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August 2023 by Michael Rutland
I have three children at school there, and I have to say that they have done a great job with my three girls!My youngest one: the teachers take wonderful care of her, especially in how they show a lot of patience when she fails to fall asleep. She also was not walking at her expected age, but the teachers worked with her and she’s now running around like a little dynamo! She also learned a great deal of sign language from the instructors, and regularly uses it at home.My middle child is 3.5 years old, and she speaks at an advanced level and is quite independent. The play-based environment of Stepping Stone allows her to interact with the other children in a more productive way than simply dumping her on the playground would afford. The best part is that she produced a lot of higher-level work from her time with the teachers, and the curriculum is the way they ensure the impact of the work. The structure of activities really works to the advantage of the students, and helped my daughter to become the best person she could be.My oldest is 9, and she attends Stepping Stone after school program and the summer camp program. All of the activity there has made her gone from being a wallflower to the center of attention. A lot of the praise we can offer here is in how the she went from being afraid of water to swimming like a fish after she joined Stepping Stone’s swimming class.Overall, I highly recommend Stepping Stone to parents who want their kids to have a more meaningful experience than the usual childcare could afford.Thanks to all of the teachers!
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July 2023 by Lauren Chinisci
We have had very positive experiences overall with Stepping Stone School - Brodie. In particular, Ms. Madi (who is no longer at this location but was wonderful!), Ms. Anise, and Ms. Ellen are women who go above and beyond. It's very apparent that they truly care about providing quality care to the children who go here.My son was in Ms. Ellen's class and is obsessed with her, even after aging out of her classroom. She treats her children like her own, and my husband and I always felt confident that when our son was in her care, he was safe, loved, and engaged. She sets an extremely high bar! A teacher like Ellen is a rare gem and someone we will absolutely never forget.Ms. Anise is a superstar who is always stepping in where the staff need her and hustling all the time! I know she gives her all to try and provide the high quality of care she knows the kids deserve.Our 5 m/o just started at SSS-Brodie as well, so we're not as experienced with the infant rooms, but she lights up when she sees her teachers Ms. Lola and Ms. Alyssa.Stepping Stone isn't perfect and, transparently, we had a rocky start when we first started attending (June 2021). We experienced issues like miscommunication and teacher turnover. However, I don't think these issues are unique to this school, but are more so across the industry in general.Another reason why I recommend this school over others is that SSS is hardly ever closed except for major holidays, and a lot of our friends and neighbors seem to constantly have their kids home due to school closures.For the cost, convenience (they provide lunch and snacks!!), and care of SSS-Brodie, it's hard to beat!
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May 2023 by Cameron Boedeker
When we found Stepping Stone, we couldn't start fast enough. The staff quite literally treated our daughter like their own. Coming from a terrible daycare prior, we were nervous, but our daughter didn't want to leave after the first week, which says a lot because she wouldn't allow strangers to pick her up before that. Her teachers sent photos through their app almost every day, which really gave us comfort during our day away from her. I don't want our good experience to go unheard, so this is my recommendation to say yes to this location.
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May 2023 by Megan Christensen
This is hands down the best school in Austin. Ms. Lola and Ms. Alyssa treat my 5 month old like their own. They go above and beyond. Being a new mother, dropping my little one off anywhere was terrifying. Seeing my little smile big when she sees her teachers melts my heart. Thank you Stepping Stone Brodie
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May 2023 by Arianna B.
My daughter absolutely loves Ms. Lola! This is a wonderful place and extremely friendly.
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May 2023 by Megan C.
This is hands down the best child care I could have ever wished for. They greet you by name when you walk in and say goodbye when leaving. Most importantly, Ms. Lola and Ms. Alyssa treat my 5 month old like a princess. She is learning so much from them and even gives a great big smile every time I drop her off. It was a nervous wreck, being a first time mom, to drop off my little but one cannot find a better place than this. Thank you Stepping Stone
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March 2023 by ob hill
We have had a wonderful experiences at this location. We have a 2years old at Stepping Stone Brodie who started at the location when she was just three months old. The administration Madi, Rosie and Megan have created such a loving and nurturing environment at the school. The teacher Ms. Ellen is excellent and so loving. Also she reads to the kids a lot. Recently my daughter read me the whole book of “Brown bear Brown bear what do you see” We were amazed! I know my daughter is well taken care of and being loved by the teacher. We feel very comfortable to stay at the Brodie location. Thank you.
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February 2023 by Carolina B.
I hate to leave bad reviews but it also has been weighing on me , not sharing our experience here. My daughter attended stepping stone about 6+ months ago, so things may have changed by now- hopefully! Depending who is leading the front office and the teachers your kids have, obviously make the experience.When we started- we were also wowed by the newness of the playground and tech. We actually did like her teachers to start (no longer there). I felt like they cared and took care of her. But, we did have issues with her being bit daily for a couple weeks. We didn't receive notices either, but would find bite marks at bath time. I know that's a phase with kids and I understand, but for it to happen daily? And with no notice to a parent? Unacceptable and really hard to see my baby sad and get hurt at a place she should be safe. (There was issues of who should communicate teachers or principal)A few months at stepping & we also started to notice a lot of turnover. We blamed it on covid - but after talking to some teachers who left, we learned that wasn't the reason.The communication overall was terrible- it was always a surprise. Every time we walked into her classroom there was a new helper. We never were given an update on who to expect or any communication. A little scary when you're dropping your kid off with a stranger daily. I didn't know if that was the norm, but now being at a different daycare I can tell you that's NOT the case. We would see the principal and front office workers, in her classroom helping. Everyday at pickup or drop off was a mess truly and everyone looked stressed. I had my radar up for a while and should've trusted my mom instincts sooner (biggest regret)- but I kept blaming it on covid and I understand daycare life is hard as an employee. The final straw was when her teachers changed & we had an incident. We picked her up one day and saw blood on her shirt. Teacher said she had a little fall but was ok. When we got home to check her- her tooth was half chipped! It wasn't a little fall for that to happen. Again, no call when it happened. After that, we called and took her out of that school immediately and haven't looked back! Daycare is not cheap- it's so hard to leave your kid with strangers- and then to have an experience like this- not fun! As a first time parent it's hard to compare daycares to anything else, but let me tell you - there are better places who are organized, have good leaders, have teachers who stick around and communicate! Don't settle - just had to share because I kept thinking about this and felt guilty not sharing my experience for other parents to be aware of.
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November 2022 by Andrew Lam
Our daughter was here from about 3 months old until 12 months old, until we moved from Austin. We had a great experience - kind staff, folks who knew our daughter by name, consistent updates/photos via the Tadpoles app, reasonable price. We definitely would have stayed at this location if we had stayed in Austin. Thank you, Stepping Stones!
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July 2022 by Nivedita B.
My kid has been going to Brodie location since a year. She loves it. There has been turn over of teachers due to the post covid situation but the school has handled it well to not cause much disruption to the kids. They are flexible with the drop off and pick up time which is a blessing for working parents. My kid gets enough time outside, which she loves and she enjoys herself there.
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September 2021 by Michelle D G.
Stepping Stone School at Brodie is a lifesaver! My daughter is so excited to go to school every day and has so much fun learning from her teachers and playing with friends. I'm especially thankful for the excellent customer service from Daniella as we've navigated placing our daughter back in daycare in a pandemic. She's been so helpful with all of our questions and she always checks in to make sure our little one is thriving. Danielle leads an excellent staff and is always on top of every detail in such a busy environment. We recommend Stepping Stone to all of our friends with kids!
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May 2021 by Brooke G.
My daughter started stepping stone Brodie back in March 2020. They have done amazing during covid with their protocols and communication. We ended up moving to Bastrop and took our daughter out of Stepping Stone and enrolled her in a new school closer to home. She missed her teachers and the school so much that we ended up taking her back. We drive her in to austin each day to go to Stepping Stone. The principal Mersadies has gone above and beyond since she started at Brodie and really does care a lot about each child and school.
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May 2021 by Mandy J.
We have been very happy at Stepping Stone since our son started 3 years ago. The moment I walked in and toured my gut told me this was the school. I really feel that as a mother, you have to trust yourself gut. when Covid hit last year they were amazing. We opted to take our son out but they gave us the option to save his spot, while offering discounted tuition. We had a new baby at home too. we came back in November after seeing how beautifully they managed the pandemic. They are very open to communication and I feel they truly enjoy their work. The teachers we've had for our children have been so wonderful. Thank you Stepping Stone for taking care of my babies.
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March 2021 by Jazzmine P.
Since COVID started, my daughter has been going here. They have been very helpful, caring and informative. I truly appreciate all they do.
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March 2021 by Marie P.
My son started at the Brodie location when he was 3 months old, in the infant room with Ms. Lola (she is WONDERFUL). Then Covid hit, and he stayed home until 7 months, when I had to return to work. At the beginning of covid, Stepping Stone immediately enacted cleaning and campus policies above and beyond the requirements from the CDC, and they also never closed. This allowed people who had to go to work in person the ability to do so. Since the pandemic began, we've been notified of only two instances of covid on campus, which is, in my opinion, a testament to their caution with temperature screenings, masking, and deep cleaning. Parents aren't allowed inside anymore, which is a bummer but makes perfect sense. The less germs in there, the better. My son is in the 12-18 month room now with Ms. Ana and Ms. Priscilla. They're great- he does activities every day (fingerprinting, drawing, play-doh, singing and dancing) and he comes home with new skills consistently. He's learned some baby sign language, as well as some social skills/cues that are really helpful. The principal now is Mercedes. She's a delight. Other staff I get to interact with consistently (at drop off and pick up) are Ms. Rosie and Ms. Angela. I trust all of them implicitly with my kiddo and consider them 100% part of the "village" it takes to raise a kid. We had some issues with one teacher early on, but they were all addressed and everything has been great since. I'd recommend this daycare to anyone looking for their child to develop social skills and early learning (and a healthy immune system- like any daycare, no shortage of colds, although way down with the cleaning policies).
