Welcome to Stepping Stones Preschool! We all remember the first days of school and many of us remember being slightly confused about this or that detail of the school routine. We hope this resource helps you feel a little more oriented to your child’s day at school!
Also, don’t forget to check out the other site resources including the Frequently Asked Questions for New Parents. Additional resources, such a listing of upcoming school events can be found on the SSPS Families page. We also have a photo gallery via SmugMug that is password protected for parents only. Teachers take daily photos of the children. Parents can check the gallery and see what their children are doing at the preschool. We also have a private Instagram for parents only. Follow us @stepping_stones_preschool_sf.
Daily Schedule
*We are mostly outdoors except for nap time.
8:00-8:45am Drop-Off
9am-9:30am Circle Time & Small Group Activity
9:30-11:00am Enrichment* then Free Play in GGP
11:00-11:30am Lunch Outside
11:30am-12pm Walk back to school
12-1pm Transition to Nap with bathroom time and stories
1-3pm Nap Time
3-3:30pm Bathrooms & Snack
3:30-4:20pm Free Play Outside
4:20-5:00pm Free Play in the Class
5-5:15pm Closing Circle Time
5:20pm Last Pick-up Time
5:30pm SCHOOL CLOSED
Weekly Enrichment Schedule
Monday Mornings
Every Monday Morning, we have Music Class with Alexei Wajchman, who has been teaching music to young children since 2010. His classes consist of folk/rock singalongs, finger plays, and dancing/movement songs. The songs are a mix of his originals and covers ranging from Woody Guthrie and Malvina Reynolds to Nirvana and The Ramones. Alexei plays the guitar and makes use of rhythm sticks and maracas and teaches different lessons on music theory (beat, rhythm, melody, harmony, ear training, etc.) and music history/appreciation each week.
Tuesday Mornings
Every other Tuesday morning, Soccer Star coaches bring their developmentally appropriate soccer curriculum to the preschool. The soccer curriculum was created with the help of early educators and the children learn soccer fundamentals through play and imagination.
Wednesday Mornings
Every Wednesday Morning, we participate in Yoga with Miss Cindy with Rebuild Yoga. Cindy was a high school teacher for 17 years before shifting to teaching Yoga/Mindfulness to young children. Cindy brings a calm presence to our program where the children get to know their bodies in addition to learning methods to help them throughout the day with mental struggles at an early age whether it be through breathing or a calm down tool or the simple recognition of needing a quiet space or a break.
Got the drop-off blues?
The most important thing to remember is we’ve all been there! Starting school (or a new school) is almost always hard on both the parents and the child. As a parent you may feel sadness for your child, or even embarrassment that they are creating such a scene. Your child may act sad, or angry. Whatever it is that you’re feeling – it’s normal and it will pass. It’s hard to provide a “magic bullet” for surviving drop-off, as the experience is so dependent on the personality of the individual child and parents.
A few tips that may keep you sane:
It very well may get worse before it gets better It’s quite common for a child to be only moderately phased their first day, a little more upset the second day, and a complete disaster the third day. It may even keep getting worse for a week or more. Eventually, it will turn around.
Quick drop offs in the beginning to help the teachers. The longer you linger and the longer they are upset, it is harder to bring them down. Quick drop offs make it easier for the teachers to calm and distract your child when you leave. When you leave, the teachers will comfort, offer calm down tools, and give individual attention and love to your child until they are ready to play. You can always communicate with our staff after a hard drop off if you want to make sure your child is doing okay.
Try the other parent if your child is particularly clingy with one parent? If possible – try having the other parent do drop-offs for a few days.
Miscellaneous Parent Tips for the Program
- Make sure shoes stay attached to the feet. On their daily walk to the park, these tiny tots sometimes forget to look down and step on the heels of the child in front of them. Please make sure your child’s shoes are resistant to these small mishaps and easy to put back on if they do fall off. Shoes with secure velcro straps are best. And only rain boots on rainy days as they are not good for walking and climbing.
- Leave appropriate outdoor clothing. The teachers trust your judgment about what your child should be wearing. If you leave a jacket on the hooks for your child – your child will wear the jacket to the park! So, if it’s warm enough that you think your child would be happier without their coat – tuck it away in their cubby for the day.
- Leave plenty of extra clothing. Often the younger children in this class are in the final stages of diaper-free potty training. Make sure that they have plenty of dry clothing if they need it. Extra shoes and socks are a must for soccer days!