits of one progra...
Fun Things to do With Your Children!
When the weather turns wet and cold and school is out for the holidays, it is nice to have some fun and educational indoor activities in your bag of tricks to keep your children engaged and learning. The best thing to do is to identify thin...
Traveling with Children 101
Destination – picked; Plans – made; Luggage – packed… But what about the journey there?!?! You plan a great vacation, but then remember you must travel for SEVERAL hours with young children before arriving at your destination. ...
Screen Time Guidelines
At Stepping Stone School, we continue to explore the latest research on behalf of our families to remain current with the most up-to-date educational practices regarding early childhood development. In doing so, we have closely monitored ...
School Safety: Stepping Stone School Emergency Preparedness Plan
Stepping Stone School is committed to every facet of safety and security for the children we care for each day. That’s why, in addition to all of the safety lessons incorporated into our classroom curriculum, we have developed an Emerge...
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town!
Monday, Dec. 4th–9:00 a.m. Cat Hollow (hosts) visiting: 10:00 a.m. Pflugerville / 11:00 a.m. Parmer Tuesday, Dec. 5th–9:00 a.m. Crestview (hosts) visiting: 10:00 a.m. Hyde Park 10:45 a.m. Northcross / 11:15 a.m. Shoal Creek Wed...
3 Ways to Teach Compassionate Living
As this year’s calendar flips to its final month, I reflect on moments over the past eleven, noting certain instances which stand out in my mind. These times are often the result of either being on the giving or receiving end of compass...
Helping Families Cope with Separation Anxiety
For many parents, it is the most challenging part of the decision to go back to work after having a child: the idea of leaving your child in the care of another. This feeling of separation can be emotionally challenging for both parent an...
Benefits of Play
Two-year-old Ellie set the baby doll in a chair at the table. She balanced a stack of pretend food, a small plate, and a cup and set them on the table before her doll. Ellie took great care to put the food up to the doll’s mouth and h...
Importance of Sleep
I pulled up to my daughter’s elementary school at the end of her first day of Kindergarten. I saw her waiting in the car rider lane with half of her hair pulled out of her pony tail and her thumb in her mouth – the tell-tale signs tha...
It’s a matter of Integrity…
This morning a parent told me, “I was so surprised… my children (almost 5 and 3) got themselves dressed, made their beds, and brushed their teeth without me asking them!” I told her their actions demonstrate that she is consiste...
The Importance of Reading Aloud
It was just like every other afternoon in fifth grade, Mr. Huff gathered my classmates and me together to read a chapter aloud from a book. This particular afternoon, we had set aside a few extra minutes to finish reading Where the Red Fe...
The Benefit of After School Programs
Parents often enroll their child in Early Childcare at Stepping Stone School because they recognize the benefits of preparing him or her for Kindergarten through hands-on learning and academic preparation. But, what happens when that same c...
5 Ways to Encourage Cooperation
I heard excited tones from across the room. Children had gathered around the block center in anticipation. Four children had been working for the past fifteen minutes creating a structure. Their goal was to use every block in the cen...
Coding Foundations
This past Saturday, I sat waiting for my four-year-old to complete his swimming lesson. Looking around the pool deck, I noticed several people (children included) who were engaged with electronic devices: tablets, cell phones, e-readers. ...
Stepping Stone School Children Safely Observe the Eclipse of the Sun
EDIT: Update - Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 21st year! Stepping Stone School Children Safely Observe the Eclipse of the Sun Austin, Texas – August 18, 2017: On Monday, August 21, 2017, all of Nort...
Stepping Stone School Children Award Donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Central Texas
EDIT: Update - Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 21st year! Stepping Stone School Children Award Donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Central Texas Austin, Texas – August 17, 20...
Annual Fall Teachers' Conference
Stepping Stone School teachers, principals, staff, and administrators will gather Saturday, Sept. 9, for our annual educational conference. Each year, Stepping Stone School sponsors this event to provide our teachers with a deeper under...
5 Things to Do with Your Children Before School Starts
My soon-to-be kindergartener asks regularly, “Do I get to go to Kindergarten today?” We’ve marked the calendar, purchased school supplies, met with other up-and-coming Kindergarteners, but, the day is not coming soon enough for my ...
Four Ways to Teach Young Children Fairness
That’s How You Play Three children were sitting around a table playing Candy Land. After a few rounds, Naomi, age 5, picked up the deck of cards and started flipping through them to find the Princess Frostine card which would move he...
Loose Parts
Four-year-old, Ethan, was huddled over a pile of rocks he had collected from around the playground. As I walked over to him, he told me he was looking for “interesting” rocks. Naturally, I wondered what made a rock “interesting....
Stepping Stone School voted BEST IN CHILDCARE for the 19th Year
EDIT: Update July 2020- Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 22nd year! EDIT: Update July 2019- Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 21st year! EDIT: Update July 2018- Stepping S...
Stepping Stone School Voted ”Best in Childcare” for the 19th Year!
EDIT: Update July 2020- Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 22nd year! EDIT: Update July 2019- Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 21st year! EDIT: Update July 2018- Stepping S...
Nurturing the Development of Responsibility
Just after my daughter turned two, she moved into Ms. Alisa’s classroom at one of our Stepping Stone School locations. My daughter had a doctor’s appointment that day, so I picked her up early. I walked into the classroom just as the ...
Now Enrolling for Fall
Get an early start on your fall planning! Stepping Stone School is now enrolling all ages for fall (6 weeks-11 years). Be sure to ask about our proven Kindergarten Readiness Academy and our After-School Enrichment Program! Please contact or...
The Power of Touch
Over nine months of waiting for that moment when I would finally hold my child for the first time. It is one thing to carry a child through pregnancy, but something completely different to touch his face, feel his tiny fingers wrap around...
Stepping Stone School Brings High-Quality Early Care and Education to Kyle’s Plum Creek
EDIT: Update - Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 21st year! Stepping Stone School Brings High-Quality Early Care and Education to Kyle’s Plum Creek Award-Winning Child Development Center Opens 20th C...
Learning Through Play
Children across generations no matter their race, culture, or gender participate in play: enjoying games, inventing stories, imagining and creating worlds within their world. Psychologist David Whitebread of Cambridge University states ...
What I Learned at Stepping Stone School
It seems that many of our most important life lessons are learned during our early formative years. As adults, we take for granted these instrumental lessons picked up while painting and playing in our earliest classroom settings. Excerpt...
Teaching Ownership
In early elementary school, I started playing The Blame Game. My parents would confront me about a situation and I would blame someone else or something else for my choices. My dad’s solution - a song he made up and would sing with ent...
Benefits of Early Bilingualism
Infants have the innate ability to learn multiple languages. According to research by expert Linda Espinosa, Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri at Columbia, the early years are an ideal time to acquire multiple languages. (E...
Gardening with Children
“Gardens offer children perfect laboratories where scientific concepts literally come to life.” -Pam Mohrmann, author and educator My three-year-old can tell you the parts of a plant, a plant’s life cycle, and which parts of t...
Block Play for Essential Early Development
It is a widely-held belief that block play is an essential part of early childhood development, but why? What do these seemingly simple toys help cultivate and why is it so vital to development? Here are some reasons you should consider for...
Journaling with Children
Most of us think of writing in a journal as a “diary” kept locked away or something we wrote in when we were teenagers. However, journaling is an essential literacy experience. Journal is defined as… Journal 1 a: an account o...
Austin Family Magazine 2017 Readers' Poll is Open!
The polls are open for Austin Family magazine’s 2017 Readers’ Poll Favorites! Help make us the “BEST in CHILD CARE” for our 19th year! Don’t forget to ask your friends and family to vote, too! Thank you for your support and v...
Three Stars and a Wish
The world we live in is hyper connected and technology driven, but in this fast-paced society we may have forgotten how to be present and connect with those around us. There are many times I catch myself checking e-mail or mindlessly scroll...
What is Respect?
What is respect? According to four-year-old Julia, respect is “being nice to other people.” Pressing further, I asked “What does being nice mean?” She delightfully answered, “it means you give someone chocolate or a kiss!” ...
What to Do on a Rainy Day in Austin?
Although this time of year can bring a wide variety of weather, we can keep our children active and challenge them physically and mentally year round! “Rainy day” activities can be especially helpful to keep handy for any time outdoor p...
Stepping Stone School featured in cover story of ChildCare Exchange Magazine
Stepping Stone School featured in cover story of ChildCare Exchange Magazine AUSTIN, TX, February 21, 2017 – Stepping Stone School is featured in the cover story in the January/February 2017 issue of ChildCare Exchange Magazine, t...
ChildCare Exchange Magazine Cover Story feature in Jan-Feb 2017 Issue
Rhonda Paver intended to work as a teacher when she and her family moved to Austin, Texas, in 1979. Right off, she needed to find child care for her three children. Unsatisfied with the many large and small operations she looked into, Rhond...
The Marshmallow Test
Almost 50 years ago, Dr. Walter Mischel, psychologist and, at the time, a professor at Stanford University, conducted a series of studies on delayed gratification often referred to as The Marshmallow Experiment. During the study, Mischel’...
Teaching gratitude and giving to young children
*As of August 2019 Stepping Stone School has donated over $80,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas Generosity and gratitude are fundamental cornerstones of character development behind Stepping Stone School’s comprehen...
Embracing Nature!
In the spirit of fall, I took my children to a nearby farm for some outdoor fun. Squatting in a small field, I attempted to capture some cute pumpkin patch photos while the children sat on the itchy hay squinting in the sunlight: “It...
Stepping Stone School Sponsoring Kid's K Race
Join us at the Stepping Stone School Kids’ K at the 26th Annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning at The Long Center. The Kids’ K starts at 8:15am (before the 5-mile run). We group the children according to age an...
October Character Development: Integrity
All the World's a Stage I sometimes feel as if life is a performance. I put on my makeup and dress according to the role I will play that day, exchange formal lines like “Good morning, how are you?” and move from scene to scene through...
September Character Development: Cooperation
Two opposing teams stand on the cusp of a pit of mud. A single rope with a flag tied to its center snakes through the ranks as the teams face off. Tensions mount as each individual anxiously awaits the dreaded whistle blow which will an...
Stepping Stone School raises $10,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas
*As of August 2019 Stepping Stone School has donated over $80,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas From selling refreshing lemonade, warm cookies and creative crafts, the students of Stepping Stone School in Austin, TX p...
Stepping Stone School Raises $10,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities
*As of August 2019 Stepping Stone School has donated over $80,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas STEPPING STONE SCHOOL RAISES $10,000 FOR RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES AUSTIN, TX (September 2, 2016) – From selli...
The Benefits of Handwriting for Young Children
This past school year my kindergartener spent several hours a week learning keyboarding and document processing right alongside reading and writing. As an up and coming first grader, he has been begging for access to my computer all summe...
Why young children are thoughtful and curious beings.
“Don’t put that in your mouth!” “How did you get there?” “Yuck, don’t touch that!” Sound familiar? Phrases like these are often heard erupting from the mouths of the parents of young children. So close to the g...
Why is it Fair…?
“Why is it fair that I have so much when other kids don’t?” kindergartener, Rachel Harris, pointedly asked. With her mother’s support and guidance, Rachel founded Let’s Help Kids, a nonprofit company which works alongside teac...
Welcome, Dr. Chris Lemons to our Advisory Board
Dear Valued Stepping Stone School Families, Twenty years ago, I hired a bright young man as a school age teacher at our Northcross campus. At the time, he was a Psychology undergraduate student at the University of Texas. His love for ou...
Responsibility. What’s that? 5 Actionable Tips to Teach Your Child How to be Responsible.
I recently spoke to an aquatics director at a large facility. The majority of her faculty is made up of young adults ages 18-24. Each year this director is surprised by the number of new applicants whose parents call to try to get them a jo...
Stepping Stone Announces: “The Atelier”
Stepping Stone School’s latest innovation brings students an all-new learning environment in the fields of Art & Design, debuting at our Lakeline location. The Atelier at Stepping Stone School Lakeline is a unique and innovative conc...
School Readiness
Will my child be on the same academic level as his classmates? Will he be able to make new friends? Will he know how to let his teacher know what he needs? Parents with perspective kindergarteners have many concerns as their chil...
Effective vs. Ineffective Praise
“Ineffective Praise?” How can praise be ineffective? Aren’t parents supposed to praise a child’s efforts? Yes and no… America, as a culture, thrives on praise. The idea of not praising a child seems outrageous to many parent...
School to Home Connection Folders
Stepping Stone School is excited to announce a wonderful addition to our Platinum Learning for Life Curriculum™ for our Advanced Pre-Kindergarten classes: School to Home Connection Folders! The addition of these at-home learning and commu...
What is Resilience?
It can be seen in the significant moments in our lives: how we respond to our greatest challenges, our ability “to overcome the odds,” to learn a new skill, and to perform under pressure. Resilience is defined as the capacity to reco...
The Effective Use of Computers with Young Children
Stepping Stone School recently made a major investment in new computer hardware and learning software which has been installed in every three year old through school age classroom at each campus. The use of computers with young children has...
Play Time is Essential
Today’s early childhood education research continues to bring evidence to light that play time is essential for social-emotional and academic development in young children. In The Importance of Being Little, child development expert Erika...
Nine Things Parents of Successful Children Have in Common
"While there isn't a set recipe for raising successful children, psychological research has pointed to a handful of factors that predict success," states Rachel Gillett in her article from Independent, "Nine Things Parents of Successful Ch...
$100 Summer Camp Referral Credit!
Summer is just around the corner, and Stepping Stone School’s Summer Camp is filling up fast! Stepping Stone School is extending a special offer of a $100 tuition credit for families who have a school age child currently enrolled in our...
Stepping Stone School Named 25th Largest Childcare Organization in the Nation
In a recent national survey, Stepping Stone School was named 25th largest early care and education organization in the nation, based on size and capacity. This is a remarkable and impressive designation for a center that began in 1979 with...
Stepping Stone School Featured on Texas Homes For Sale!
" One of the most fraught decisions that a parent has to make is the decision of where and when to place your child in child care. Will this place keep my child safe? Will this place support my child's learning, emotional, social, and intel...
Stepping Stone School Rolls Out Its Newest Curriculum, Platinum Learning for Life™
Over the last three decades, Stepping Stone School has developed its own proprietary and comprehensive early education curriculum. The curriculum is based on 40 years of direct teaching experience and interacting with children, but also on ...
SPRING Into SUMMER!
The Spring Break in mid-March is not far off and before you know it, the school year will be ending! Now is the time to plan ahead and reserve a place for your school age child's care and education during the Spring and Summer breaks! Ou...
Winter Special: Waived Enrollment Fees!
Looking to enroll your child in a premier early education program this winter? We invite you to take a tour of any of our campuses to explore our Platinum Learning for Life curriculum and learn more about our innovative Early Achievers ...
Winter Break Camp 2015
Winter Break will be here before you know it, and Stepping Stone School is gearing up to launch our winter program to keep our students’ minds engaged while school is closed for the holidays. At The Brainery, we will be immersing ours...
Severe Weather Monitoring and Safety 10/30
Stepping Stone School follows the highest order of safety practices for severe weather. We are monitoring all weather conditions and applying safety precautions continuously. Faculty members are thoroughly trained for all severe weather saf...
The Emergent Writing Philosophy of Stepping Stone School
At Stepping Stone School we are laying the foundation for success in literacy by providing children with early writing opportunities. Children begin demonstrating pre-writing skills as toddlers and these abilities continue to develop throug...
Reading Readiness at Stepping Stone School
Research demonstrates that the single activity that has the greatest impact on reading readiness is being read to on a regular basis. Each day, the children at Stepping Stone School listen to read-alouds, observe environmental print, delve ...
Bob Books For Reading Readiness and Early Literacy!
In keeping with our pledge to prepare children for kindergarten, Stepping Stone School has recently adopted a Learn-to-Read Curriculum for our Advanced Pre-Kindergarten Classes. The Bob Books were chosen based on their reputation for suppor...
Bus and Van Safety is our Top Priority!
When leaving their child in the care of someone else, most parents say the safety of their child is their number one concern. At Stepping Stone School, we could not agree more, especially when it comes to safety in and around the vans and b...
Stepping Stone Students Donate $6500 to Ronald McDonald House Charities
From selling refreshing lemonade, warm cookies and creative crafts, the students of Stepping Stone Schools in Austin, TX put their business minds and giving hearts to work at the schools’ Young Entrepreneurs & Philanthropists summer c...
Young Students at Stepping Stone School Raise Over $3,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities
Young Students at Stepping Stone School Raise Over $3,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities AUSTIN, TX (August 20, 2015) – From selling refreshing lemonade, warm cookies and creative crafts, the students of Stepping Stone School...
A Fresh Look at Our Latest Campus - Southpark Meadows
Here is a virtual tour of our newest campus at Southpark Meadows, which opened in March 2015! This campus has a nature conservation theme woven into every facet of the school, from the heritage oak tree giving shade to the playscape to the ...
Summer Camp Enrollments Filling up Quickly
It’s not too late to give your child the gift of “Summer’s Smartest Destination,” a whole-child adventure that will nourish his or her mind, body and heart! This summer, we are exploring the far reaches of the Earth as we investi...
Stepping Stone School at Northcross Accreditation Renewed
Stepping Stone School is pleased to announce that its Northcross campus has again been awarded accreditation by the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs! NAC Accreditation signifies that Step...
2015 Spring Break Camp
There's still time to sign up for Stepping Stone School's 2015 Spring Break Camp featuring the Hidden World of Spies! This spring break, we will use S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) principles and activ...
Southpark Meadows Campus to Open March 2
Stepping Stone School Bringing High-Quality Preschool, Childcare to Austin’s Southpark Meadows Award-Winning Child Development Center Opening 19th Campus AUSTIN, Texas, February 11, 2015 – In an area renowned for its commitment to ed...
Stepping Stone School Southpark Meadows
Stepping Stone School Bringing High-Quality Preschool, Childcare to Austin’s Southpark Meadows March 2, 2015 Award-Winning Child Development Center Opening 19th Campus AUSTIN, Texas, February 11, 2015 – In an area renowned fo...
Be the First to See Our Newest Campus
We are currently accepting enrollment applications for our newest state-of-the-art campus being constructed in Austin's Southpark Meadows. Get an early look at our new school, which will feature a nature conservation theme. Like all of o...
Hatch Technology Wins Fourth National Educational Technology Award
TeachSmart® 3.0 by Hatch has been recognized as the Best Software for Early Learning by the ComputED Gazette in the 19th Annual Education Software Review Awards Stepping Stone School is proud to use Hatch interactive technolog...
Southpark Meadows Campus Update
We're making great progress on our next premier early care and education campus, being built in Southpark Meadows. The school will have a nature/conservation theme and will meet the nurturing and educational needs of infant, preschool ...
Acing the Transition to Kindergarten
At Stepping Stone School, we’ve designed our kindergarten-readiness programs to give your child the skills and confidence to make the transition to elementary school an exciting but comfortable one. But as your child’s first teacher, y...
Stepping Stone School Awards CDA Scholarships to Teachers
Twenty educators throughout our campuses are on their way to expanding their knowledge and skill in early childhood education, thanks to CDA scholarships from Stepping Stone School! The group of 20 Stepping Stone School teachers will begin...
Encouraging Healthy Eating on a Working Parent's Schedule
Healthy eating for children sometimes seems to be a bumpy road pitted with obstacles and hurdles. As parents, we want to give our children the foundations for achieving all their current and future goals. And of course, we know that achi...
Visit Saturday to Learn More about our Future Southpark Meadows Campus
Join us this Saturday, June 7, from 10:00 a.m. to noon to learn more about our Southpark Meadows campus. Stop by our Kyle campus to get an idea of what your family can expect when our latest state-of-the-art campus opens in January 2015 ...
Stepping Stone School’s Marilee Blackwelder Receives Education Award
The AAEYC honors Stepping Stone School educator Stepping Stone School, the largest privately owned childcare provider in Central Texas and a pioneer in early childhood education, has announced that its director of training, Marilee Blackwe...
Stepping Stone School Debuts Groundbreaking New Summer Camp Concept
Stepping Stone School, the largest privately owned childcare provider in Central Texas and a pioneer in early childhood education standards, has recently unveiled its newest program – a comprehensive school-age camp that includes an innov...
The Importance of Vocabulary Development
Vocabulary development begins in infancy and is the foundation on which children’s language and literacy skills are built. Research shows that the size of a child’s vocabulary is a strong indicator of future school success. At Steppi...
Raising a Resourceful Child
“Resourcefulness, the ability to meet challenges in a variety of ways, is a by-product of creative intelligence. “As children develop resourcefulness, they learn to trust their instincts and unique abilities. They acquire a positive ...
The Benefits of Signing with Young Children
Our curriculum incorporates American Sign Language into all of our classrooms. We know that children build confidence as they increase their ability to communicate in signs. This leads to a greater confidence in oral communication as wel...
Raising a Reader: Tips for Parents
How can you help your child be ready to read and ready to learn? Talk to your infant and toddler to help him learn to speak and understand the meaning of words. Point to objects that are near and describe them as you play and do dail...
Smooth Sailing to Kindergarten
Ensuring your children acquire the knowledge and skills to be ready for kindergarten is the highest priority in our advanced pre-K classrooms. Our Early Achievers Program blends into our Kindergarten Readiness Academy not only the Texas ...
Discoveries in Nature
Children’s discoveries in nature can be made wherever there are trees, grass, dirt, leaves, twigs, sunlight or rain. We facilitate the discoveries by pointing out leaf shapes, insect life under a rock, ladybugs on a plant, worms in the...
Sign up for Onsite Swimming Lessons
Eleven of our Austin-area schools will offer water safety and swim instruction to children this summer. Swimming lessons are a great way to beat the heat and learn how to swim or sharpen swimming techniques. Our swim instructors are certif...
Using Work Strategies at Home
We may joke that working with our coworkers is like working with children. But did you know that you can apply some of the same strategies to get things done at work and at home? Foster teamwork – Let your children contribute ideas...
Raising an Empathetic Child
When we empathize with children, they learn from us the following: Their feelings are valid Recognition and acceptance of emotions Ability to label feelings with appropriate words Knowledge that emotions can be expressed t...
Five Tips for Healthier Eating
Stepping Stone School is your partner in raising healthy, happy and confident children. To that end, we serve balanced and nutritional meals and snacks and offer the following suggestions for encouraging healthy eating in children. 1...
Easing Separation Anxiety
At Stepping Stone School, our expert team of professionals recognize and are sensitive to the anxieties parents and children often feel when separating from one another. While separation anxiety is a natural experience for both children ...
Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead Spring Break Camp
We're excited to announce Stepping Stone School’s “Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead” 2014 Spring Break Camp! Over the course of the spring and summer breaks, we will be investigating the S.T.E.A.M. domains of science, technology, engineerin...
Math for All Ages
Concrete experiences with math concepts and interactions with teachers have a direct impact on your children’s acquisition of mathematical skills. When children manipulate materials in their classrooms and learning centers, they pract...
Encouraging Self-Regulation in Young Children
Children’s self-regulation is closely tied to school readiness and success. As children develop and practice self-regulation skills, they are less frustrated and more successful, not only in school, but in social interactions and per...
Electronic Reporting Coming to All Campuses
We are pleased to announce that Tadpoles, our electronic communications system for photos, daily reports, other notifications, will be in all of our schools in the next couple of months. Tadpoles makes it easy for you to follow your chil...
STREAM Curriculum Coming Soon!
This January, we are launching an exciting curriculum emphasis that incorporates the principles of STREAM (Science, Technology, Relationships, Engineering, Arts and Math) education! "This is the culmination of months of research," said R...
Students Kick off 2013 Turkey Trot
[caption id="attachment_5996" align="alignright" width="150"] Stepping Stone School Turkey Trot[/caption] The students of Stepping Stone School at Shoal Creek competed in yesterday's cool morning to determine which of them was the Turkey...
Stepping Stone School Sponsoring Kids' K Race
Join us at the Stepping Stone School Kids’ K at the 23rd Annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning at The Long Center. The Kids' K starts at 8:45am (before the 5-Mile Run). We group the children according to age and ...
Join Us for Our 2013 Winter Break
December 23, 2013-January 3, 2014 We are looking forward to our 2013 Winter Break Camp, “European Adventure!” Plan to have your school-age children join this fun & educational school break camp. European Adventure Our Winter Break ...
Tadpoles Instant Reports Are Here!
We're excited to add Tadpoles electronic daily reports to our offerings. These private and secure communications give our parents greater insight into their children's school day. Parents can: Receive photos, videos, notes and daily char...
Stepping Stone School to Open New South Austin Campus
Newest School Expected to Provide Early Care, Education by January 2015 Stepping Stone School today announced its plans to bring a new state-of-the-art early care and education campus to Austin’s Southpark Meadows. This will be the priva...
CDA Scholarship Winners Announced
Stepping Stone School has once again awarded CDA scholarships to many of its employees. The group of 20 Stepping Stone School teachers will begin classes next week to earn their Child Development Associate credentials. The CDA program will...
Fall Enrollment Specials Extended
Specials Extended! Stepping Stone School already is the best early care and education value. But now we're giving you even more reason to see for yourself all we have to offer your family. Free Enrollment! Enroll by October 31, 2013, and we...
School Age Children Raise $3,000 for Charity
*As of August 2019 Stepping Stone School has donated over $80,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas We're so proud of our Austin Young Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists! These school-age children, who attended our summ...
Stepping Stone School Adds Gymnastics Enrichment Classes
Beginning next week, Stepping Stone School will offer a gymnastics class for 2-6 year old girls and boys. Flippers, taught by Gym Station instructors, will be a weekly onsite extracurricular activity available to our students. This pre-sch...
Elementary School Pickups and Dropoffs
It’s hard to believe that the summer is winding down and school will be starting in a few weeks! We’ve had a great time with our Future Leaders & Innovators during Summer Camp and are looking forward to a busy and productive schoo...
Stepping Stone School Founder Featured in Local Magazine
We are pleased and honored to be featured in Austin Family magazine's August issue. This Q&A interview with Austin Family's Melanie Dunham covers topics ranging from the history of our 34-year-old company and its curriculum to our care...
KEYE Meteorologist Visits Stepping Stone School
KEYE meteorologist Allison Miller visited with our school-aged children this week to talk about meteorology and careers in broadcasting. These visits are a part of our Children's Conference Center series, during which community members visi...
Stepping Stone School Wins 'Best in Childcare' Honors for 15th Year!
EDIT: Update July 2020- Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 22nd year! EDIT: Update July 2019- Stepping Stone School has now won Austin's Best in Childcare for a 21st year! EDIT: Update July 2018- Stepping S...
Limited Time Enrollment Specials
These specials have been extended until August 31, 2013!! Stepping Stone School already is the best early care and education value. But now we’re giving you even more reason to see for yourself all we have to offer your family. ...
Openings Still Available for Summer Camp
It's not too late to give your child the gift of “Summer’s Smartest Destination,” a whole-child adventure that will nourish his or her mind, body and spirit! CURRICULUM (Mind) – Our educational themes are the basis for fun, i...
Stepping Stone School at Lakeline Receives NAC Accreditation Notice
Stepping Stone School at Lakeline today received a letter notifying the school of its renewal of accreditation from the Association for Early Learning Leaders (formerly known as the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Educa...
Positive Parenting Meetings: Kindergarten Readiness Academy
We invite families to attend one of our Positive Parenting Meetings during the months of March and April. Learn how our Kindergarten Readiness Academy provides the ideal components to ensure your child’s successful transition to element...
Advanced Pre-Kindergarten Week, March 4-8
We invite you to learn more about our Kindergarten Readiness Academy during our ADVANCED PRE-KINDERGARTEN WEEK March 4-8! Stop by and view the impressive Advanced Pre-K displays presented this week! Each day, different kindergarten-readi...
We're Celebrating Dr. Seuss's Birthday
We will be celebrating this much-loved children’s author with daily events throughout the week of March 4-8! Stop by to see all the festivities as the children learn about this writer, poet and illustrator known formally as Theodor Seuss...
Stepping Stone School is 'Summer's Smartest Destination!'
Start planning now for summer! “Summer’s Smartest Destination” is a whole-child approach that will nourish your child’s mind, body and spirit! CURRICULUM (Mind) – Our educational themes are the basis for fun, interesting activit...
Ornithological Observation Subject of Smart Spring Break Program
This year's spring break theme, Ornithological Observation, and activities will keep your child learning while having fun. Reading, reflective thinking, writing and fine arts provide educational opportunities to build skills in leadership,...
Exciting Winter Break Camp Planned
We are looking forward to our 2012 Winter Break Camp, “A Day at the Museum!” Plan to have your school-age children join our fun & educational school break camp. A Day at the Museum Our Winter Break camp activities and discussions w...
Beloved Pre-K Teacher Nominated for Mother Ginger Honor
We have the best families! Maryam Gharbi, one of our parents, has nominated our very own Colleen Paulk for the honor of performing in Ballet Austin's The Nutcracker production on Dec. 23. Please help us and her families by voting for ...
Stepping Stone School Turkey Callers Featured on TV
Stepping Stone School was the site of the annual Turkey Call, promoting the 22nd annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot and Stepping Stone School Kids' K race. The sounds of “Gobble! Gobble!” filled the autumn air Tuesday when the studen...
Stepping Stone School Adds New Layer of Quality Assurance
Several times a year, our Quality Assurance specialists assess every classroom, nutrition center and administrator in every school to ensure the highest standards of safety, nurturance, environment and curriculum for each child in our care....
Stepping Stone School-Age Children Earn, Donate Money to Charity
Katy Scott, Director of Community Engagement Brazos Valley at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas (right) with Lindsay Trimble, Campus Principal of Stepping Stone School at Rock Prairie and Heather Richter, School Age Teacher...
Stepping Stone School Families Donate to Vets' Pantry
Again this year, Stepping Stone School delivered hundreds of pounds of food donated by its families and employees to the Killeen-Heights Veterans Center food pantry in Harker Heights near Fort Hood. In early June, the children at Steppin...
CPR Positive Parenting Meeting July 21
Stepping Stone School is offering an infant/child/adult CPR/first aid training class for the convenience of our families. Call today and make reservations for yourself, a friend or teen babysitter to attend. WHO: Anyone who wants to lear...
Stepping Stone School Summer Reading Challenge Begins
Stepping Stone School school-age students have taken on a 13-week summer reading challenge. This contest encourages our young readers to spend more time reading and helping others with their reading skills, and is just one of many ways Ste...
Stepping Stone School Observing Sun Safety Week
This week, the children at Stepping Stone School are learning about UV rays, SPF, heat and other things related to summer sun! Here are some of the tips they will be studying to help keep them and their families safe during our Texas summe...
Stepping Stone School 20 Now Open!
Stepping Stone School is pleased and excited to announce the opening today of its newest early care and education facility in College Station, Texas! The school, located at 205 Rock Prairie Rd., serves children ages 6 weeks through 11 ye...
Learning Happens All Year Long at Stepping Stone!
The beginning of summer may mark the end of the official “school year,” but at Stepping Stone School, the learning never ends! Our year-round developmental learning curriculum continues to provide your children with intellect-stimulati...
Enrolling Now for Our Premier Summer Program
We are now enrolling for our School Age Summer Adventure Camp! Highlights include: Exciting Field Journeys like bowling, rock climbing, ceramics, Inner Space Caverns, Lego Robotics and Stepping Stone School’s Private Movie Theater! ...
Stepping Stone School Donates Cribs to Charitable Organization
Cribs to benefit vulnerable families, survivors of domestic violence Stepping Stone School has donated approximately 230 gently used infant cribs and mattresses valued at about $50,000 to a family shelter in Monterrey, Mexico. Continuin...
Leveled Readers Coming to Stepping Stone School Pre-K Classrooms
We are introducing Beginning Level Early Readers into our Advanced Prekindergarten class libraries this spring! Children in these classrooms will use these graduated readers to fine tune the literacy skills that enable them to decipher w...
Premier Private Kindergarten Now Enrolling for Fall!
Stepping Stone School is now enrolling for its Premier Private Kindergarten! Your child's kindergarten year is a very important foundational experience. We invite you to stop by and see how our curriculum and programs can best prepare your...
Stepping Stone School Offers Organic Gardening Spring Break Camp
Stepping Stone School is excited to announce its “Start Smart” 2012 Spring Break Camp, “Organic Gardening & Healthy Living.” Some of the highlights include field trips to such places as: Austin Nature & Science Center...
Stepping Stone School Now Provides Hot Lunch to School-Age Children
NEW! Stepping Stone School is now serving nutritious and healthy hot lunches to our school-age children during school holidays and breaks. This service is always provided to our younger children at no additional cost, but has now been expa...
Stepping Stone School Named 21st Largest Preschool
In its January/February 2012 issue, Exchange magazine has listed Stepping Stone School as the 21st largest for-profit child care organization in North America. The list, which is based on the licensed capacities of all centers, included ...
Students Kick Off Turkey Trot with Turkey Call
Echoes of “Gobble! Gobble!” filled the autumn air Tuesday when the students of Stepping Stone School IX competed to determine which of them was the Turkey Calling Champion. Stepping Stone School and ThunderCloud Subs kicked off the 2...
Dual Language Immersion Lab Newest Enrichment at Stepping Stone School
Stepping Stone School is pleased to announce the addition of its new foreign language enhancement! The Dual Language Immersion Labs will give students at each school a jump start at learning a second language. According to the American...
Chess More Than a Game at Stepping Stone School
"That's what chess is all about. One day you give your opponent a lesson, the next day he gives you one." - Bobby Fischer, American chess grandmaster Chess – These classes and tournaments provide a multitude of benefits to our young...
Stepping Stone School Leaders Expand Knowledge at NAEYC Conference
Stepping Stone School campus principals and curriculum leaders recently returned from the NAEYC 2011 Annual Conference & Expo in Orlando, FL, where they attended workshops and sessions by other experts in child development. "These work...
Stepping Stone School 17 Relocates to Beautiful, New Campus
Stepping Stone School opened the doors to its newest campus on Monday, Oct. 3, to the delight of its students and parents alike. Children were seen at Thursday's open house event excitedly exploring their new school, its play areas and cla...
Stepping Stone School Families Donate Busload of Food to Disabled Veterans
Stepping Stone School delivered hundreds of pounds of food donated by its families and employees to the veterans' counseling center in Harker Heights near Fort Hood. In early June, the children at Stepping Stone School learned that returni...
Stepping Stone School Awards CDA Scholarships to Its Teachers
A group of 22 Stepping Stone School scholarship-winning teachers have just begun classes to earn their Child Development Associate degree.The CDA program will reinforce our teachers' knowledge and understanding of the intellectual, socia...
Rhonda Paver Appointed to Governor's Council
Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Stepping Stone School Founder Rhonda Paver to the Texas Early Learning Council. This council assesses early childhood education and care programs across the state and develops opportunities for collaboration...
Six Schools Awarded Texas School Ready! Certification
Six Stepping Stone School locations recently earned the Texas School Ready! certification for 2010. Among private preschools in Austin, Stepping Stone School now has the largest number of Texas School Ready! certified schools. The TSR! Cert...
Stepping Stone Childrens' Gobbles Kick Off 2010 Turkey Trot
Stepping Stone School kicked off the holiday season and this year’s Turkey Trot with the annual Turkey Call yesterday. The children in the advanced pre-K classes at Stepping Stone IX dressed up, sang, and demonstrated their best turke...
Stepping Stone Voted Best Preschool by Nickelodeon Parents!
We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Austin parents for choosing us Best Preschool! We're so pleased to be Austin's 2010 Nickelodeon's Parents' Pick. Thank you for your support ... we couldn't have done it without you!...
Kyle Stepping Stone School Opens
Our newest location opened on Monday, Aug. 23, and we're so excited to be part of the Kyle community! We look forward to providing Hays County with the same excellent early care and education that has earned us the "Best in Austin" designat...
Stepping Stone School Voted Austin's Best for 12th Year!
Stepping Stone School has been named "Best Preschool 2010" in the Austin Family Magazine Readers' Poll. This is the 12th year Stepping Stone School has received this honor. Thank you to all our families for your support!...
Watch Us Grow!
Stepping Stone School is expanding to Kyle, Texas! Our Daycare center in Hays County is scheduled to be open and bustling with academic energy this Fall....
Advanced Pre-K Week - March 8-12
During the week of March 8-12, we celebrated the education and remarkable achievement of our children with Advanced Pre-Kindergarten week. Each day of this fun learning week, educators highlighted a different Kindergarten Readiness skill th...
Stepping Stone School 6 Receives NAC Accreditation
Stepping Stone School 6 received notice of accreditation from the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs (NAC). NAC Accreditation demonstrates and documents Stepping Stone School's quality performance using ...
Stepping Stone School Appears at Breakfast with Santa at the Capitol
The Texas Capitol building was a-buzz with the laughter of children mixed with holiday sounds Saturday, Dec. 5 when Stepping Stone School, exclusively selected to provide arts and crafts activities, helped the children make ornaments and ...
Stepping Stone School Kids K Helps Caritas
The thunder of footsteps is now just a memory, but the Stepping Stone School Kids K Race was a huge success! About 900 children participated in the one-kilometer race, benefiting Caritas of Austin. Children and parents alike enjoyed the S...
Stepping Stone School Gobblers Open Season on Turkey Trot Registration
Echoes of "Gobble! Gobble!" filled the crisp autumn air Nov. 18 when the students of Stepping Stone School IX competed to determine which of them is the Turkey Calling King or Queen. This year's winner was 5-year-old Evan. Stepping S...
Stepping Stone School Summer Bash a 'Smashing Success'
Stepping Stone School topped off its Summer Adventure Camp in style with the Annual End of Summer Bash. There were clowns, slides, face-painting, food, fun and LOTS of foam! Although we're sad to see the summer end, we're thrilled that we s...
Summer Specialty Camp!
Stepping Stone School is now enrolling for our School Age Summer Adventure Camp! Exciting weekly and monthly camps including Science Experiments, Culinary Academy, and Theater Productions and exciting activities such as Lazer Tag, Rock C...
Stepping Stone School Guides Parents in Preschool Search
In a recent issue of the Austin American-Statesman, Stepping Stone School offered guidance for working parents who are searching for quality early care and education. Marilee Blackwelder, Director of Training at Stepping Stone School pr...
Health Advisory
Stepping Stone School will continue updating you on important health-related information as it becomes available. Please click here to read our letter to parents including helpful tips on preventing the spread of illness (PDF). For tips on ...
NAC Accreditation
Stepping Stone School I on Richcreek and Steppping Stone School V on Wells Branch Parkway were recently accredited by the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs (NAC), recognizing the schools for exemplif...
2009 Austin Family Readers' Poll
Polls are open! Help keep Stepping Stone School "Best in Child Care". Thank you for your support and votes as we continue providing the best early care and education! [*Update 5/15/2009 - Polls are now closed. Thank you for your support!]...
National Recognition
Stepping Stone School has been recognized as the 21st largest privately owned child care organization in North America by Exchange magazine, the official publication of Child Care Information Exchange. ...
Car Seat Calendar
Properly installing a car seat is one of the most important aspects of ensuring a child's safety. To ensure that all parents are familiar with how to effectively, safely use car seats, the Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas ...
Stepping Stone School Kids' K at Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot
Join us at the Stepping Stone School Kids' K at the 18th Annual Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning at Waterloo Park. Children can run or walk the Kids' K and then head over to the Stepping Stone School Kids' Area featurin...
Stepping Stone School Turkey Call Kicks Off Thanksgiving Festivities
The children at Stepping Stone School IX on Shoal Creek participated in Stepping Stone School's annual Turkey Call to initiate the Thanksgiving festivities leading up to the Stepping Stone School Kids' K at the 18th Annual Thundercloud Subs...
Texas School Ready! Certification
Five Stepping Stone School locations—Richcreek, Woodland Village, Pflugerville, Blockhouse, and Red River—recently earned the Texas School Ready! certification for outstanding preschool education classrooms that effectively prepare stud...
Texas Rising Star Four-Star Certification
Stepping Stone School II on Bowling Green has been named a 4-Star Texas Rising Star vendor, the highest award offered by the program. The Texas Rising Star program is designed to provide families with the highest quality child care availabl...
Early Childhood Education Consortium
Stepping Stone School founders Rhonda and Bill Paver have been recognized for their contributions to Early Childhood Education by an invitation to join the Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC). The Consortium represents the larges...
Rhonda Paver to present at World Child Care Forum
Stepping Stone School founder Rhonda Paver has once again been asked to present at the international Working Forum for Multi-Site Early Childhood Organizations to take place in October 2008. Mrs. Paver will be presenting on the topic: How C...
Stepping Stone School Supports Early Literacy in Central Texas
Stepping Stone School is proud to support early literacy efforts in the community by sponsoring the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation (LEEF), a public charity committed to helping improve academic outcomes in the Leander Independ...
Stepping Stone School featured in Community Impact Newspaper
Stepping Stone School was featured in Community Impact Newspaper's June 2008 edition. Click here to view the entire article (PDF download). ...
Stepping Stone School Voted Best Child Care - 2008 Austin Family Magazine Readers' Poll
Stepping Stone School is as the top of its class! Click here to view the full listing of poll results....
Stepping Stone School XVIII – NOW OPEN!
The School of Life, located at Seton Medical Center Williamson in Round Rock, TX provides on-site care for Seton Healthcare Network employees and the general public. Please call 512.341.0909 for more information or to enroll your child. ...
The Kids ARE Alright
Slate Magazine reviews an in-depth study on what child care really means!...