Step One School is a before or after school daycare daycare located at 499 Spruce Street, Berkeley, California CA. Find contact info, location details, and similar daycares nearby.
What Parents Say
Step One School receives unanimous 5-star praise from parents who highlight its nurturing, play-based approach and caring staff. Parents report significant positive developmental changes in their children, including increased confidence, emotional growth, and love of learning. The school is consistently described as a special, magical environment where children thrive academically and socially.
I cannot accurately express how grateful our family is for Step One School. I want to specifically call out the experience we had with our daughter while she attended. We moved across the country to be closer to family, and our experience at a previous preschool was the antithesis of what we experienced at Step One. Our daughter loves to sing, and would often at her previous preschool (as a 4 year old!) be written up for singing. She'd get in trouble for being disruptive because she would sing herself to sleep at school. Eventually she became so scared, she stopped singing entirely. Enter Step One and their loving and caring environment. Within a week of attending, she was singing again - and while this is a very specific story, I will say that our experience at Step One with our son was largely the same. Step One really takes the entire experience to heart and teaches beyond the walls of academia - skills like empathy, compassion, and kindness are really focused on, so that they're prepped for kindergarten past just the ABCs. We adore the play-based curriculum and the way they approach things like conflict resolution in the classrooms. Beyond all of that? The outdoor play space is nothing short of magical. I will forever be grateful for Step One and its kind and caring teachers. I truly cannot recommend this place enough.
Step One School is truly a school of happiness! Choosing it for our son was one of the best decisions we’ve made. Now in his second year, he started at age three as a shy and cautious child who spoke very little. His teachers surrounded him with love and care, helping him feel safe and confident. It’s no surprise that many of the staff spend their entire careers at this school—it’s a special place. This year, our son is thriving! He’s speaking more clearly, counting, and making friends. Watching him grow in such a welcoming and nurturing environment is amazing. From drawing to music and even playing guitar, he loves every moment of school and looks forward to going every day. We couldn’t be happier with Step One!
Step One lives up to its hype. The teachers are attuned and dedicated, the admin is responsive and professional, and most importantly the kids are thriving. The longevity in the teaching staff speaks for itself. I am a lucky parent to connect with this wonderful school through my child every day.
Our three daughters went to Step One from 2011-2018. We had an amazing experience and are so grateful to the teachers and school for helping shape who they are as students -- and more importantly --as caring, empathetic individuals with a strong sense of self and a compassionate outlook on the world. We didn't know a lot about early childhood approaches before joining the Step One community, but after having experienced the play based curriculum for 7 years we have come to appreciate how important and impactful it is, fostering creativity, helping them navigate conflict and learn to collaborate and leaving the impression that school is a safe, fun environment where they can express themselves. We also loved the campus itself...the outdoor space is amazing, including a garden, waterfall, sand area, slide, etc.
our son went to this lovely school and I wish we'd moved here sooner so our daughter could have attended. amazing place, incredible faculty