Stepping Stone School – McNeil/Jollyville, Austin | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Updated review as of Feb 2024:
My 3.5 year old toddler still attends Stepping Stone McNeil, and now my 6 month old baby does as well. We still really love this daycare! Ms. Donna is an outstanding principal, and the new vice principal is also really great, Ms. Marissa. My baby is in Ms. Francis and Ms. Sakina’s infant room, and she always is so happy to see them! I always feel very much relieved that she really enjoys them as care givers and they always make sure to go above and beyond in their care for the babies. My toddler has been in several teachers’ classes now, which include Ms. Elizabeth, Ms. Lorraine, and Ms. Aleyia, and they are all really exceptional. Their care and dedication to the kids is obvious in the way that my son would always ask about them even when he wasn’t there. He would be upset as well if I dropped him off and his teachers weren’t there yet. He also really enjoys the teacher aids he regularly interacts with, which include Ms. Melissa and Ms. Paula. I also have referred various friends and neighbors to this school, and they all ended up choosing this daycare as well. Their kids are still all attending, and say nothing but really positive things as well.

Original review written sometime in Feb 2021:
My 6 month old attends daycare here and we really love it! The staff are very attentive to him and Principal Cami answered all of my million questions before dropping him off for his first day once my parental leave ended. I feel like the caregivers do really care about the kids and also want to make sure my needs are met as a parent. The staff that I regularly interact with are Principal Cami, Ms. Maggie (Assistant Director), and Ms. Francis (infant room care giver). They’re all really considerate and fun to talk to so I look forward to seeing them and I’m pretty sure my baby does too. For the infant room there is a window for us to watch the kids if we ever want to drop by and check on them. Also, it’s cute to see all the older kids come to this daycare everyday. All of them seem super happy and look forward to coming here since I would like my child to continue coming here as he grows. One other important thing is I feel like this daycare is being very safe to prevent any potential spread of covid-19. No adults are allowed in, they do temperature screens for every kid before they enter, and all staff have to wear face masks. That makes me feel really reassured since I heard from my friends that other daycares aren’t being that careful so they pulled their kids out.

My family and most importantly my kids love this Stepping Stone on McNeil. Both of my children have been in attendance here since they were 2 months old and now one is almost 5 and the other is 2 years old.

They both had Miss Francis in the infant room. She and the other ladies were like magic and got both of my kids on nice schedules. The employees treat our children like family and make accommodations for their individual needs. They helped to resolve my daughter’s biting issues and worked with her on potty training a little longer and more patiently because she went through a phase where she was scared of the toilet. They eagerly share with you something funny, smart or cute your child did during the day.

They are transparent with any bumps or bruises your child may have and if the staff member you are speaking with isn’t sure what happened, they will find the teacher who knows. They are also great about keeping track of your kids clothes. In the over 4 years we have been there I don’t think we’ve lost more than maybe a sock and few hair ties. Once my son threw his shoe in the trash unbeknownst to his teacher. They searched for his shoe EVERYWHERE until they finally found it! They sanitized it and handed it to me in a closed bag. That’s dedication!

I took the kids out of the school for 6 weeks when I got laid off during the covid shutdown and they made special accommodations for us financially that made our transition easier. I felt that I provided a disservice to my children for having them out of daycare. Their daycare days are full of learning opportunities and social interaction that I couldn’t provide them. As soon as I was back to work the kids went back to daycare. They love it so much here, they run inside every morning and barely look back to say bye!

It is GREAT to be able to send my kids to a safe place I trust. It eases my paranoia ridden mom brain because I have one less thing to worry about. All around this Stepping Stone is a great school for our kids and I have found the staff and company very transparent and honest.