Our Purpose and Philosophy
Stepping Stones Preschool was established by the Fairfax Church of Christ in September of 1974. Since its beginning with 7 children the school has grown to its present size of 150 students in 15 classes. The church built the classroom wing of the building with a preschool in mind and it has served as a community outreach program for the past 31 years. Because the school is church centered, it is exempt from state licensure, although it still has to meet strict guidelines in order to maintain the Virginia Department of Social Services certification.
The school maintains six classrooms, a school office and an outdoor playground. In addition, there is access to the church auditorium, kitchen and any other rooms in the facility, which may be necessary at various times. Enrollment is presently limited to 60 children per session. Every classroom has access to toilet and hand-washing facilities and is set up to eliminate the necessity of the children going from one room to another. There are places for the children to play, spend quiet time and sit at tables within each room.
The director and/or Board of Directors know all teachers hired by Stepping Stones. Although there is no requirement that teachers have a college degree, every teacher has experience working with preschool children. Many have taught in either school settings or Sunday school settings. All teachers are members of the Church of Christ, have a physician’s statement that they are free from any disability which would prevent them from caring for children, have annual TB tests with negative results, and have been cleared by the Virginia State police on a Criminal History Record Check.
Transportation and meals are not provided by Stepping Stones Preschool. Each child provides a snack for their entire class on a rotating basis. The school provides ice water.
Each day the staff briefly screens all of the children to protect any ill child from avoidable health risks and to prevent exposure to others of an illness that might be contagious. Parents are contacted immediately when a child appears to be ill and are expected to pick up the child without delay. Staff members are trained in CPR and First Aid. In addition, staff members are also trained to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect and are required by law to report any suspected cases.