Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington

My son has attended this nursery for several years, and over the past six months I have noticed a decline in standards alongside a significant turnover of staff.

One aspect I don't agree with is being charged for nappies and food on bank holidays when the nursery is closed, as the children are not there to use or consume these items. The nursery also charges for "enhanced" or "enriched" activities, but I still don't have a clear understanding of what these include.

Stepping Stones is part of a larger chain, and unfortunately I have found the business side of the nursery to be quite profit-driven. The nursery practitioners themselves have always been caring and hardworking, but I have been disappointed with the management. Communication could also be improved. At the end of the day, updates generally focus on what my son has eaten and nappy changes and no mention about the activites and learning on the day.

Stepping stones nursery has been amazing for our son and for us. They have clear communication and keep us up to date with information regularly. The staff are very friendly and helpful. You can tell they really care about children and have some very experienced staff. Our son loves being there and they have contributed massively to his creativity and learning. We could not recommend them enough.

My overall experience of the nursery has been amazing. The staff are so attentive, caring and put so much effort into my children. I feel at ease when they are at nursery knowing they are given the care they need. The food menu is great, very well balanced and lots of variety and the children are very well entertained with lots of different facilities and activities.

He has come along so much since starting and it's clear he is learning lots while there. Would highly recommend.

I have so much praise for Stepping Stones.

The activities they do with the children each day are well thought through, educational and fun. The food is well balanced and healthy. The staff are exceptional and give the level of care I give to my own child. The facilities are extremely clean and there is an abundance of toys for children to play with. The staff go outside with the children regularly on walks and the children are often playing in the garden area when weather permits.

Stepping Stones is a fantastic nursery and one I recommend to every parent and carer. There is a strong sense of starting education early through fun learning and this is definitely reflected in how much my child has developed thanks to Stepping Stones.

She also enjoys trying the different food at meal times.

We have had our little boy at Stepping Stones for the last few years now. He started off in babies and is now in Preschool and he has loved every single day at nursery. We have never had any issues with him going in each day; he has loved all the staff members and now he is talking. He tells us how much fun he has with all his friends and teachers. The staff at Stepping Stones are second to none; the care and attention they give your little ones is incredible and the bond they build makes it so much easier to leave your child in their care. Our little girl has recently started in the baby room and she was a little more hesitant, but she has the best relationships with all the staff now and settles really quickly. The staff go above and beyond to make your little one feel as comfortable as possible and they really help bring them out of their shell. I couldn't recommend Stepping Stones enough to anyone looking to put their child into nursery.

Stepping stones has been an amazing nursery for our little boy! He has attended since may 2024 and I was very anxious at the start but the staff have been brilliant! The nursery itself is a great space and offers the children lots to do, we love that when the weather is good the staff take the children out for walks and to the park. The staff are brilliant and our little one has developed lovely relationships with them. The nursery are very accommodating if your child has dietary requirements etc and been very accommodating when we've needed extra sessions!

Overall, we have always had a great experience with both children in all rooms within the nursery. Our kids have both loved it and I would always recommend.

We have two daughters who attend Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington. Our eldest is now 4 and has been attending since she was 11 months old. Our youngest is 15 months old and has been at Stepping Stones for 6 months. Both girls have come on so much since starting nursery. It's been lovely to see our eldest flourish there and to see our youngest going the same way is fantastic. Our eldest daughter has multiple allergies, and the staff at Stepping Stones have been very vigilant in keeping her safe while at nursery. It's a pleasure to collect them and hear about what a lovely day they have had, especially when we hear it first-hand from our 4-year-old.

My son has attended this nursery since he was 9 months old (January 2023). From the minute I visited the nursery I knew it was the right fit. Every member of staff have been absolutely amazing in every way. They have made the transition from my son starting the nursery to moving up into the toddler room extremely easy. I have felt supported during this whole process. Every member of staff has welcomed my family. Extremely professional, and extremely informative and I know they take extra care when looking after my son and all of the other children. They have supported myself and my son when he has been poorly, upset, meal times and potty training! My son has developed skills throughout his journey at this nursery since starting and he absolutely loves it. I find it incredible that the staff adapt to each individual child and I feel they are all so caring. My mind is at total ease when my son is there. Could not recommend this nursery enough.

The Washington Nursery Team has been great with our child's development and keeping us informed of various development stages and daily activities. Daily activities vary and our child has an opportunity to do something different each day, whether it is the music room, sensory play, books toys, singing a song, outdoor play etc. The illness notices are available when necessary and of course, the staff call when necessary for non-standard updates. The full team including admin staff are amazing, friendly and always helpful. No phone call from a parent to check if their child is ever too big or small. The daily rate is reasonable and affordable for working parents. Staff are very helpful with administration advice. Big thank you to all the staff working at The Washington Nursery.

She absolutely loves going to nursery and I love it too, highly recommend it!

Stepping Stones provides a loving, caring and stimulating environment for my little girl who is in the toddler room. She enjoys going in every day and has built really strong relationships with the staff and other children. She has learnt so much and continues to develop every day. We are excited for her to start in the preschool room soon.

My boy has been with the Stepping Stones Nursery since he was only 7 months old. He is now in preschool and he just loves to go back every day even if sometimes he would prefer to stay with me (the mother) or his father at home. He has learned so much and it's all thanks to the amazing staff at the nursery. All the learning activities and the fun he is having there are contributing immensely to his development and we are glad we've chosen this nursery for him. The outside space and the trails in nature are really great as well.

We are so glad we placed our son in this nursery. He wasn't very social/didn't have good speech at the time, however, since he's been here in September he's progressed massively. The staff are amazing and always give us a good rundown of everything that's happened whilst he's been there. My son has also completed potty training with the help of the nursery staff whilst being there, can't fault the nursery at all. They are absolutely amazing!

Fantastic nursery. My daughter started at Stepping Stones Day Nursery in September 2024, I was really nervous going back to work and having to leave her. But I had nothing to worry about the staff are lovely and friendly, always comfort her when she was upset with drop offs. My daughter now puts her arms out to go the nursery staff now which is great!

Stepping Stones has been great for our child since we started taking him, he has learnt a lot and we are grateful for the friendly, welcoming staff and key worker who are there every week for him. Highly recommended.

I personally found returning to work from maternity leave an incredibly stressful time, but the staff at Stepping Stones made the transition as smooth as possible. The staff have gone out of their way to make sure my son felt comfortable and always keep me up to date with how he spends his days there. They seem to do so many fun activities with the kids and my son has built wonderful connections with many of the carers there, the environment is clean and engaging and my son and I both love it!

Our daughter absolutely loves coming to nursery, which is a reflection of the excellent relationships she has developed with the staff. She enjoys the variety of the provision of activities provided and has continued to thrive as a consequence.