Step Ahead Learning Center

Hello Mrs Mom and Mr. Dad,
My daughter Yinan joined Step Ahead’s Bears (Year 4 to 5) room in August 2015 and my daughter Yichen joined Step Ahead’s Giraffe (Year 3) room in later September 2015. We moved from Columbus Ohio to Walnut Creek in May 2015. I am very thankful that I found Step Ahead. I am a CPA but my review below may be bias since I am a very emotional person and this is not about accounting, although it is kind related. Everything needs responsibility and accountability.
Why we settled at Step Ahead after we interviewed about four centers including Step Ahead:
1: It is by the pleasant Hill Bart and opens from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm. Both my hubby and I work at Downtown San Francisco so hours and location are very important to us.
2: Mrs. Indra seems very professional and Unilocal has great reviews.
3: The cost is low
4: It has opening for both girls after August. My in-​laws were helping us so we can wait until August.
How much I love Step Ahead:
1: It gives me comfort to consider to have a third one because I trust every teacher in Step Ahead. We did make a decision to settle on two a couple of weeks ago.
2: I was thinking to go to DVC to take kids education to open a daycare just like Step Ahead.
3: I want to work there but I am a CPA.
4: I took nap in the Giraffe’s room one time
5: Asked my girls if I can go to Setp Ahead. They said no. Mom, you have to work so you can buy candy for us.
Why I love Step Ahead:
1: Every teacher I have talked to love kids, respect kids, and discipline kids.
2: Every room is well decorated according to the season. You can tell how much the teachers there love their jobs by just looking at all the decorations.
3; Mrs. Indra is a charming person. I met three charming person in my life. One is Mr. Mike Morris who was a CEO at American Electric Power. The second one is Mr. Glen Hecht who is E&Y’s partner. Mrs. Indra is the third. I admire how Mrs. Indra dresses herself, how she treats others and how she runs the daycare.
I was thinking to write an article about every teacher in the daycare since each of them is so lovely and nice. Step Ahead makes me feel like home. They treat me like family. I will try my best to do the same.
Thank you for your time to read my review.
Happy Holidays!
Nan. 11/​30/​2015

Coming from an in-​home daycare setting into a preschool setting seemed like it would be difficult for my toddler, but SALC has been a great transition. Indra, the director, welcomed me to sit-​in with my son for a few days so the transition would be smooth. She just loves on my son which gives me assurance that he’s part of a family. I believe this played a trivial role in getting my son adjusted to the move and to this new environment. A huge shout-​out to Ms. Alma, Ms. Meggie, Ms. Sumira, and Ms. Usha! Very caring and wonderful! Hands down for all you do with the little ones! It takes special people to work with preschoolers. Thank you SALC for all you do!

My daughter started at Step Ahead last August and boy has she blossomed. She started off at a home daycare and by the time she turned 3, we decided that she should be in a classroom structured environment to prep for kindergarten.
The one thing I noticed first was that all the teachers, along with the school director, worked very cohesively together. Even if they had their own classrooms to attend to, they all looked out for all the students at the school all in the same caring and attentive manner.
I also really liked the fact that meals were provided for the students. It was a plus for my husband and I since we work in different cities so this was a nice added bonus for us in not having to worry about packing lunches for her.
Coming from a home daycare where my daughter had extreme one on one attention, I was worried that she would be shy and isolated since a classroom setting was not what she was going to be use to. Her first teacher, Ms. Lily made her feel so welcomed and loved during her trial week. She couldn’t stop talking about how much she loved Ms. Lily. Within a couple of months, I noticed that she was able to identify alphabets and numbers confidently and it was great that kids were given weekly «homework» assignments where they had to find something that started with the letter of the week that they were learning. I was amazed at how quickly my daughter picked up on learning each letter. By the time she turned 4, she was even able to write some of them without looking or having to trace!
My daughter graduated this past June and it has been so great seeing what a confident and outgoing girl she has turned into. She has a love for school, arts and reading because of Step Ahead Learning Center. Ms. Jennifer has been awesome this yr with teaching the kids to memorize phone numbers and home addresses! This was something I didn’t learn until I was in the 1^st grade!
Step Ahead Learning Center is a great well rounded school. Not only are the kids challenged academically, they are also exposed to other worldly subjects like learning to sing and speak in different languages. I highly recommend this school because not only will your child be prepped and challenged for their future school experiences but also because it really is a family that’s taking care of your child.

We have had our 3 year old daughter in a variety of daycares before we found Step Ahead. Hands down, this is the most EDUCATIONAL, loving and happy place I have ever seen. As a woman who worked for 5 years in daycares/​preschools, I feel that I know pretty well what constitutes a good place. This place not only meets, but exceeds my expectations and hopes.
Indra, the owner and director is absolutely perfect. She has a knack for making kids and parents feel comfortable and included. She is so very kind and professional. She writes a monthly newsletter to parents offering a great deal of information from safety tips to dates to register your kids for kindergarten. In addition to that, she includes a monthly calendar that details what kids are going to learn every day and what skills will be learned. She creates a safe and clean environment that parents can feel more than comfortable leaving their child in. I can’t sing her praises enough.
My daughter is in the GIraffes room so I have really only had consistent contact with the teachers in her age group. Karima and Nieves are so loving to my daughter. Those two teachers should have wings and haloes, they are that good. They have a routine and the kids learn so much. My daughter has learned the days of the week, about 10 letters, the months of the year and brought home about 15 songs since she started there two months ago. She brings home artwork almost daily. Yesterday, she brought home a flower that she planted weeks ago and has been caring for.
Her skills and knowledge have grown exponentially and I just don’t have enough words in my vocabulary to express how pleased I am with Step Ahead. It is truly the most wonderful place for a kid.

I would start by saying that if I could give this school 6 stars, I wouldn’t even think twice about it (and I am a pretty hard grader usually when it comes to anything related to my little ones). This school has been aboslutely amazing from day — everything from the Director to each and every teacher is top notch. When we moved to the area we visited close to a dozen schools and ultimately didn’t feel that anything stood even close to this one. My daughter started first in the 3 year old room and is now in the ⁴⁄₅ year old classroom. Every teacher she has had along the way has been so caring, loving and nurturing. She has learned so much along the way and I think is more than ready to start kindergarten. My son started about 6 months after her and was around 1 year old when he started. My son was an extremely difficult baby — always crying, cranky and needing attention. To this day I don’t know how the teachers in the baby room do it. They are incredible. The babies (ranging from a few months to 2 years old) are always happy, clean and well fed. Overall, in my view the other and primary piece that makes this school what it is is the amazing Director. Firstly, she knows all parents and kids by name (think close to 100 kids and all their parents). Secondly, she remembers EVERYTHING. You tell her something once (ie where you are going on vacation, something your child needs during the day, specific instructions) — she ALWAYS remembers. She is organized, creates a great curriculum for the students that is age appropriate and is an overall very impressive person. I am so thankful to have her influence in the upbringing of my children. THANK YOU a million times over Step Ahead, Indra and all the teachers. You guys are the very best!

My 3 oldest children went to Step Ahead several years ago and I was very pleased with the care and interaction they received consistantly each day. They did not watch television show daily and learned many things such as interacting with others (both adults as well as their peers), good behavior and manners were reinforced from what they had already learned at home. I fel they were in a safe, caring environment whil eI was at work. When it came time for my 4^th child to go to a daycare, there was no question of where she would go. I knew how she would be treated and didn’t have the worries that come with sending young children to daycare. All of my kids enjoyed being at Step Ahead and are still in contact with their teachers.
I find it disturbing that one person could write such a scathing review of a center they claim to have toured. The director and staff are all very organized and the children in the care of Step Ahead are all happy and very well adjusted in their environment. In addition to that for a person to be so disgruntled over not receiving a spot for their child does not by any means make this facility equal to a one star review, it seems a little petty.

this is a GREAT school. My child started here 6 months ago and she loves it, and i love it and i ADORE the teachers. I don’t feel it is fair for someone to review a school based on a 5 minute tour. The program is very organized, and you can tell that these teachers care for the students very much. I think activities that stretch childhood skills and development are great (ie: painting, cutting with scissors, using glue). This school is giving my child a great foundation for pre-​k and Kindergarten, every day they learn letters, read many books, sing songs, and do fun art projects.
I can tell it is a wonderful environment because often times my daughter does not want to leave when i come to pick her up. I honestly cannot recommend this school highly enough.

The first time I visited the school was 3 years ago before my toddler son was born due to its closeness to our house. We were looking for a place (daycare) for him. Then I visited the school couple months ago again. Both tours were disappointing, no improvements at all. 3 years ago, we left our contact info several times, but obviously the Director was not an organized person, even when we called to see if there’s space for my son, we were always asked for contact info again (and one time we were told that someone just got the spot last week — I was like — I thought we are already on the waiting list, how come no one has ever called us?) Anyway, this time I was running a little bit late for the appointment (my falut, because I was home taking care of my newborn), the Director called and asked «our appointment is 10am, what’s going on? Are you still coming?» However, when I showed up, the Director seemed to be lost and didn’t do the homework as I was asked when I planned to send my toddler son to the school and his age (I thought I told her the info over the phone just the day before the appointment). At the tour, one of the teachers in a classroom told the kids to sit down properly but obviously she was running out of patience and said «oh god». A few days later, I talked to a friend whose son goes there, so I was thinking to give it a try. However, when I called, I was asked the same question — the age of my son and when will he start there. For whoever has really visited the place, you would notice that the Director is not really an organized person — she seems to have written down your info on a note book, but she seems to have a hard time looking for the info. Bottomline — if the people there have the heart to run the school, they should have patience and know what they are doing.

I don’t agree with the negative review below. Having never sent a child there, you cant really review it fairly.
My child goes there and is beside himself with excitement to go to school. I hope it continues. He loves his new friends and teachers.
The meals are not the same every day. That would be crazy.
The outside play area is great and so far we love this place.
Sharon

There is a lot of anxiety about leaving your kids anywhere, but my wife and I feel fortunate that we’ve had Step Ahead in our lives, and the lives of our two boys, for the past four years. I’ve heard a lot about day cares /​preschools from our friends and I can honestly say that Step Ahead is the best around. Step Ahead is very professionally run, takes a great approach to helping my rambunctious son be respectful and grow in maturity, and has always made an effort to meet the needs of us as parents, as well as our kids. We have experienced every level at Step Ahead — infants through Preschool, and some of them twice — and we’ve loved the teachers every step of the way. With the necessity of leaving our kids with someone else during the day, we feel very lucky that the wonderful staff at Step Ahead have been our partners in helping our two sons grow into sweet little boys.