We recently moved, and after touring several preschools closer to our new home, we made the decision to keep our son here, even though it means a much longer commute. The biggest thing that stands out to me is the staff. Many of the teachers have been here for years, and some for well over a decade. After visiting other centers where nearly every classroom seemed to have brand-new teachers, I realized just how unique that is. Low turnover tells me this is an organization that treats its staff well, and that stability has been really awesome for our son. The educational program is also excellent. The teachers clearly put a tremendous amount of thought into their lesson plans and daily activities. We get lots of art and other work sent home regularly. Through the app, we receive detailed updates about what our son is learning and doing each day, and it's clear that he's growing academically and socially. They've also been incredible partners during potty training, reinforcing the same skills we're working on at home. Communication is another area where they excel. The teachers and administrators are proactive and responsive. We've always felt well informed. One thing I didn't realize I'd appreciate so much until we toured other centers is that they provide hot breakfast and lunch every day, plus a snack. It has been such a gift not to pack meals each morning, and the menu offers a great variety of foods. Our son has become more adventurous with eating because he sees his classmates trying new foods, and we've noticed him eating things at school I don't think he'd try at home. Our daughter went to a different preschool -- she's 7 years older than her brother, so that was years ago -- and we were truly pleased with it at the time. But, now that I can compare it to this provider, I have to say.... First Steps is better! We couldn't recommend this place more highly. read more

My son started in the infant room and graduated from the transitional kindergarten at First Steps. We're very thankful for the staff and how they helped my son grow! Pros: 1. The staff was always patient, friendly, and professional. I never had to worry about how my son was treated in any of the classes. Some staff members have been there for a very long time too! 2. Communication was fantastic. They have an app and will even post pictures. 3. No screens! There are activities and lessons planned throughout the day. I loved seeing all the artwork my son created. 4. The cost was very reasonable for childcare. I can't really think of any cons! read more

Excellent place. Great teachers, great environment. Very organized. If you are looking for. A safe and secure environment for your most precious child, check this place out. Teacher Debbie is the best ! read more

First Steps Preschool - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Scottsdale, Arizona

Our son has been going here for 4 months now and we could not be happier with the care he receives. The staff are communicative, friendly, and the building is safe and secure. My son loves going to "school" each day. I also feel like their prices are very good for the level of care and attention they give. I love that they use an app to communicate and send pictures throughout the day! read more

We love First Steps!! Going on two years my son started as an infant and has transitioned easily through each stage of his life. Every teacher and staff member is caring and kind and he is always safe and happy when he's there. They have been super flexible with us and truly feel like an extension of our family. read more

My daughter has been going here for over a year now and she loves it! She looks forward to seeing her friends and teachers every day. All of the staff always seem to know her on a personal basis and are so kind to her and my family. Best daycare ever! *****Update 12/05/23 - I felt the need to update this after hearing some of the frustration about daycare choices within the valley from some moms in my social circle. I moved my daughter to 4 different daycares before finding this one for the same reasons. I cannot stress enough how ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL this Preschool is, and you would never know it given the old reviews online. My daughter started Kindergarten this year and despite being the youngest in her class, she is at the top academically. They have not yet introduced a concept she does not already know. This is 100% a credit this to First Steps. As I working single mom, I had no time to spend working with her on anything. They worked with her every day on all of the skills she would need to be prepared for Kindergarten. They prepared her so well in fact, that she was reading some level 1 books before she ever left. In addition- I never once worried about her while she was in their care. Every day, she came home happy and fulfilled and excited about life. She was capable and able to verbalize her day to me- and it was always a joy to hear what fun she had and how much she loved her teachers. Five months into our new school (which she also loves) and she is still asking to go back and visit her teachers and friends at First Steps! She reminisces on the games and activities they provided. It was HEARTBREAKING to move on after our 3 years here. Since she is still a young 5, I wanted to keep her here another year, but staff was very honest with us that she is ready to move on to the next level. They were right. Thank you First Steps! We miss you! read more

I absolutely love this preschool. My son grew so much during his time here and the amount of care they showed was impeccable. He is delayed in speech and after the adjustment period they noticed and addressed their concerns with me. It made me so happy that they truly cared for my sons success. The staff is amazing and we have had nothing but great experiences. Everyone is so lovely and kind. I especially wanted to give a shout out to Gabby! She has been amazing to My son and he absolutely adores her. Every mornings on the way to school he says "school, Gabby, yeah!". No matter how crabby he is, as soon as we pull up and park he wipes away his tears and is ready to go. I have seen a huge improvement in him. He is speaking and more confident. He wants to use the bathroom at home, puts himself down at nap time, and uses big boy cups and silverware, plus he is trying to get himself dressed and picking out his own clothes. read more

I've had all my kids in this school since day one. No issues what so ever great staff great management. They always go that extra mile to make sure they have what they need and if not they get it read more

love this daycare. they are way better than the last 2 my kids attesn8ng they actually do activities with them and my infant doesn't sit in a swing all day like with previous daycares read more

I have tried two daycares before trying first steps and im so relieved to have my toddler here! The time and care they put into getting her used to daycare was incredible and she knows all the staff and has made so many friends! I know she's getting the utmost quality care at First Steps. read more

I really like this daycare, I haven't experienced any of the negativity mentioned in the reviews from years ago. My child is happy and healthy here and looks forward to seeing her teachers. read more

HORRIBLE establishment! They are not able to redirect the children when the children are misbehaving. This daycare called my daughter 2-3 times a day almost causing her to lose her job! asking her to come get her 2 year old as if he was a terrorist! Then when I went to pick him up for her, they were so eager to get rid of the 2 year old black child that was causing all the problems, they released him to me without asking for ID! They have never met me before as I could have been a stranger but they gave him and his things to me without checking my id. My daughter called and messaged for them to send her video of all these horrible things he has done and they disabled her platform. Will be taking legal action against this daycare facility. read more

Worst daycare I've ever taken my child too . They feel the need to call me every day from work to pick him up about things that aren't serious at all . They treated my son bad . And they didn't want to deal with my child . When I first started taking him to this daycare they would update me on everything as far as what he ate what time he went potty when he woke up etc . After about a week they stopped notifying me on his daily activities and only updated me on his behavior and negative things . When he's behaving badly they sit him in the office inside of a baby crib and he's 3 ! They never wanted to work with him and immediately wanted to kick him out. I wouldn't recommend this daycare to anyone read more

Last minute I needed somewhere to send my 3 month old and I could not be happier. I was a little hesitant because it is always nerve racking when leaving your child with someone you do not know. Her classroom teachers have been really great - they have helped a lot with her bottle feeding. They have a great app which gives you notifications when your child takes a nap, changes diaper, feeds etc. All the staff are extremely friendly and say hi/bye when you come/go and today I was walking past one of the older kids playgrounds and one of the teachers was playing with the kids and going down the slide etc which made me feel really good about my decision to put my daughter here. read more

This is the first daycare/preschool my 4 year old son has gone to. The process of sending my baby somewhere I feel safe and confident in their abilities was tough for me. I'm so glad I was able to join Gibson here. Everyone has been very friendly and accommodating. Gibson enjoys his class and teachers so much. They switched buildings and I think the new accommodations are amazing and just make the experience even better. Thank you first steps! read more

The name First Impressions is the most ironic thing I've ever heard because this preschool gave my husband and I the WORST first impression. We arrived to take a tour and could not find the office. We stumbled upon an open door which happened to be the infant room. The only reason I knew this is because there were two babies in there ALONE with the door wide open to the 120 degree heat where anyone could just take them as it is not a secure facility. We then found another open door where the teacher was incredibly short with us and rudely directed us to the infant teacher who had returned to her room. She let us know that those were her babies and that's why they were left alone. Of course my thought is if you will leave your own children alone, what would you do with mine? Needless to say we will absolutely not be using this business for childcare and no wonder they have so many vacant spots. read more

We have been part of the First Steps family since the day they opened on Valentine's Day 2011. First our daughter went there and then our son, who is now in the 4's class. From the moment we toured different daycares, I felt good about this one and more than eight years later that gut feeling has been confirmed over and over again. The teachers, management and other staff feel like partners in the raising and education of our kids. From sending pictures when our kids were babies and we had to get used to being apart and breastfeeding my little one in the middle of the day after a work trip to helping us with strategies how to overcome difficult behavior, I have felt supported in the way I want to raise our kids. I love that this daycare is diverse when it comes to kids, families and staff. Some of the teachers have been there since the school opened. They know us and always have a kind word. The teachers know my child and how to help him with big feelings. They also love when our daughter visits them at pick-up or drop-off. Both of our kids have learned so much, the artwork is amazing and different all the time and I am impressed by what our son knows already. But there is also a huge emphasis on play, having fun and being outside. Now, has everything always gone right? No, but the door was always open for dialogue and the willingness to improve a situation. Oftentimes, I feel like parents put too much responsibility on the daycare. It is easy to complain, but the truth in my opinion is that nothing is perfect - stay-at-home parents also have bad days. My children have hurt themselves at daycare just like at home - because they played. What matters to me is that my child is well taken care of and loved when something happens and that - just like at home - precautions are taken that it happens as little as possible. I think the rules in place to send kids home when they are sick make absolute sense, even though they are not always convenient for working parents. :-) However, I'd rather be home with my sick child and not get others sick. Also, our kids have not missed many days due to illness. A sign that the rules work. Last not least I feel like the value we get for our money is a good one. These are the people that help raise my children and they do a tremendous job every day. I know that when the last day of preschool comes for our son, mom will shed some tears of gratitude. read more

I have a baby in the infant room here. From the first day they were understanding of my emotions leaving my newborn with someone else. It wasnt easy but I am confident he is in good hands. They keep track of how much he eats, sleeps, activities, etc in a little app and send pics and videos daily. They do cute painting projects and take the babies outside. I never worry about him, I know he is in good hands. read more

We had many reasons to change daycares, namely our child was in a class with 27 kids and 2-3 teachers.... First Steps DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!! 14 kids to 2-3 teachers. AND they're all 2 years old. They have weekly themes and do lots and lots of playtime. ZERO screentime. As parents, you want your kiddo to be safe, busy, and learning through interaction while you are at work. Check check check! First steps has amazing internal staff communication. From Jessica and Stephanie at the front all the way through the classrooms, bar none. We love the amount of story time as well. Miss Suzy, Miss Ruthie and Miss Becca in the 2s are genuinely caring, kind and PATIENT. They keep everyone calm and together. Most importantly, they're helping us parents raise kind human beings. I am so grateful we found First Steps. Oh and as a bonus they also have an excellent food variety. read more

We love First Steps! Our child starting attending at 3 months of age and is now (almost) 2. We have really liked all of his teachers and so has our kiddo. He comes home and talks about his teacher every night, running around the house calling her name and pointing to her in the school picture on the fridge. Every morning we ask if he wants to go to school and he shouts "school" and runs to the front door. The school provides food, drinks, and snacks and accommodates allergies and food sensitivities. The kids take scheduled naps during the day and my son is always coming home with artwork. Everyone is caring of the children and very friendly. I would definitely recommend to a friend. read more

My kids have been at Firsts Steps for about a year now and they love it! They love to go and learn and play with their friends. I know they are happy and safe and that's what matters most! They love their teachers and look forward to going every morning. I appreciate everyone that works there! read more

My son attended First Steps daycare for a couple years. The facility is very small, congested, over crowded, he never learned much there, it was mostly a free for all play fest and they constantly had a lot of sick kids running around. They also have overly strict drop off time policies/rules, and like to charge you on the days your kid doesn't attend the facility. We pulled him out of First Steps for a summer because we had family coming in to visit and for vacations we had planned. We didn't want to pay for full months of daycare when we were hardly going to use it. When we told them about his temporary exit, they said they would hold his spot. When we went to get him back in after the summer, they said there was no room for him. Keep this in mind as you continue reading about the awful experience we had with these people. It was a blessing to be honest. After looking around, we found out not all daycares have the annoying, expensive, frustrating, inconvenient policies that First Steps has. We found a nicer, larger, cleaner, happier, schedule and policy free daycare that actually teaches the kids, for less money. Can't even begin to tell you how much happier we are with his new daycare. Here is where it get's good and the reason I decided to write a review on First Steps. Apparently when we pulled my son from attending First Steps, we had a $140 "cancellation" fee we needed to pay for his final week(that he didn't attend) or something along those lines. Keep in mind, they gave away his spot, so we were forced to remove him from their daycare. Now they are charging us a fee for it...awesome! We found out about this fee when we got served a small claims court notice on 4/5/14. Yes, you read that right, we were summoned to small claims court over the $140 we were unaware we owed. We were very confused and immediately called to figure out what was going on and pay whatever money we owed. The owners daughter, Jessica, was glad to hear from us, as she knows us well and said she would gladly take the payment of $140 for the fee we owed them and we could all move on. That was the case until the owner(her mother Marcy) got involved. Marcy refused our $140 payment and said we needed to pay the charges she spent on filing the small claims order against us. Uhhhhh, no...sorry crazy lady, ain't happening unless a brain dead judge tells me otherwise. So, off to small claims court we go. We never received a phone call, email, letter, or invoice from First Steps stating we owed them money...ever. We never got any invoices from them and we live 1/2 mile from their building, and we had the money to pay their $140 bill. They said they sent us multiple notices, which is a flat out lie. We never received anything and they had nothing to show in court either. Rather than simply picking up a phone and calling one of us, like 99% of real companies do, they decided suing us via small claims court for $327 was their best option. Are you f'ing kidding me? My wife asked Marcy why they didn't simply call us and she was told "that's not how we do business". Is this insane or what? I ended up calling them and asked for copies of the emails they supposedly sent, and got nothing. I asked for proof that letters were mailed and I was told one date they had it noted down in their records, but there is no proof of anything being mailed and we never received a thing from them. I was told they have a "text message" from several months ago that Jessica sent my wife about a cancellation fee. Text message? What kind of company conducts business through text message? Are we in junior high school? We both work long and hard days, have a million things going on, have a family, and if they sent a text message, it was quickly forgotten about. Sorry princess, shooting over a text message isn't invoicing someone in the real world. Well, unless your work for this amateur hour of a business I guess. The lady in charge of this place(Marcy) sucks. When my wife talked to her on the phone, she was extremely rude, inconsiderate, and demanded we pay the money she spent on the court filing fees which is $250+. I also called to talk to her, and got the same story. Just the kind of lady you want mentoring your kids right? Do yourself a favor, find a different daycare. This place is a joke run by a money hungry nutjob. By the way, the judge ruled in their favor. We have to pay $327 because apparently sending a random, vague text message IS acceptable in the court of law as an invoice. And they have you by the balls with the contract you have to sign to enroll your child in their facility. What a sad world we live in. Congratulations Marcy, enjoy your $327. I am positive the time you've wasted on all of this and the amount of business you're going to lose when this review get's read is far greater than your $327 reward for conducting business like a spoiled, greedy 5 year old. read more

Sooo my daughters daycare, First Steps Preschool Scottsdale bumped her head and it is literally the biggest bump I've ever seen on her. At least the size of a marble. They neglected to inform me of the bump and then when I asked, their response was "she must've fallen" when I asked if I was supposed to be confident with that answer, they said "it's the only answer I have, she's a baby." They also do not follow the state requirement that you must change a baby diapers every hour, or that the bottles need to come prepared and be kept in a fridge. They failed to put a proper amount of diaper cream on my 8 month old when she had a diaper rash. They do not know how to keep track of her diapers. There's also some fishiness surrounding the amount of food she had left over, but that's somewhat understandable, because sometimes she doesn't want to eat. BASICALLY, don't ever send your infant to First Steps Preschool. I switched from their sister school (first impressions) which isn't a bad school for infants, because the infant teacher is so amazing (look it up!). When i made the switch, the "wonderful, helpful" assistant director kept giving me grief about my DES switching over to their daycare, dude, i was just at your sister school (same owner!) and my DES worked fine there, so obviously it will again here. I thought it was super disrespectful and rude to stress me and tell me I may have to pay full tuition (which I obviously cant afford) when they know my DES worked before. This daycare is just bad. I feel the need to keep making sure that is known, I made a report to the state and they said there wasn't enough evidence to substantiate. Please do not send your child here. At least, if you have an infant, do not send them here. Your baby cannot talk to you and tell you whats happening. This is not somewhere you should feel comfortable dropping off a child that can not give you a full report of their day. read more

This preschool is run and managed by the most unbelievable caring, nurturing, and attentive owner, directors, administrators teachers and staff. My daughter has been here since before she was about 10 months old. She's almost 3 now, and I that my she can't wait to go to school every day! I've been a teacher for many years and love being able to drop my toddler of at school and have her show and tell me all the wonderful things she learned when we come home. She wakes up every morning asking if she gets to go to school that day. All of the teachers she's had, have been AMAZING and I recommend this place to anyone looking for a safe, nurturing and happy environment for their child. read more

These guys are amazing! All of the staff is very experienced and knowledgeable. I was so worried to put my baby in the hands of strangers, but they made the process so easy, and I have 100% confidence that she is getting all the care she needs, and then some. I had changed jobs while she was enrolled, and the drive is sort of a hassle for me now, but I refuse to change day cares. It's so worth the drive. My daughter comes home with adorable little arts and crafts every week. She talks about her teachers and her daycare friends at home all the time. Seems like every other day she learns a new word or song. I can't keep up with them! I definitely recommend these guys! read more

I would NOT recommend this pre school to any parent! I cannot say all bad things because Ms. Brit was amazing and is An awesome and kind teacher. However, the Owner is the rudest and most inconsiderate person I have met in a long time. How does an owner of a childcare Business even operate with such an unkind soul? As soon as I had an encounter with her I pulled my son out of this pre school the same day. It was a blessing in disguise as we found McCormick Pre school which is FABULOUS!! More to come on that below. The owner is a mean lady. They will NOT work with you on anything nor understand unfortunate situations, they just do not care. The lady at the Front, Sandy, is the same way. She comes across friendly at times but is just as rude and mean as the owner. My son is almost three and he went to this school since he was 2. I kept asking them to help potty train and they never did. In fact, during the last 3 months of his enrollment there at least 80% of the time I would pick him up in a Soaked diaper! One occasion I picked him up, put him in my car seat, looked and felt him and he was soaked in his pants and it went all over my car. I spoke To the staff and his teacher numerous times about this siutaiton and it never ceased. He never napped there because he was never comfortable There I figure. As soon as I changed pre schools he is a HAPPY boy, is NEVER wet and naps great at McCormick Pre school. He was also sick many times. I understand that occurs, especially in pre school environments, but it goes to show the uncleanliness Which you can see when you are there. He got hands, mouth, foot disease while there. His lips were always so red and chapped which was odd. I asked the teacher to put on the special chapstick I got for him and he never did. On the weekends when we had him his lips were fine. On his last day there I took him to his pediatrician the next day because he had red bumps all over his face. He had something called Impetigo. If you look it up it's a STAPH infection most likely from a preschool. Nasty, dirty place!! Since his new pre school his lips Are never chapped and his skin is great. They started potty training him immediately and within two weeks he is potty trained!! I asked for over a year!! I have no idea why I had him there so long especially with the rude, unfriendly staff. Even the lady with hardly any teeth Was always barking at me. PLEASE DO NOT BRING YOUR KIDS HERE!! There are plenty of other options and try McCormick Pre school if they have openings. One more situation that occurred: my daughter had attended this pre school as well before Kindergarten started. As summer came upon Us I asked Sandy at the front desk if she could come back to this preschool since school was out. They agreed and gave me a form to fill out Which had boxes to check of which weeks my daughter would attend. I filled out the form and checked the box for the week of May 23rd. I asked if she could start May 18th ( Wednesday) and they agreed. On Tuesday May 17th at 4:45pm Sandy called me and told me that Jade Could not attend unless she was doing the entire summer! This was the FIRST Time they informed me of this new decision. I argued with Sandy And spoke to the owner--Marcy. She was so rude, condescending, and mean and stated " we don't do drop in day care". This place sucks!!! Recap--Rude, mean, unfriendly staff especially the owner. VERY Dirty and your kids will get some odd staph infection. They do not change Diapers often enough. Your kid will probably not be able to sleep there since its not even a cozy and loving environment. read more

This is the absolute worst daycare i have ever seen. They had a huge lice infestation one friday afternoon. Like most parents i feel they should have noticed it sooner. I did not want my child to get it so i moved him to another daycare monday morning. They still tried to charge me for two weeks for not giving notice. I am a single mother and do not have a lot of money. I only had enough for one daycare but i felt i made the best decision for my child. I never recieved anything in the mail but i later moved to chandler. Now this week i foind out they are garnishing my wadges almost 300 a pay check to reach $800. read more

As of today, I had my son in the infant care room, the class rooms are filthy, and disorganized, the walls are not clean, their toys are not disinfected, there was never a day where a parent didn't trip over something on the floor, there is a lot of clutter in the classrooms, looks like a hoarder's delight in a daycare. My son was always sick, there was a time where another child had pink eye and I brought it to the teachers attention and it was ignored, later to find out my baby ended up getting pink eye as well... For the safety and Heath of my baby, it was imperative that my baby is no longer in that daycare anymore...The daycare is also unfair and attempts to tag on extra charges where its not applicable, the owner is named Marcie and she was very unprofessional and rude, she made a statement to me that stated "your expectations do not meet our requirements"... This was uncalled for, then she removed my son from daycare the day of our conversation because she can "refuse anyone in her daycare"... This all occurred just because I took my son into a non scheduled day, yet, I was changed for that day, the owner was very unprofessional and mean to me, for a moment I though she could be racist... I would never recommend this day care to anyone. read more

This is by far the worst daycare I've seen the manager is a complete joke, she's rude and money hungry! She's definitely racists and this is why I'm getting treated like this. They had the lunch lady serving food while she had the flu and that's how it started. My daughter got sick and sent home Friday i kept her until Monday bringing her back Tuesday where she was sent home. On the email she says she was sent home because she fell asleep on the playground but when i picked her up it was because she had a fever. They pick and choose the kids and parents they want to deal with or work with. They still wanted me to pay for a FULL WEEK when my daughter didn't go BUT they waived tuition for the "others" who had the flu but not for me who "chose" to keep my daughter home Even tho she was sent home Tuesday they say she could've returned Thursday but the teacher told me it would be best to leave her home since she doesn't have the flu we don't want her getting it. (Not wanting to deal with her) Now they're telling me i can't bring my child this week after me paying $170 yesterday (Monday) they want an additional 180 for last week when they sent her home after their staff got her ill from having the flu and serving food which they say she didn't but she was there the same week!!!they also never called to check on her the rest of the week after sending her home. She told me she waived the other parents tuition because their kids had the flu but since my child had all symptoms but no flu they won't honor it which is nonsense since it came from your lunch lady & i had to call off work!!! The fact that me and my daughter have to deal with this because of the color of our skin is sad. Jessica was extremely rude!! I told her it's fine i would take her out so she gets pissed tells me I'll have to pay tuition for the next 2 weeks without her going there because they need a 2 weeks notice lol. She then calls my phone 3 times when i answer she says "well since you guys are not happy here Mia needs to be picked up" i told her i will pick her up and hung up. She's the most racist, money hungry DIRECTOR I've ever came across and it's sad. I have screenshots of them canceling events due to the flu being so bad there and all they care about is money. Never the well being of your child ! I will be going to 3 on your side to report everything it's clearly discrimination & i don't want anyone else to experience this. Please keep your kids away from here!!!!!!!!!!! I promise there is something else out there it may take some time to look but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE AVOID they don't have your child's best interest and to think I've let her here for a couple of months makes me sick to my stomach to see their true colors! UPDATE: Jessica please stop with the politically correct response you guys are racist, and money hungry you don't care about the well being of the kids there & that's that . So move on and reply to the other racist comment about you all. It's 2019 now get with the times you shouldn't be working with kids if you feel this way read more

My child has been enrolled here for a year and a half and this school has been a great choice for our family. The staff is friendly and awesome and our child has really learned a lot and is going to be more than prepared for Kindergarten. There is a huge outdoor space for the kids to play and the teachers really put a lot of though into their lesson plans. The parking lot can get a little crowded at peak times, but other than that, we love it here! read more