Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

46 Chase Road, Southend-on-Sea SS1 2RE
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10 28 Reviews
  • Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool, Southend-on-Sea
Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool is inspired by the Reggio Emelia Approach, which creates a lovely atmosphere for children to play and learn, assisted by caring, qualified Early Years Educators. Every member of the nursery, whether child, team member or parent, is respected and valued.

A 39 place nursery, where Explorers (3months -2years) and Discovers (2-4+ years) are supported through the Planning In The Moment philosophy to develop self-help skills, strong social relationships and to find out about the world.

The nursery provides:

A Parent App for daily updates on their child's well-being and progress

Home-cooked, nutritious meals and snacks, with fresh ingredients, prepared by the on-site cook

Eco friendly/aware nursery which uses environmentally friendly products and provides re-usable nappies

Modern security systems & CCTV cameras

Safe & secure gardens are used daily

Open from 7.30am until 6pm, 51 weeks per year

Care Provided by Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

  • Type of Service
  • Day Nursery – Privately Owned
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Good to Know

  • Owner
  • Catherine Balogun
  • Person in charge
  • Catherine Balogun (Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 9
  • Total Places for Children
  • 39
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:00-18:30
    Tuesday 07:00-18:30
    Wednesday 07:00-18:30
    Thursday 07:00-18:30
    Friday 07:00-18:30
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays & 1 week at Christmas
  • Parking
  • Free parking outside nursery and surrounding roads


Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool Reviews (28)

Total of 28, showing 1-20
10

Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool has a Review Score of 10 (9.961) out of 10, based on 13 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool has 28 reviews.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I couldn't be more thrilled with Stepping Stones! Finding this nursery feels like a great discovery. My children love coming here - they are always eager to go in and return with beaming smiles, excited to share their day's adventures. This speaks volumes about the wonderful environment. The staff are
absolutely fantastic: caring and providing new and exciting opportunities for play and learning. I am so grateful for their dedication and creativity. The children enjoy plenty of outdoor time and lovely local trips to the library, park and beach and the food sounds absolutely delicious. While the nursery may be on the expensive side, I do feel that the exceptional care provided makes it worthwhile.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you so much for this review It's been a real pleasure to be part of your children's lives, so thank you for bringing them to us. Our staff are truly amazing and I am very grateful for their professional love and dedication to all the children and their dedication to the nursery as a whole. Thank you again.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our child has been attending Stepping Stones for almost a year and we couldn't be happier. The staff have been incredible in creating an environment that has really encouraged and supported both confidence and learning. The relationships that they have developed with the team and other children are
beautiful and something that I certainly couldn't have imagined. I know that not everyone is as lucky as us to find a nursery that their child slots into quite like this, and for that, I am forever thankful to the team at Stepping Stones. I am so happy that we chose Stepping Stones.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

We really appreciate that you took the time to write this lovely review! Thank you so much. Our staff team will be very pleased!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Stepping Stones has been a special place for my son. We get updates and photos throughout the day. All outings, accidents/incidents, naps and food are recorded on the app. My son loves doing new things every week. He absolutely loves the animals and especially the teachers. Everyone is so friendly and
attentive. A special thank you to the deputy manager who he absolutely adores.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you so much for sparing the time to write this lovely review! We really appreciate it and our staff team will be so pleased that you are happy with our nursery! Thank you again!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Stepping Stones has been a special place for our son, the team there are so creative and supportive and have really helped him to develop over the past 3 years. Big shouts out to greet leadership, staff and a commitment to fulfilling potential.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you so much! This is so lovely to hear and we really appreciate you taking the time to leave this review!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

After working in childcare for many a year (not at Stepping Stones) I'm only too pleased that 2 of my grandchildren attend this excellent nursery with others due to start soon.
The outings they have allowing children learn through play. The variety of activities are excellent and the regular updates
and pictures throughout the day let's you see what your little ones have been up to and encourages conversation about their day when home.
The food which is served is fresh with such a wide menu to encourage eating.
The staff are so welcoming kind and friendly, they are full of encouragement for the children and liaise with parent's etc regularly.
Couldn't recommend this nursery highly enough.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

What a fantastic review! It is so lovely to receive this feedback and the staff team will be very pleased to read this! Thank you so much!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have 2 grandchildren at this nursery (and 2 more to attend soon!), they both enjoy going to this nursery, they learn so much through playing at Stepping Stones, and it's lovely to see the updates of them having fun on their regular trips out. The staff are caring and helpful and I thoroughly recommend
this nursery.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you for sparing the time to write this review! Your feedback is very much appreciated and the Team will be very pleased! The children and the team absolutely love going on local trips! Southend has so much to offer!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have nothing but praise for this nursery, both our children have been here for 13 months and have stayed/will stay until school. The staff have extremely high standards so they have the best people working there who genuinely care about the children. Their chef is fantastic and the food they are
fed is nutritious and I am told delicious! There are guinea pigs and a dog so the children are taught all about animals and regularly go for outings to local parks/church/walks for the dog. We love the eco friendly vibe, using reusable nappies/using junk from home and repurposing things at nursery and really making the most of all materials they have. Overall my son is very happy here and we've had no complaints at all.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you so much for your kind words! Our staff team will be very pleased! We love having your family as part of our Stepping Stones family!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Stepping stones has been great for our little girl. She loves going there and all the staff members. She has learnt so much from them and we are also placing our twins there come June. Would highly recommend them!

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

We love having your family at Stepping Stones and cannot wait for the twins to start! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about our nursery!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been attending for over a year now and we are so happy with the nursery, they are fantastic. Love the relationship that each of the staff has developed with my daughter, and they are incredibly supportive to the family as a whole. We loved the ethos of the nursery, how they support and
engage the children to develop in all areas, and that they regularly take the children on excursions. Would 100% recommend it to anyone.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience of Stepping Stones! Our staff team will really appreciate your recommendations! Thank you for being part of our Stepping Stones family!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son joined Stepping Stones in October 2020 when he turned 1.
All of the staff are incredible, they continually go above and beyond what is expected.
The children are encouraged to be kind and look out for their peers. They are regularly taken out on trips to the park/beach/local florist etc, which
enables a great understanding of the world.
Whilst the setting is only small, there is a huge amount of engaging resources for the children to explore and the staff are regularly rotating the layout in line with the children’s individual interests. I receive lots of updates via the app with photos of what they are up to and regular updates on development.
Meals are prepared onsite by a fantastic chef, there is always a great variety and everything is homemade.
I would recommend this nursery to anyone and I will be using them again for my second child next year.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

We really appreciate your lovely comments. Thank you for taking the time to send them! We love having your family as part of our Stepping Stones family! Thank you again!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We cannot fault the support Stepping Stones has given us in regards to our child’s development. From our experience we can say that all the staff at stepping stones are extremely helpful and invested in making sure children are encouraged with their development and their learning style. Our child has
delays in communication and social interactions and Stepping Stones have been helping us and have been part of the speech therapy journey we are on, they follow the same activities we do at home to ensure there is consistency for our child. All of the staff are welcoming and friendly but we have to make a special mention to the staff our child adores them and they have been a great support to us navigating a potential neurodivergent diagnosis. Our child runs in to nursery and leaves happy every single day they are there, and that to me is priceless!

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Amazing comments! Our staff team will be very pleased that their care and professionalism is being recognised! Thank you so much for being a part of our Stepping Stones family!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Stepping Stones is a caring and lovely nursery. My son does 2 days a week there and he is loving it! I was very anxious about putting him into nursery but he has settled so well at Stepping Stones.
The nursery staff are quick to respond to any questions I have and I can clearly tell how much they care
about the children. My son eats very well when he’s at nursery and he’s made lots of friends! They are always taking part in educational and exciting activities and often go on little outings too which is fab. The staff are genuinely so kind and down to earth - I couldn’t recommend Stepping Stones enough.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you for taking the time to share your comments! We are really pleased that your family is part of our Stepping Stones family.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We absolutely love Stepping Stones Day Nursery. The communication is fantastic as they use an app where I can message them at any time. They have lovely small rooms, meaning it’s a calmer environment. The onsite homemade food is amazing, I am often jealous of the children's food! I really like their
curriculum as they tailor it to each individual child, making it personal to them. Thank you to all at Stepping Stones for doing such an amazing job. Big shout out to the manager too for all she does to ensure the nursery has such high standards.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you so much for this amazing review! We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!
Thank you again


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter had her first settling in session at Stepping Stones, and I was updated throughout the day on when she was changed and how much she had eaten. I also received photos of her making new friends and playing, which is so lovely to be able to see for myself. As a working Mum, this gave me so
much relief getting these through the app while working. The staff are all lovely and show so much nurture to my daughter already within her first time in the setting. The communication between the staff and myself have been very positive and responses are very quick. I would recommend this nursery to anyone; there is no better feeling than knowing your child is in safe hands.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

We are so pleased that you have given us this glowing review! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! Our staff team will be overjoyed with this and there is nothing better than excellent reviews to help motivate us even further! Thank you again!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our experience in the Stepping Stones Day Nursery could not be better. Our 1-year-old girl entered shy and crying in February 2021 with the pandemic in full swing, but the team was able to introduce her, and she started to quickly love it.
After one year of attendance, we cannot complain about a thing:
good facilities indoors with a cosy garden as well, good fostering environment with sings language, and recently introducing different languages (amazing for us as we are a trilingual family). Constant contact with the family sharing interests and progress, as well as 2/3 daily pictures in the app (so we can stop wondering how she is doing there).
Now the transition period to the older kids is very attentive to our girl's interests and attitude, letting her choose for now where she wants to pass the day (younger or older kids) and planning with us the transition.
Good attention to the environment as well (with the usage of reusable nappies) and pandemic rules.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences of Stepping Stones. We really do appreciate your feedback and the team will be very pleased with your comments. Thank you again


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter is always very excited to go to nursery and see her 'lots of friends', the teachers are also included as her friends, and when she does role play at home, they are often mentioned as she is so fond of them.
The interaction on the app about our daughter's progress and daily photos are always
great to receive as we can see how much she's doing and learning.
The food is a big hit, with most meals saying she's eaten all or all+, and I like how healthy they are with them being homemade.
Very happy with how welcoming, friendly and fun the nursery is, and our two and a half-year-old daughter loves it!

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

We love having your daughter here too! Thank you for your feedback and comments. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have been really pleased with Stepping Stones since we moved our son to the nursery post the first lockdown. The children are encouraged to choose what activities they’d like to do during the day, and the staff are there to support them. The children always take part in a variety of activities and
often things we’d never think of doing at home, which is great to see. They spend a lot of time outside, and I rated this as four because although it’s a great space, it isn’t huge.
There is also a fantastic menu for the children, and our son eats lots of different cuisines!
We get updates via an app on what our son is doing throughout the day and what he eats, we can also upload activities we do at home.
The staff we are in contact with regularly are wonderful and responsive when we contact them.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you for your feedback! We really appreciate that you took the time to do this. We really enjoy having your child with us and feel that we have a great partnership with the whole family. Thank you again for your amazing review.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Stepping Stones is the most wonderful environment, and I cannot rate it highly enough. My daughter is in her second year there, and they have helped her learn, flourish, grow and gain confidence. Every child is treated like an individual, and their individual needs are always met. Communication is outstanding,
and the whole team are wonderful human beings. Handing over your child to strangers is the hardest thing - but there’s no one else I would trust more!

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you so much for your kind words! The team will be very encouraged to hear this! They definitely put their all into caring for the children and these words of appreciation will go a long way in boosting their confidence and well-being! Thank you again!
Catherine


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

After some strategically planned settle sessions, our Covid baby (15-months), that hadn’t been left in the care of others before, started waiting by the door ready to leave for nursery by week three! As a first time mum, to an IVF baby, I’m extremely anxious, but the nursery app means I’m updated throughout
the day with what he eats, when he sleeps, his nappy changes, and the ladies even update me with photos of what he’s up to. There is great communication from the nursery, meaning I can always settle into my own work knowing he’s taken care of. There are monthly reviews of his progress and support in areas that we feel will benefit our babies development. An extensive introduction meant we could tell the staff all about his likes and dislikes, and they contact us regularly for updates on his interests so they can incorporate that into his play. The staff and manager are extremely kind and caring; you can certainly see the experience the manager has and the thought that goes into everything.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Amazing review! Thank you so much! It is such a challenge for parents to balance family life and work, and we are happy that we can support you with this! Your positive comments are really encouraging, and the team will love hearing them! Thank you so much again!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our girls love the staff at Stepping Stones, and they have come on so well since they have been attending the nursery. One of our daughters was initially really struggling with all-new environments, people and was quite behind with her communication skills and engagement. But with lots of special care
and attention from the wonderful staff at Stepping Stones, she has really turned a corner and is like a new baby. Engagement and updates from staff are fantastic, and we receive regular updates and images throughout the day. The nursery also runs lots of wonderful learning initiatives throughout the year, including learning sign language.

Reply from Catherine Balogun, Owner/Manager at Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! Our staff team will be overjoyed with your comments! We really do love to see children settle, respond to us and start to develop those close bonds with us which make them feel secure.
Again, we greatly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.
Kind regards.


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Current Review Score: 10.0 (9.961)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 10 (9.961) out of 10 for Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 13 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 13 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  • a) 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months.

    The Average Rating of 4.961 for Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool is calculated as follows: ( (149 Excellents x 5) + (4 Goods x 4) + (1 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 154 Ratings = 4.961

  • b) 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5').

    The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool is based on 13 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    • i) 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4

    • ii) 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 39 number of registered child places is 7.8, which has been reached with 13 Positive reviews. Points = 1

  • When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.

  • If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

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Frequently Asked Questions about Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool

What is the Age Range of Children that Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool accepts?

Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool Open?

Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool is open: Monday 07:00-18:30, Tuesday 07:00-18:30, Wednesday 07:00-18:30, Thursday 07:00-18:30, Friday 07:00-18:30.

How many Children does Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool have capacity for?

Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool has capacity for a total of 39 Children.

How far is Stepping Stones Day Nursery & Preschool to the centre of Southend-on-Sea?

0.6 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.