Stepping Stones Academy

I don’t want to give one star for anyone! But Stepping stone? Yes! Only one star!
My son likes to go to school, he is very healthy before he went to school, but the first day I bring him to school, I saw three kid was sick in the same classroom, two day late, my son got sick. And his teacher go to school twice or three times a week, because she is sick too. Also the sub teacher is sick after two days, the sub teacher can’t even talk! The school must do something! We pay over 1000 a month, not to let my son sick at school, but learn! One time I went there early, I saw my son sleep with his shoe on, the teacher is not suppose to help or tell or teach the kids how to sleep?
I am really mad for this! My son just went to school for three week, and sick for three week! I hope the school can do something, otherwise I will transfer my son to other school!

As busy working professionals, we knew once we had a baby, day care would be our only option. We thought we prepared adequately… reading pregnancy books, attending prenatal classes, preparing the nursery. We were «interviewing» day care providers and made an appointment to see Ms. Charlotte. The facilities were bright and clean. The teachers were friendly and actively playing with the babies who were not napping. The babies that were sleeping were carefully swaddled and properly placed on their backs in an uncluttered crib. All very good signs! Ms. Charlotte took the time to answer every one of the questions on my first-​time mom list, but most importantly she encouraged me to revisit after our baby was born. She said no matter how prepared you feel, there will always be more questions that pop up.
Oh boy, was she right! Nothing could have prepared us for the day when you actually have to hand your infant child to someone else, and leave to go back to work. Brooklyn (our daughter) was just fine and had excellent care. Her teachers noted all of her diaper changes, how much breast milk she had, nap times, etc. We received a daily report and even pictures of her smiling.
Most of the babies are walking before 1 year old and hitting the milestones (sitting up, crawling, first words) early. I credit the care and attention they get from the loving teachers. I’m also a firm believer in early childhood socialization, and as hard as it was (trust me… it does get a little easier to leave them with time, lol), I am confident that our decision to put Brooklyn in school at Stepping Stones Academy was one of the best things we could have done for her.
Brooklyn is now 16 months and is in the «Toddler» room. She’s thriving there… she is so excited to go to «school» on Mondays because she missed her friends and teachers. We have so many amazing paintings and arts and crafts that they make. They have music classes, read books, sing songs… all which are shared on the daily report. They have special activities, like the firefighters came and all the kids got to tour the firetruck.
The teachers love each of the kids so much… they even buy gifts with their own money for holidays. Brooklyn has books, bubbles, sunglasses, stuffed animals and so much more from Easter, Christmas, Halloween, etc, A couple of her teachers have moved (off island) and still keep in touch by email.
We truly LOVE Stepping Stones Academy. It is expensive, I know. Trust me, we have to make many sacrifices in order to send her there, but it is worth every penny. Feel free to ask Ms. Charlotte for my contact info if you have any questions that you want to ask a parent. Otherwise, we hope to see you or your children there! Maybe at the next holiday luncheon :-)

I love stepping stones! I’m so glad I decided to send my son here. The enrollment process is so fast and easy, I had to switch my son out of his old daycare because he was always getting hurt and it just seemed like he as picking up on bad habits and not getting the proper attention and care there. Stepping stones is the complete opposite of that place and I love it, everyone there is so nice and friendly and my son is actually ten times happier! :)

I cannot say enough positive things about Stepping Stones and particularly, Charlotte, the director.
We were in a very difficult situation when my daughter was born with a medical problem and we were immediately moved to Hawaii for treatment. I couldn’t find a single place to take my two year old while we dealt with our daughters medical treatment, EXCEPT Stepping Stones Academy.
In every aspect, this daycare and preschool center excels. My son, who doesn’t speak much, went from saying very few words to picking up ‘bye bye’ and ‘no’ while at this school.
Charlotte worked with us in every way including letting us pay week-​by-​week, and making the transition for my son so easy.
A+. I will recommend them to everyone without hesitation!

I am a first time mom (read: crazy, overbearing, controlling– at times). My child has been attending Stepping Stones from 3 months and is now nearly 2 years old. It’s hard to trust anyone but family to care for your children (which is why I give a 4 instead of 5). However, the staff at Stepping Stones has done a good job at quelling my doubts. I’ll break down my review with what I felt was most important.
Facility: ⁴⁄₅ Cozy and all indoor. But good sized classrooms for the age groups. The older classes have windows that actually open up to the outside. Indoor play yard, cushioned mat, enough space for several children to run around and play.
Cleanliness: ⁴⁄₅ I usually always pick up my kid at the very end of the day and get to witness the cleaning process. Sanitizing toys, washing clothes, sweeping, vacuuming, wiping. The place is clean. Not spotless. But we’re all human and not as OCD as I am about cleanliness.
Staff: ⁴⁄₅ Charlotte (the director) is good to us. I can contact her about absolutely anything at anytime of the day. She responds as soon as humanly possible. I’m a pest and they tolerate me well. The teachers are great. I guess the main thing is that my kid adores the teachers and that makes me happy. If my kid feels safe with them, then I am comfortable with that.
My child is thriving in this school. That’s the bottom line.

I love stepping stones academy! The staff is awesome and my daughter loves it there. She never cries when I leave her and is always excited to be there. Every time I pick her up miss Stacy always tells me about my daughter’s day. From how well she ate to how well she played. Miss Charlotte is one awesome woman too. She loves each and every one of those kids there like they are her own. Sending my daughter there was the best decision I ever made.

When we had our daughter we didn’t really think about who was going to watch her until it was too late. We started to call family and friends to see who could help us out, but that was a dead end. We then turned to daycare facilities and really had to weigh the options of travel, cost, etc. Stepping Stones caught our eye because they are located a block from my wife’s work and attached to a mall! Ms. Charlotte, was and has been so thorough and respectful of what we were looking for in a daycare. From day one Ms. Charlotte and her staff have made us feel no anxiety of leaving our daughter in their capable hands.
From 5 months old to now 2 years old, each teacher she has had keeps us updated on activities they did during the day, if they were mad or happy, whether or not she played well with others, and if she had a good appetite or not.
Now I know that the price might seem like private school tuition, but my wife and I honestly feel that we have gotten every pennies worth of love, laughter, and learning for our child. The facility is always clean and cared for, cots are provided for nap time, and snacks for snack time as well.
We are expecting another child this year and could not have asked for a better establishment to send our children too.
Mahalo Stepping Stones Academy Pearlridge!!!

We sent our infant son here for three months before moving him to a DoD daycare center that was closer to my husband’s work place. Overall we were really happy with the center and were sad to move him.
Staff — Awesome! The max ratio is 4:1 for infants, but the most we’ve seen were three infants to one caregiver. There are typically at least three caregivers in the infant room. They were all loving and great with the babies. The director, Charlotte, is very professional and nice. She’s also very responsive and kept in touch via email which worked well for us.
Program — There’s not much you can do with infants, but they had a wide selection of toys and planned activities including painting with hands/​feet and water play. We took home several «art» pieces.
Environment — It was very clean (no shoes allowed) and they sanitized the toys, cribs, and changing area often.
Price — On the higher side at $ 1500 per month (with tax), but that’s about average with good day care centers.
Other — They have a website you can access to see pictures, newsletters, forms, etc.

I wrote a review three years ago when my son was attending Stepping Stones at Pearlridge and I said that I would send my daughter there. Time flies… my son is in the first grade at Mililani Ike Elementary and doing really well! I really believe it was because of the good foundation he got at Stepping Stones. He is advanced for reading and doing well in math. Now, my three year old daughter Amy is attending and she LOVES it! She is really a hard girl to please so the fact that she loves going to preschool there says a lot! We love Ms. Charolette (director), Ms. Cherisse, Ms. Christina, Ms. Seri, Ms. Vina, Mr. George, Ms. Lauren, just all the teachers there! If you send your child there, they won’t be treated like a number but a member of a family!

Friendly helpful staff. Mr. George is the best, the kids love him! My daughter went to Stepping Stones Academy for 3 years and loved it! My son who just turned 2 will be attending Stepping Stones at the end of the summer.

If you want quality care and outstanding education, this is the place to send your child.
I initially did not want to send my son to a babysitter much less a day care, but my family members were unavailable and quitting my job to be a stay-​at-​home mom was out of the question. While I was pregnant I worked in Pearlridge mall so SSA seemed like the most convenient option for me. I took a tour of the facilities, watched the teachers interact with the children, and spoke with the Director of the Academy (Charlotte) and a bunch of other teachers there. At the end of it, I was impressed and applied immediately.
My son’s first day at the facility was when he turned 6-​weeks-​old and naturally, I was nervous. But within the first 2 weeks of sending him there I really saw how caring the teachers were. Although parents receive a daily progress report stating the child’s participation in activities, eating habits and diaper output (wet, BM), the teachers still verbally recapped my son’s day with me and filled me in on funny things he did. The teachers cared for my son (and the rest of the children) so much so that they have pictures of him on their phone and even feel sad when my son doesn’t give them a kiss or hug goodbye. They treat my son like their own son, and that is exactly the type of interaction I expect from his teachers.
My son is now 2-​years-​old and continues to attend SSA. I have friends whose children are around his age who do not attend day care and the differences between them are noticeable. I say this not in pride for my son compared to theirs, but as proof of the quality of the SSA education. My son’s expression of emotion, communication, social, and cognitive skills exceed those of his peers (in my social circle), prompting my friends to ask me about his education so that they can do the same activities with their children.
Yes this place is a private day care, it is expensive. But in my mind, money is not an issue when it comes to my son’s care and education. I’m still working towards my degree as a full time student and work a 40hr a week job, same with my fiancée, so I can truly say this with a humble heart; I have no money to be careless with and I know that my dollar goes a long way at this facility.
Stepping Stones Academy is my son’s second home and the staff is our second family. I am truly blessed to have found this place for my son.

We are sending our 2 year old to Stepping Stones. We absolutely love Ms. Deelia (the 2 year old class teacher). She is always cheerful, loving and always updates me on the progress of my son. They have daily reports that they send home, that let me know if he ate, slept, what projects they’ve worked on and how his mood was that day. She also has a monthly newsletter, that lets me know what they will be learning during that month. They continuously send home arts and crafts project and special craft projects/​gifts for special occasions (mother’s/father’s day, Christmas, etc). When we leave everyday Ms. Deelia always give him a hug and kiss and when I peek in to watch them, she is always singing to them and interacting with them. I was so amazed at how much my son’s speech picked up since starting there, it went from one word here and there the 2 – 3 word sentences in a matter of months. There are 24 students in the 2’s with One teacher and 2 assistants. The facility is new, so it is very clean and well kept.
There were two reasons I gave them 4 stars and not 5. One, because, they have an indoor playground, which I like and don’t like at the same time. Pros: they can play rain or shine, however, Cons: my son doesn’t get out in the sun and fresh air. (IMO meaning that he gets sick more often than in other schools). Second is the cost, be prepared, because they are not the cheapest school around. However, I do think they make up for it with their beautiful facility and wonderful staff.
Overall, I am thrilled with the school. My son seems very happy there and is learning so much.