Spring Has Sprung!

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." – Lao Tzu

Hello There! Spring is finally here, yay! Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful weather and planning for an eventful Spring Break!

We have had quite a busy month (is it just us or is that becoming a recurring theme around here?)... and we are feeling on top of the world!

To start off, The First Annual In Stepps Open House was a HUGE HUGE HUGE success! We had such a great turn out and it was so much fun. Not only did we have a bounce house, face painting, crafts, games, and a photo booth.... but we also cooked almost 200 hot dogs! Wow! We hope all of you that made it out enjoyed yourselves as much as we did! The kiddos were adorable and we loved meeting your extended families (and introducing you to ours). Thank you SO much to the In Stepps team members that put in HOURS of time and a huge amount of work and effort to ensure the event went well. It would not as been possible without your dedication and flexibility. Seriously, it would not have been possible. Really. It wouldn't have been. So thank you! Once again we are reminded of the wonderful, fabulous, amazing, awesome, brilliant, excellent, great team we have. :) Also, another HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to all of the wonderful people/families/businesses that donated to our raffle. Those that won your amazing donations were thrilled. Gotta admit, some of us were a little jealous, too! You all sent in such awesome prizes!

Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a few of the pictures from the event (the rest can be found on our Facebook Page).

If you haven't seen the Evite or flyer for the first Parent's Day Out, don't worry! You still have time to sign up. Our St. Patrick's Day themed Parent's Day Out will be on March 31st from 11:00am-2:00pm. So make plans to go to brunch/lunch, run some errands, take a walk on the beach, grab coffee, get your hair or nails done, get in a workout, or anything else that you would like to do on a Saturday afternoon. Just leave the kids with us, because we will have lots of fun stuff planned! If you are new to Parent's Night/Day Out, check out our FAQ Post that has all the information you need. Spots are filling up quickly, so be sure to RSVP by clicking 'Yes' on the Evite or emailing info@instepps.com.

Due to some scheduling conflicts, the Learn In Stepps series will begin on April 7th (not March 24th as previously announced). There are still a few spots open if you would like to take advantage of this amazing learning opportunity for your child. Lean In Stepps classes will be held on Saturdays from 9:00am- Noon. By signing up, you will be giving your child a boost in their academic performance and their social skills in a small group learning environment. Enrichment in academics will be interspersed with social skill practice with high staffing ratios in each group! Goals for each child are individualized and classes will be divided into age groups. Homework for the week provided if requested! Each series is 12 weeks. For more information, pricing, or to sign your child up please email info@instepps.com. Hurry, space is limited! This opportunity is open to all families in the community!

Keep your eyes open for the new In Stepps Stars, insurance information, and upcoming Summer events!

There are a few easy ways to contact us with any questions, inquiries, feedback, or to sign up for any event:
Email: info@instepps.com
Call: (949) 474-1493
Facebook: "Like" In Stepps on Facebook to get updates directly to your news feed
NEW! In Stepps is now on Twitter! Hooray! Follow us at www.twitter.com/in_stepps or send us a tweet @in_stepps!
Open House Pictures (find many, many more on our Facebook Page):

Goodbye February, Hello March Updates!

Happy Leap Day, everyone! Another month has come and gone and we have a few updates for you!

Parent's Night Out

Our February PNO Valentine's party was a huge success! We have had some new faces join us the past few months, and has been so fun to watch the friendships form. A wonderful parent donated a Nickelodeon dance game for our XBox Kinect and the kids (as well as a couple of supervisors) danced their hearts out all night. Check out the pictures below. An important announcement about March PNO-- By popular request, our next PNO will be on a Saturday afternoon! Guess you could call it PDA (Parent's DAY Out). We are still working out a couple of details (date & time) but keep checking back.

"Learn In Stepps" - Social & Academic Support Classes

We are excited to introduce a new and awesome program that is available to the children in our community!

"Learn In Stepps" is designed to give your child a boost in their social skills and in areas of academics! We provide the convenience and benefits of small group learning, high staffing ratios, and individualized goals/programs (homework too if you request it). Help your child reach their social and academic potential by signing them up for a class that is both valuable and FUN! Classes will be divided into age groups and each series runs for 12 weeks.  

The first series starts March 24th. For more information, pricing, or to sign your child up please email info@instepps.com. Hurry, space is limited!

Open House

Hope you marked your calendars because March 10th is quickly approaching! We are busy getting everything ready for our big Open House Event! There are so many fun activities planned (like face painting, games, balloons, a bounce house, photo opportunities, and more) plus BBQ food, resources, raffle prizes, and a chance to hang out with your favorite In Stepps team members! We hope you are as excited as we are! Please be sure to RSVP by responding to our Evite and noting the number of adults and children will be attending. This will help us be sure there is enough fun to go around! :) You can find our evite here.  

Coming up ...

Stay tuned for these future blog posts: Our new In Stepps Star, insurance information from Dr. McNerney, dates for March Parent's Day Out, and the announcement of our first Family Night Out!

There are a few easy ways to contact us with any questions, inquiries, feedback, or to sign up for any event:

Email: info@instepps.com 
Call: (949) 474-1493
Facebook: "Like" In Stepps on Facebook to get updates directly to your news feed
NEW! In Stepps is now on Twitter! Hooray! Follow us at www.twitter.com/in_stepps or send us a tweet @in_stepps!

Here are the pictures we promised:

Come One, Come All: In Stepps Open House

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."- Henry Ford

It is official...
Our First Annual In S.T.E.P.P.S. Open House is set and the planning has started! Woohoo!

Come on out for food, fun, and games! We have a TON of cool things planned including...

-Bounce house
-Face painting
-Raffle prizes
-Meet & greet with staff
-Free Child ID cards
-Games
-Food & beverages
-Arts & crafts
-Resources
...and more!

Date: March 10, 2012 at 11:30a.m.

Location:

The In Stepps Office

18008 Sky Park Circle #110

Irvine, CA

RSVP

email us info@instepps.com or call us at (714) 474-1493

Or comment below with your email address and we'll send you the Evite! You can also find the Evite on our Facebook page.
Raffle Information:

We have had some AMAZING donors contribute prizes that you would not believe! Stay tuned and we will feature some items in upcoming blogs (we have to keep you in a little suspense, you know, to build anticipation). Trust us, you're going to want in on these prizes!

Here is what you need to know:

In Stepps team members will be selling raffle tickets up until the Open House. Tickets will also be sold the day of the event.

The In S.T.E.P.P.S. raffle will be held during the First Annual Open House on March 10^th, 2012 between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Participants need not be present to win. If you are unable to make it to our Open House, prizes can be picked up at the In S.T.E.P.P.S. office during business hours after March 12^th.  Anyone can participate in the raffle, so let us know if you would like to help us sell them (we'll make sure you get all the materials you need). All proceeds go towards program development at In S.T.E.P.P.S.

Prices: Single tickets- $2; 6 ticket bundle-$10; 20 ticket bundle $20

If you would like to purchase raffle tickets, send us an email at info@instepps.com or ask your In Stepps parent consultant or supervisor.

A big, huge, gigantic, enormous, and heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to all of the wonderful people who have personally contributed raffle prizes and to businesses that have donated their products and services. Your generosity is truly appreciated!

Finally, a message for all of our In Stepps families:

For your convenience, In Stepps will now be using Evite for upcoming events such as Parent's Night Out and our Open House. Please check your email filter/spam settings to ensure that you receive all invitations! If you have any difficulty, if you have changed your email address, or if you are not receiving Evites please email info@instepps.com

We can't wait to see all of you on March 10th! It will be an awesome event and we hope you can all be a part of it!

 

January PNO Recap

Hi All...

Wow, we had an AMAZING Parent's Night Out in January. What a terrific group of kiddos that came out!

There is something so magical about watching friendships form and social skills evolve, and those who supervised PNO this past month (Thanks to Lindsey, Nicole H., and Nicole F.) were lucky enough to witness it first hand! We hope the parents who had the night off went and did something fun, because fun was all we had at the In Stepps office!

Just a reminder: Our February Valentine's Day PNO will be on February 24th from 6:30-9:30pm. Be sure to sign up by the 17th by emailing info@instepps.com or by calling the office at (949) 474-1493. You can also request to be put on our "Evite List" so you will be able to easily register your child every month.

Also, be on the lookout for some PNO changes coming up in March! PNO will become PDO-- Parent's DAY Out and will be on a Saturday! We are super excited about being able to reach more families and allow parents to have lunch together, run some errands, and get some of those weekend tasks marked off the "to do" list.

Check out the pictures below (we are using them with parent permission, of course) of our exciting January PNO!

New friends and computer games!

Just relaxin'!

It's movie time!

Playing XBox Kinect with a supervisor-- so fun!

Our very own Super Hero!

 Moving around playing XBox Kinect!

 Lights out for the movie!

Too cool for words!

Another In Stepps STAR!

Hi Everyone!
It's that time again.... time to honor another amazing In Stepps team member.

Meet Jasmine!

Here is what  few of the people lucky enough to work with Jasmine have to say about her...

From Nicole H.:
Let me just start off with how incredibly fun Jasmine is!  Jasmine has the most amazing play ideas, whether it's "pretend driving" to the "beach" while using the family's dining set as a car, building a "tent" with blankets and chairs and "roasting marshmallows", or having dance parties in the living room, Jasmine makes every session fun and puts her heart and soul into it.  Her energy and effervescent personality make every session fly by.  I have had families comment that on the rare occasion that Jasmine misses a session, that they "miss her so much" and "can't wait to see her!" (I'm referring to entire families here, not just her kiddos!)  She builds the highest level of rapport with her clients and their families and it's amazing and heartwarming to see in action.  Jasmine applies feedback to her work promptly and eagerly and asks insightful questions, she always wants to learn more about the field of ABA and it's such a pleasure to work with her. She is so dependable, always collects data, and steps up to the plate to help cover sessions whenever she can.  I look forward to every session I'm scheduled to supervise Jasmine and I feel incredibly lucky to be on teams with her!!

From Kimberly: Jasmine has the unique ability to bring a positive, upbeat, and optimistic attitude to everything that she does. She is passionate about teaching and working with children. She is an asset to every team she is on. Thank you for all your hard work, Jasmine!

From Elise:
Jasmine is such a joy to work with. Her always positive attitude shines so brightly and is contagious to not only the kids she works with but to the parents and her co workers as well! She is so flexible and always stepping up to help out- even if that puts her out with inconvenience! And she's just so fun! One family even has been known to set a count down timer until she gets there! I truly treasure Jasmine and her creative ideas!

From Nicole F.:
Jasmine is an absolute joy to work with!  She has progressed so much in her skills in a short period of time.  She brings great energy to the table and is a huge asset to In S.T.E.P.P.S.  I love her spirit and her motivation to learn!
 
And a very special message about Jasmine from an In Stepps parent: 
Jasmine is a very dedicated and motivated individual and has passion with what she does. She knows how to read kids and go with their motivation. She's made learning for our child fun. She can redirect him without causing a tantrum and takes control of any situation that might come up.

Way to go, Jasmine! We feel so honored to have you as part of the In Stepps team! Your dedication, enthusiasm, flexibility, and energy are just a few of the qualities that make you such a rock STAR! Thank you for all you do for your families and kiddos and for all the fun you have every day. You truly are a STEP above!

New California Car Seat Law

Did you know there is a new car seat law in California?

From the CHP website:

Effective January 1, 2012

Children under the age of 8
*OR*
under 4 feet 9 inches in height must be secured in a car seat or booster seat.
Additionally, children under age 8 must be secured in the back seat.

If you're not confident of how to properly secure your child in a safety seat, contact your local CHP Area Office, and set up an appointment for a lesson.

For more information or to find your local CHP Area office: http://www.chp.ca.gov/community/safeseat.html

CalABA Parent Conference Information

Check out the flyer and registration form for the CalABA Parent Conference. Will you be attending this awesome event?
*If you would like the printable PDF version of this form please email us at info@instepps.com or comment below with your email address.