Stepping Stone Pre School In Burlingame

I am very pleased with Stepping Stone. It’s a very well run school… They communicate well and I feel my child is well looked after (and is learning to boot). Teresa is the key… She’s a fantastic director of the school. She knows what she is doing and is very professional. I highly recommend Stepping Stone.

This is long overdue. I highly recommend Stepping Stone. My son went to this Pre School from age 3 – 5 and had a great experience. Teresa, the owner, was great with my son. She is firm, but caring with the kids and knows that they need to be prepared for Kindergarten not just academically, but socially. As he attended, he grew in many ways, along with his classmates. he was more than ready for Kindergarten when he graduated and is doing very well. It was a great experience for us because we were looking for something that would challenge him, not coddle him, but care for him too. Stepping Stone is that place. Pricilla and the rest of the staff were very good to my son and he is where he is now (well achieving student in 1^st grade at Roosevelt) because of it. THANK YOU!!:)

I have had my daughter at Stepping Stone for 2 ½ years now and couldn’t be happier. They run a terrific program in which all the kids interact with each other and are also broken into age groups to focus on individual developmental skills. The staff are always very upbeat and encouraging the kids. The director runs a well organized and structured program. Expectations and goals for the kids and parents are all explained clearly upfront and they hold themselves as well as the parents and kids accountable which is all anyone can ask. The school is always very clean and tidy and the children are expected to participate in keeping it that way which is great. This attitude has carried over to our home where our daughter never fights having to help clean up her room and actually takes great pride in doing so. Since both my wife and I work we were initially concerned that our daughter wouldn’t have the necessary attention paid to her to learn basic manners and social interaction skills. Those fears proved to be nothing but a waste of time as the school has done a magnificent job of helping our daughter to develop into a well adjusted and well mannered 4 ½ year old. They have very creative projects and activities for the kids as well as a terrific play yard in which they are able to spend a lot of time outside. All in all Stepping Stone has met and/​or exceeded any of our expectations!

First and foremost, I would like to say that I am so happy and impressed with Stepping Stone. Like most parents, I did a lot of research and tours of different preschools throughout the Bay Area. Of all the options, Stepping Stone was my first choice and it was just a matter of waiting for an opening (definitely a good sign if the school is full!).
My oldest child has been there almost a year and my youngest will start in the Winter. Teresa is wonderful and she hand picks her staff so well. Teresa cares so much about the children and she creates a loving environment that makes learning fun. I was shocked to read the negative reviews about her (of course I saw these reviews prior to touring the school however two friends of mine had mentioned the school to me so I decided to follow through with the tour… and I am so glad I did). In my opinion these negative reviews are furthest from the truth. My child is a very picky eater and Teresa has diligently worked with me, giving me different options, so that my child will eat and have enough energy at school. All the rules of the school are clearly outlined in the concise student handbook. Teresa along with the rest of the staff sticks to those guidelines which are typical for most schools.
Here are some reasons why I chose Stepping Stone and why I am so happy sending my child there:
–Open year round with enrollment anytime… you do not have to wait until August or Sept to enroll. You just have to see if there is an opening and if not, then put your name on the waiting list! Also only closed on usual holidays, one week in mid year, and two weeks for Xmas (many schools I toured were closed for at least a month during the summer).
— Sick policy — though it sounds strict (symptom/​fever free for 24 hours) it works! My child has been sick only once and he has been there almost a year! Also the school is very clean and the staff teaches the children to wash their hands regularly.
–Communication — if I ever need to check up on my child or have a question for the teachers I just call and they ALWAYS answer. I never get a recording during school hours. Also when I pick up my child, he is allowed to run to me… not sure why other Unilocaler said otherwise.
–Entertainment comes to the school instead of field trips — imagine packing up 30+ small children in car seats or having them walk along busy streets? Not a good idea and I have heard too many horror stories about toddler field trips. One of the activities they do is gymnastics. They have a special instructor come to the school and set up mats, etc… Recently they had a Bay Area dentist visit and teach the children. Fun!
–All food is provided! So you do not need to pack a lunch. And like I said earlier, Teresa is more than willing to work with you if your child has any allergies or food dislikes!
–Preparation for kindergarten — so far so good! My child is learning something new everyday and always comes home with a new art project. I am amazed at how much my child has already learned since entering Stepping Stone.
–Teaching staff — excellent student to teacher ratio. The staff is nurturing and responsive to the students’ needs. I really like ALL the teachers there and so does my son!
Overall I am very happy with Stepping Stone. And last but not least, I have no special interest in Stepping Stone nor was I given a special gift card to Starbucks to write this review. I am just a regular mom writing a positive review about a school that I am so pleased with. Plus, 30+ other parents wake up every morning to drop off their children at Stepping Stone… so I know I am not alone in my thinking!

The school setting has the look and feel of a cozy preschool. It’s adorable. That was originally what made me think I was the luckiest parent to have found a spot there. It was perfect until I had a different opinion about anything that had to do with my childs experience at the school. Not the right fit for us. The Director was condescending in my opinion & as another reviewer mentioned here, her «my way or the high way» structure was not very collaborative & warm. My daughter was there for five months & while she enjoyed all of the play, the yard, toys, etc (what three year old wouldn’t really?), it didn’t balance out the negativity I experienced with the teachers & director.
My daughter received a «sad face» for not listening to the director at nap time ONE DAY & the director made her tell me at the end of the day «why she got a sad face today» and say sorry to me. My daughter seemed so embarrassed & it broke my heart. :(She was playing with her stuffed lamb that she had for naptime so the director took it away from her & then forgot to return it until I asked her if she had returned it to my daughter after two days.
Aside from that, pretty much cold lunches all of the same each day of each week and when my daughter wouldn’t eat lunch, I wasn’t able to bring anything else for her unless it was in «sandwich form.» I couldn’t bring hummus, crackers, avocado, any of her favorites & none of these were offered as a healthy snack.
Just a pain in the neck to deal with the teachers & director all the way around. Everything was an issue… Couldn’t get any answers to any questions from teachers without getting clearance with the director… when my daughter was sick I was told that she had to be «symptom free» before she could return to school despite of her doctor giving her complete clearance to return (she had a common cold). I’m definitely one for following rules & having structure but the way it was gone about here — again with very little collaboration with me — made me feel sad to leave my daughter there each day. I couldn’t wait to pick her up at the end of the day.

Two of my children have gone to Stepping Stones (one graduated, one is still there and my youngest will start next Fall) and we couldn’t me more thrilled with this school. The Director, Teresa, has been wonderful and I appreciate how up front she was about how the school runs and what to expect. If you want your children to thrive in a fun, yet structured and nurturing environment, then this is the school for you. The students work on letters, writing their names, learn numbers, arts and crafts. They also do work sheets where they learn all the skills that will prep them for Kindergarten or their next educational next level. The outside play area is wonderful as well… love that the children can run around in a safe area. We couldn’t ask for more wonderful teachers! Oh, and they celebrate and learn about every Holiday and have such a special graduation ceremony at the end of the year for the little graduates.

My son went to Stepping Stone and we both loved it! The Director, Teresa is wonderful as well as her staff. They take great care of the children. I was impressed with the program and prepping my son for Kindergarten. I was even more impressed when my son’s Kindergarten teacher asked what pre-​school he went to because he was so prepped and she wanted to send her two year old to the same school! This confirmed that Stepping Stone is a great Pre School! Many creative activities and a big playground for the children to play in. Five big stars for Stepping Stone in Burlingame!

My son went here for 7 months until I felt the need to find another school. The director is controlling, condescending and her my-​way-​or-​the-​highway attitude did not work for me. I know a lot of parents are happy here and I think this is a good place for non-​working parents, but it didn’t work for me.
Good:
–The teachers are super nice and they seemed to care about the children
–The artwork/​projects are cute and creative (be ready for one a day!)
–The school is a little house that is in a cute neighborhood
–The outside area is wonderful with a big play structure, ride on toys and a sand box
–They have a ton of toys to play with
–Hours of operation are good 7:30a-6:00p
–Lunch is provided (although it’s only sandwiches)
Bad:
–THE DIRECTOR!!!- Bad attitude! For me this overshadows the good things about the school.
–Strict sick policy (my sons new school only calls when a child is acting sick or there is a fever-​not if they only have diarrhea)
–Director tried to ban us from coming to school even though I had a doctor’s note saying he could return
–My son was sick a lot! Since I removed my son from this school, he hasn’t been sick once. Our new school has a professional cleaner that comes every night and the kids are seperated by age group in their own classes.
–Couldn’t bring breakfast for my son to finish (7:30a drop off)
–Closed for (3) weeks a year and you still have to pay
–No enrichment offered (gymnastics only)
–Only cold sandwiches for lunch (a problem if your child doesn’t like that)
–All children must nap or be quiet in their cot (up to 5 years)
–Children are forced to sit at tables to draw or play at pick up time and are not allowed to run to you when you enter the building (our new school lets the children play outside until you pick up)
–Show-​and-​Tell only once a month
–No cubbies for the children’s personal items (my son loves this in the new school)
–No parent teacher conferences (you only know if your child isn’t doing well here)

All three of my children have attended Stepping Stones for preschool. I absolutely love the teachers. Teresa, the owner of the school, is well educated, very well organized and takes her job seriously. I love that the school is located inside the neighborhood rather than on a busy street as many of the preschools I visited had playgrounds backing up to noisy streets. I also like that the school is small. Another plus for me is that they do not take the kids on field trips. We do enough traveling and local day trips as it is. I hope this helps!