Stepping Stone School facilities are probably unlike any preschool or child-development center you’ve seen. They are homey, yet unconventional. They offer an open, organic feel, yet are distinctively configured based on three decades of research and experience in school design. They are playful, yet hold teachable moments at literally every turn.
The focus of all 19 Stepping Stone Schools in Austin, Round Rock, and College Station is the child’s experience. Our objective is to create a place that is appealing to sight, sound, smell, touch and movement – a multi-sensory experience where children’s intellectual, physical and social/emotional development is consciously inspired by the school’s spaces and structures.
To date, we have built nine of our facilities from the ground up. Among our newest additions are The School of Ideas [A.W. Grimes], The School of Discovery [Teravista] and The School of Innovation [Kyle]. You can also view our latest campus at Southpark Meadows in this virtual tour. These schools will serve as our models moving forward: the blend of building and best practices to enhance education in the Austin, Round Rock, and College Station areas.
Some of the special features we’ve incorporated into our latest schools include:
- healthier, more efficient and ecological buildings;
- warm color schemes, and extensive use of natural materials with diverse textures, like wood and stone;
- airy atriums for gatherings, storytimes and transitions;
- abundant sources of natural light;
- lighting technologies that change color to alter the mood of the space;
- open gourmet kitchens where children can see – and smell – what’s cooking;
- classroom clusters grouped by age and developmental stage, themed and color-coded so students can easily find where they belong; and
- design elements throughout that spark curiosity and encourage interactive play – such as hallways that hold a 3-D fossil timeline or a network of giant, working mechanical cogs along the walls.
It’s forward-thinking facilities like these that serve as imagination incubators for the next generation of great minds, and help make Stepping Stone School the best in Central Texas.