Small Steps Nurturing Center
Hope for children straight from the heart
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Children from disadvantaged areas experience the opportunity gap from a young age. Well before children enter their K-12 education years, they already face multiple stressors of systemic poverty and experience fewer educational opportunities. Children who do not have access to stimulating learning environments may be as much as 18 months behind their peers by the time they start kindergarten. In Texas, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are 33 percent less likely to be reading on grade level by 3rd grade. Research shows that students living in poverty and not reading on grade level by 3rd grade are 13 times more likely to drop out of high school than their more advantaged counterparts.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Program Elements
Small Steps’ approach to early childhood education makes a lasting impact in our students’ lives and helps break the cycle of intergenerational poverty in Houston. We operate five days a week, nine months each year, at no financial cost to the families we serve.
SET (Social and Emotional Tools) For Life
Small Steps has implemented an approach to early childhood education called SET (Social Emotional Tools) for Life©, created by Michelle M. Forrester, PhD. SET for Life uses a relationship- and language-based format to address the social and emotional needs of children. Small Steps has long recognized the importance of mental health and works to teach our students acceptance, self-esteem, self-control, positive communication, problem solving, and delayed gratification. Small Steps employs SET for Life team members, led by the Director of Student and Family Support, and partners with outside providers for other student and family support needs.
Early Childhood Education Program
Small Steps is among a select group of early childhood programs with a national accreditation from Cognia (formerly AdvancED), the leading accrediting organization for schools across the educational spectrum. The accreditation process ensures that we are held to the highest standards as well as continuously improving our program. The school maintains a low teacher to child ratio of approximately one to eight and utilizes the project approach to learning to integrate multi-disciplinary curricula. Small Steps’ scope and sequence centers on language development as the core of all learning activities. Our teachers also incorporate science and math concepts and weave critical thinking skill development into each day through problem solving, observations, sorting activities, and investigations. Small Steps provides on-site and virtual speech therapy to qualifying students, as well as referrals for special education evaluations and/or services.
Physical Development Program
Small Steps provides our students breakfast, lunch, and a snack each school day, fulfilling the majority of each student’s daily nutritional needs. Small Steps also provides daily transportation in staff-driven vans for those children who otherwise could not get to school. Our playgrounds provide safe green space for children to develop their motor skills and social skills as well as to connect with nature.
Spiritual Program
Small Steps believes that we show God’s love by serving children in need and treating each person as a unique creation. Teachers daily demonstrate love to their students by fostering close relationships, and our volunteers show compassion by serving in our ministry. Small Steps weaves the message of God's love into many aspects of the program. Our program includes weekly chapel, prayer before meals, and daily staff devotionals.
Family Engagement Program
Small Steps intentionally creates opportunities to strengthen connections with our students’ families. We believe that we can make a lasting impact on families well after they leave Small Steps by investing in, empowering, and educating parents while their children are enrolled. To complete a minimum of 10 tuition hours each school year, parents can attend parent education events, volunteer, or participate in other parent engagement opportunities. Small Steps serves as a support network to students and families in times of crisis and provides referrals for various community services.
Where we work
Awards
Four Star (highest) ranking for twelfth consecutive year, ranking Small Steps in the top 1 percent of organizations. 2015
Charity Navigator
Met all twenty of BBB's Standards for Charity Accountability 2015
Better Business Bureau
20 Standards for Charity Accountability 2020
Better Business Bureau
Affiliations & memberships
Independent Charities of America 2014
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) 2015
Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance - Organization 2015
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Early Childhood Education Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Small Steps believes that the way to prepare disadvantaged children for success in elementary school and life is through participation in a comprehensive, high-quality early childhood education program. Small Steps’ accredited program seeks to narrow the opportunity gap for our students, support their holistic development, and ultimately change the cycle of intergenerational poverty for their families. Small Steps builds a strong foundation for student success by offering a high-quality education, social and emotional support, a nurturing Christian environment, nutritious meals, and transportation to children ages two through six. Through operating preschools serving the Fifth Ward and Gulfton neighborhoods, we create a community of learning and support for our students and families.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Nurturing Intellectual Growth
Goal: To provide students with an intellectually stimulating environment, which narrows the learning gap and prepares them for elementary school.
Key Program Elements
• Evidence-based curricula, including Everyday Mathematics, The Comprehensive Toddler Curriculum, Lucy Calkins Reading and Writing, and Neuhaus Education Center’s Language and Literacy for Preschool and Reading Readiness
• Center-based classrooms and a project approach to learning to integrate multi-disciplinary curricula
• Weekly drama, music, and creative movement instruction
• On-site and virtual speech therapy for qualifying students
• Evaluations and formal assessments of students
• At least 24 hours of professional development for teachers (provided by Small Steps annually), including training in specific curricula
Nurturing Social and Emotional Growth
Goal: To engage students in positive interactions with peers and adults and to teach students to identify and express a range of emotions in a healthy way.
Key Program Elements
• Direct clinical services: individual therapy, play groups, and/or parent-child therapy
• Psychoeducation/training to teachers, staff, parents, and volunteers in SET for Life and relevant child development practices
• Ongoing consultation with teachers and staff to meet individual student needs and to address possible needs for neuropsychological assessment and/or intervention
• Assistance for families with crisis intervention services, community referrals, and support for best family practices
Nurturing Physical Growth
Goal: To provide students with a safe, nurturing, and healthy atmosphere.
Key Program Elements
• Breakfast, lunch, and a snack each school day
• Safe, spacious playgrounds
• Transportation in staff-driven passenger vans for those children who could not otherwise get to school
• After school on-site care provided by YMCA for working parents
Nurturing Spiritual Growth
Goal: To offer students and families a loving atmosphere based on Christian faith and values.
Key Program Elements
• Weekly chapel
• Prayer before meals
• Daily staff devotionals
Nurturing Families
Goal: To nurture and engage parents and caregivers as primary teachers of their children.
Key Program Elements
• Parent education classes both onsite and off campus at partner organizations
• Events targeting parental involvement, such as Christmas Chapel and school-wide parent-child activities
• Home visits from teachers twice per year
• Employment of 15 family members of current or former students in the 2020-2021 school year
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Internal Resources:
• Teachers: Hiring and retaining high-quality, caring, and committed teachers is one of the most important aspects of Small Steps’ program. Small Steps has at least one degreed teacher in every classroom. Fifteen of the 28 teachers have been at Small Steps for five or more years; teacher retention rate is 93 percent over the last five years.
• Board: Small Steps has an engaged and involved 21-member Board of Directors, which meets six times a year. Board members participate in professional development activities for staff, use their corporate resources to host meetings for event committees, and offer field trips and secure special experiences for the students. Board members are also active participants in school program events and assist with fundraising by chairing and/or serving on special event committees and making connections with prospective donors. In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, 100 percent of Small Steps Board members contributed financially to the organization.
External Resources:
• Volunteers: Small Steps volunteers support Small Steps in many significant ways, including completing campus beautification and maintenance projects, hosting enrichment events for our students and families, and praying for individual students. Volunteer Buddies spend weekly, one-on-one time with students to foster consistent adult-child relationships as part of our social and emotional program. In the 2019-2020 school year, 727 volunteers served more than 6,399 hours.
• Donors: Small Steps depends primarily on private donations from generous donors, including individuals, corporations, churches, community groups, and foundations. Small Steps currently raises approximately 50 percent of operating expenses from four annual fundraising events. Through financially supporting the school, donors reflect their belief in Small Steps’ mission to serve children living in poverty.
• Community Partners: Small Steps has numerous ongoing collaborative partnerships with other nonprofits to accomplish shared goals. These strategic alliances serve several purposes, including to strengthen and expand programs and services, build awareness and advocacy, and streamline operations.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2018, Small Steps partnered with the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics at the University of Houston to conduct our first-ever program evaluation. The results of the study showed that Small Steps positively impacts students both while they are in our program and later during elementary school.
Highlights include:
• Our students show meaningful gains in oral language skills while at Small Steps. On average, our two-year-olds begin Small Steps performing about one standard deviation below the mean in expressive and receptive vocabulary, and our kindergarteners perform, on average, at or significantly above the mean by the time they graduate from Small Steps.
• At the end of kindergarten, Small Steps students are performing well within the average performance range on the Woodcock-Johnson as compared to a nationally representative sample.
• Preliminary results of grades 3, 4, and 5 STAAR reading and math performance indicate that the passing rates of Small Steps students are higher than the passing rates of the state and Houston ISD as a whole.
When considering that the majority of Small Steps students enter our program performing at least one year below developmental expectations for their age in many areas, these results are evidence that Small Steps is narrowing the opportunity gap for our students and helping them to enter elementary school ready to learn. Small Steps will continue to build on this data in future years.
In January 2021, Small Steps opened our Gulfton campus in southwest Houston in partnership with St. Luke’s United Methodist Church (St. Luke’s UMC). Small Steps’ third preschool is located in a wing of the Gethsemane campus of St. Luke’s UMC in the Gulfton/Sharpstown community and serves approximately 30 children in the 2020-2021 school year. Small Steps will open additional classrooms in August 2021 and 2022, eventually serving more than 75 students at the Gulfton campus.
Small Steps has earned Charity Navigator’s four-star (highest) rating for 16 consecutive years; less than 1 percent of charities have received this exceptional rating for that length of time. Small Steps received the Outstanding Child-Focused Non-Profit award from CHILDREN AT RISK in 2018 and was cited as a model early childhood program in its data publication Growing Up in Houston, 2014-2016.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Small Steps Nurturing Center
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2024
Mrs. Emily Sheeren
ghSMART
Term: 2022 - 2024
Emily Sheeren
ghSMART
Brooks Despot
EnCap Investments L.P.
Tom Bastian
Retired Investment Professional
Karen David-Green
Marketing & Communications Executive
Greg Davis
EIV Capital LLC
Greg Highberger
Lime Rock Partners
Laura J Mullervy
Deloitte
Annette Mullins
Community Volunteer
W. David de Roode
Lockton Global Energy & Marine
R. Linda Alonzo Saenz
Early Childhood Educator
Julie Samson
Frost Bank
Stephanie Sauer
Greenwood King Properties
Carolyn Tanner
Community Volunteer
Nazareth Tekeste
Shell Trading
Cameron Robert Brown
Validus Energy
Jeremy Goebel
Plains
Charlotte MacVane
Private Equity Portfolio General Counsel
Haley Boehm
Goldman Sachs
Bob Duran
Cactus Wellhead
Alicia Fertitta
Community Volunteer
John E. Griffin
The Sterling Group
Dawn Krieg
Retired Automotive CFO
Bryan Stahl
EnCap Investments LP
Patrick Trask
Wood Partners
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/13/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.