Step By Step Childcare & Preschool
Open today 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Description provided by the business.Step by Step CC & Preschool is where every child is known, celebrated, and prepared to thrive. We focus on developing the social, emotional, and academic foundations essential for school success and deliver a ECE developmental program designed to meet each child's uniqueness. Our staff holds a BA in teaching, ECE units, and decades of hands on experience with young children. SBS is rated as the best in the West Portal Area for both 2025 and 2026, proudly serving the community since 1999. While your child is in our care, you can relax knowing they are in a safe, nurturing place.
Openings Now
Immediate openings for age 20mo +
Location Info
West Portal
San Francisco, CA 94116
| Monday | 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM |
| Thursday | 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM |
| Friday | 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
Financial Aid
- Free Meals
- Sibling Discount
Languages Spoken
- English
- Other
- Spanish
- Russian
Location Details
- Staff are CPR certified.
- Staff are first aid certified.
- Outdoor play space is available.
- Meals are provided.
- No religious affiliation.
Programs Offered
Infant Care Program
Step by Step CC & Preschool
Schedules
Full Time, Part Time
Calendar
Full Year
Languages Taught
English, Spanish, Russian
Description
Offers infant care services in San Francisco.
Education Types
- Academic-Based
- Arts-Based
- Blended Curriculum
- Creative Curriculum
$2400 per month
Toddler Care Program
Schedules
Full Time, Part Time
Calendar
Full Year
Languages Taught
English, Spanish, Russian
Description
Offers toddler care services in San Francisco.
Education Types
- Academic-Based
- Arts-Based
- Blended Curriculum
- Creative Curriculum
$2400 per month
Preschool Program
Schedules
Full Time, Part Time
Calendar
Full Year
Languages Taught
English, Spanish, Russian
Potty Training
Not Required
Description
Offers preschool services in San Francisco.
Education Types
- Arts-Based
- Blended Curriculum
- Mixed Age
$1500 per month
After Care Program
Schedules
Flexible
Calendar
Full Year
Languages Taught
English, Spanish, Russian
Description
Offers after care services in San Francisco.
Education Types
- Arts-Based
- Blended Curriculum
- Mixed Age
Licensing
Step By Step Childcare & Preschool is a licensed child care home.
Type
Licensed Child Care Home
Identifier
384000468
Capacity
14
Issued
02/99
Parent Reviews
Step by Step Daycare, under the ownership of Margaret Vilk, is truly exceptional. Both of my children attended this daycare, and I couldn't have asked for a better place for them to grow, learn, and thrive. From the moment you walk through the doors, it's clear that every child is cared for in a safe, nurturing, and welcoming environment. Margaret has dedicated her life to providing outstanding childcare. She is warm-hearted, gives individual attention to every child, and genuinely cares about each family. Her passion for early childhood education is reflected in the engaging activities, caring staff, and positive atmosphere she has created. The daycare serves nutritious and delicious meals, organizes wonderful holiday parties and special celebrations, and brings in instructors for dance and sports programs, giving children enriching experiences beyond the classroom. These events also create a close-knit community where parents get to know and support one another. I wholeheartedly recommend Step by Step Daycare to any family looking for a loving, safe, and high-quality childcare program. Thank you, Margaret, for your dedication and for making such a positive difference in the lives of so many children and families.
Margaret and her staff were incredible with our son and I would unequivocally recommend Step by Step. The team was warm, loving, and essentially treated us like family. We also developed a strong community bond with the other families that send their kids to SBS and it was a very bittersweet moment for us when our son aged out and moved on to our local elementary school. We love and trust the SBS staff completely and couldn't have been happier with the quality of care or the lifelong friends we've made with other families.
Step by Step has been a wonderful environment for our baby boy! You can tell the teachers really care for the students, and they foster a rich and nurturing environment with varied activities, from music/dance lessons, weekly share and tell, to an impressive outdoor play space. There's also a great sense of community at Step by Step. We attended the annual graduation day just as our baby started, and it was so lovely to see the kids showing off the songs and dances they've learned and friendships among both the kids and families.
Ms. Margaret & her team are the BEST and we are so pleased with our decision to send our son there (he started at 14 months, and is now almost 3 years old). He loves his Step By Step school and the community he's built there. Soon, our second son will be joining too. They offer a great education, including music, yoga/dance classes, and the most loving and kind teachers. Our son comes home excited to tell us all the new things he's learned at school and we are continually impressed by the age appropriate quality learning alongside the play based fun they have each week. Couldn't recommend this daycare more!
Raising kids is hard. You need all the help you can get. So when you find a place where you know your kids are in great hands, truly loved, nurtured, and enriched, that is special indeed. Step by Step is one of those places. The team at Step by Step, including Ms Margaret, Ms Rosa, and Ms Mirian, are best in class. They truly care about the kids and do everything in their power to help these children grow up happy, well-mannered, curious and confident. They go above and beyond with extracurriculars: music, dance, art, gardening, soccer, water play, presentations from alumni, and more. The facilities are great and playthings are constantly refreshed or replaced. You can clearly see that your dollars go to your kids. Honestly, we initially picked Step by Step because it was in walking distance to our home and seemed good enough, but after a few weeks we felt like we hit the lottery. Our previous daycare was great, but they closed at every opportunity and had some draconian rules. Our son seemed to get sick all the time as well. They also offered little insight into the kids' daily experience. Step by Step only closes on the biggest of holidays and is open from 8-6, which is wonderful for two working parents. They are flexible and understanding with doctor's appointments and the myriad of other challenges a family may face. And they send you delightful and heartwarming videos regularly. You can see how much fun the kids have and you can feel the warmth of the place. Also, our kids seem to be sick way less, so whatever hygienic systems and practices they have in place seem to work well (though kids are still going to get sick of course). Step by Step is truly a community, one we've been delighted to send both our boys to. We are honestly sad our oldest is graduating, but our consolation is that our youngest still has a few more years to go. You will be very happy sending your children here.
We are so grateful for the care, warmth, and support our family received here. The teachers created such a loving and nurturing environment for our daughter, and it gave us real peace of mind knowing she was happy, safe, and genuinely cared for every day. Our daughter learned so much during her time here, and we will always appreciate the role this school played in her early years. We would absolutely recommend them to any family looking for a caring, trustworthy, and supportive childcare environment.
Both my kids have gone to Step by Step (and before that their cousin went who loved it). It has been a wonderful experience and even now my eldest loves to return when there are gaps between summer camps. Ms. Margaret and her team are caring, thoughtful, and clearly love what they do. We feel so fortunate to have found them - they are a neighborhood gem! And the community of parents is great.
We absolutely love Step by Step! Everyone who works there is so welcoming, enthusiastic, and dedicated to the kids growth and happiness. Our daughter has been enrolled for the past 9 months and we've been so impressed by all the activities (dance, music, art, etc ) ... she's always come home singing new songs, talking about what she and her friends got up to during the day - it's so fun to see her blossom and shine. When we learned they had a spot available for other other daughter, we jumped at the chance for both girls to attend. We feel really blessed to be able to send our kids here; the school is filled with love and dedication towards early development. We couldn't recommend Step by Step more.
As first time parents we did not know what to expect from the daycare experience. Once we started our reluctance of letting go of our first child soon turned into reverence towards their skills as both caretakers of our child as well as our own parenting advisor. Our daughter has been with the daycare 4 years and Margaret and staff have been there for every achievement and milestone. We constantly received videos of partying, dancing, arts/music and academic learning. We have also seen her transition from being one of the younger daycare kids to being one of the older kids who can help transition the younger kids. It has been a joy to watch our daughter grow up and we cant think of a better team/daycare!