A Woman Owned Business / September 2006
Stepping Stones Academy
 Sara Dean and Sara Steort
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By Pat Lawrence
Decades of research has confirmed young children benefit from early education experiences in a caring environment. As teachers, Sara Dean and Sara Steortz had seen the positive impact of that exposure on a child’s later success in school and life. Long before they met, both had dreamed of a prekindergarten program that was really a school, not just daily baby sitting.
Sara Steortz had been teaching kindergarten in Kanawha and Putnam County for twelve years when she stopped by the house her contractor husband was building and met Sara Dean. The two Sara’s became friends and found they shared much more than a name. Sara Dean was teaching Early Growth and Human Development part time, at Marshall University. With a degree in elementary education and a Master’s in Learning Disability, she had taught high school as well as K-3rd grade in Cabell County, but had left full time teaching to raise her children.
Sara Steortz says, “We were just talking one day and I mentioned I’d always intended to run my own day care center. Sara was so surprised; she’d been thinking about the same thing for years.”
It took no time at all for the two to decide to pursue their dream together. But it took two years to complete their plans, formalize the curriculum, and make all the decisions about the building and furnishings for Stepping Stones Academy.
Sara Steortz says, “We started talking in 2004. We both have two kids, so we’d meet two or three times a week to discuss things. I quit my job, forfeited my insurance and my retirement, and we just did it!”
Hurricane’s newest prekindergarten opened in August with 3500 square feet, three classrooms and thirty registrants.
Sara Steortz says over the years she has been dismayed at how regimented kindergarten had become. “I wanted to go back to the fun stuff, when it was an adventure and kids were excited about what they did.” Sara Dean says, “I knew the things that kids should be learning. I thought there should be a high quality preschool in the area, one that was not affiliated with a church but that had a school environment. “
Stepping Stones is a private dream come true and a true private enterprise, a personal investment of time, energy, funds and effort.
They knew exactly what they wanted, says Sara Steortz. “We wanted a library kids could get lost in, a listening center for books on tape, primary colors every where to make it cheerful and inviting, an activities room, a specially designed fenced playground and miniature everything!” She says picking out furniture was the most fun. “Figuring out the times and schedules was the most problematic!”
Both teachers are certified for preschool, something they believe is an important factor in providing a high quality learning experience. Sara Dean says their goal is to provide a nurturing, comfortable environment to learn. “Children benefit when their classroom environments associate reading with pleasure and enjoyment, as well as learning and skill development. Their early experiences affect their motivation to learn to read and write.”
Adults who think there is little for three and four year olds to learn would be surprised to know the curriculum includes math, geometry, science, history, social studies, geography, health, art, music and reading. Through daily experiences with reading and writing, prekindergarteners discover they are ways to obtain information or to communicate ideas. Knowing how letters function in writing and how letters connect to word sounds is crucial to children’s success in reading.
Mathematics learning builds on children’s curiosity, challenging them to explore ideas of patterns, order or measurement. Recognizing patterns and relationships is an important component in children’s intellectual development. Geometry helps children systematically represent and describe their world, so kindergartners learn to name and recognize the properties of various shapes and figures.
Simple science investigations and meaningful science learning help children increase their understanding of the natural world, living things, cycles, change and other concepts of science.
Through social studies, children learn about others and the world around them.
Through art, children explore a variety of materials and make discoveries about color, shape, and texture. Music is another form of experiencing, learning, and communicating.
Prekindergarten kids learn health habits and basic concepts about nutrition, safety and hygiene. They practice everyday routines to stay safe and learn about fire and traffic and what to do in emergency situations.
And even these young children can use the computer and engaging, age-appropriate software to extend their knowledge, says Sara Steortz.
According to Sara Dean, children’s experiences with communication and literacy in prekindergarten years form the basis for later school success. “Our goal is to give them a love for learning and the confidence to go on. Stepping Stones is designed to nurture the gentle beginnings of a child’s education.”
For more information, call 304-541-2381, or visit Stepping Stones, 201 Chase Drive in the Chase Business Park, Hurricane, WV.
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
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