Small Steps Nurturing Center

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2012 Small Steps Ultimate Wine Classic a Huge Success

Posted: Wed, 16 May 2012 21:14:10 +0000

The 3^rd Annual Small Steps Ultimate Wine Classic, held on Thursday, April 26, 2012 at River Oaks Country Club, was a huge success for Small Steps Nurturing Center. Small Steps was excited to honor John A. Rathmell, Jr., former Small Steps Board Chair, for his commitment and strong leadership at Small Steps.

For the second year in a row, Paul Roberts graciously led us in an evening of distinctive wine and food pairings that he expertly matched with elements of Small Steps’ mission. Special thanks to our live auction winners who helped raise an additional $50,000 for Small Steps by bidding on a dinner for ten at Bond Estates in Napa Valley, which Paul Roberts graciously donated.

Thank you to our generous sponsors, committees and event co-chairs, Audrey and Justin Loweth and Meredith and John Stilwell, for making the 2012 Small Steps Ultimate Wine Classic a huge success. Over $473,000 was raised, which will allow Small Steps to continue to provide an exemplary early childhood program to young children in poverty.

Mike Tiner, Steffen Van Keppel, John Rathmell

Meredith and John Stilwell

Doug Foshee and John Rathmell

Audrey and Justin Loweth

Liane and Marty Phillips

Visit our photo gallery to see more picture from the event.
“The Big Goodbye”

Posted: Fri, 11 May 2012 14:26:11 +0000

Goodbyes are hard! With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, our minds have begun to turn toward saying the “Big Goodbye.” Change is a part of life. Yet, too often in the lives of our students, changes come with no warning or explanation. With this in mind, teachers have begun talking with our students about the changes that will come with the end of the school year. Our Pre-K/Kindergarten classes have held class meetings to open up discussion about graduation, summer vacation, and school next year. In these meetings, teachers assure children that even when they leave Small Steps for the summer or the next school year, we do not forget them! Children have the chance to say if they are sad about missing friends or nervous about finding their way in a new school. Teachers have books and centers set up in their classrooms to help children continue to process the emotions of saying goodbye.

Soon we will say our “Big Goodbye.” We will tell our children one last time how we will miss them, like them, and not forget them! Then we will pray for our God, who cares for them more than we can even imagine, to bless them and keep them every day that they are away!
Community Bridges Fellowship Program

Posted: Wed, 09 May 2012 16:31:38 +0000

The Community Bridges Fellowship Program, sponsored by Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and the Center for Civic Engagement, gives Rice students the opportunity to utilize lessons learned in the classroom to help reduce poverty in Houston’s Fifth Ward. The Community Bridges Program pairs Rice students with one of five nonprofits actively working in the Fifth Ward. This past year, Small Steps has had six Rice interns through the Community Bridges Program. Special thanks to each of our interns for their hard work-YOU have made a big difference at Small Steps this year. Rice University recently produced a video that explains the Community Bridges Fellowship Program and Small Steps’ partnership with that program. You can view the video HERE.
Family Chapel at Small Steps

Posted: Wed, 02 May 2012 18:06:26 +0000

Last week, Small Steps Depelchin campus held their spring Family Chapel. Each week Small Steps has formal chapel. This week parents were invited to come and participate. The pre-k students from the green room and the blue room retold the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 (John 6:1-14). After the story, loaves (pretzels) and fishes (goldfish) were passed around to everyone. Ms Emily led the group in some very energetic Bible songs and chapel was closed out with a prayer.
Worms and Butterflies

Posted: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:17:37 +0000

Students from the Green room and the Blue room at our DePelchin campus celebrated Earth Day today! Students made “junk art” with items like milk caps and tissue paper and also made edible mud pies that were topped with gummy worms. The live worms stayed outside, but the students inspected – and measured – those worms too. The stages of a butterfly’s life was studied and celebrated, using pasta noodles that looked like each life stage.
The Kinkaid School Visits Small Steps

Posted: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:02:55 +0000

Birthdays can be celebrated every day here at Small Steps! On April 11th, first and third graders from the Kinkaid School visited our students and brought birthday boxes with them. The decorated boxes contained cake mix, candles, party hats, plates, napkins, and cups that will be used to celebrate each of our student’s birthdays.

Kinkaid students also brought custom-made books about numbers for our students in the red room. The books were personalized with the names of each of the red room students. Smiles are all around Small Steps thanks to our new friends at Kinkaid!
Foundation Poured for Jensen Campus

Posted: Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:10:04 +0000

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” –Matthew 7:24-25

This Eastertide, we celebrate and build based on the promises of the foundation that was laid 2000 years ago in Calvary.

On Friday, April 13^th, Small Steps also celebrated the foundation that is being laid for our Jensen expansion. The concrete began flowing in the moonlight at six in the morning, and all 260 cubic yards of concrete were poured by early afternoon. The day was cloudy and humid, which will benefit the concrete as it cures. Our school is being built on a strong spiritual and physical foundation.

The Small Steps “Growing Hope for the Future” capital campaign has received pledges in excess of $2.2 million towards the campaign goal of $2.6 million. The opening of a new wing of classrooms and the successful completion of our capital campaign are both in sight!
Small Steps Hires Greg Stirman as New Executive Director

Posted: Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:10:27 +0000

Small Steps is pleased to announce that it has hired a new Executive Director. Greg Stirman will be joining Small Steps in May. Greg has served on Small Steps Board of Directors since 2005 and on its Executive Committee since 2008.

As you may know, Evan Harrel is stepping down after eight years as Small Steps Executive Director. He contributed greatly to Small Steps over the years and will be missed.

Greg grew up in Abilene and graduated from Abilene Christian University. After 30 years working in Houston’s energy industry, Greg served as Treasurer and, ultimately, Executive Director of Second Mile Mission Center, one of the largest charities in Ft. Bend County. Greg and his wife Peggy are members of First Colony Church of Christ. They have three daughters and one new granddaughter.

Greg will be responsible for leading Small Steps as it continues to fulfill its mission to provide an exemplary early childhood program to instill and foster the social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual growth of economically at-risk children and their families. Greg’s responsibilities will also include overseeing the expansion of Small Steps’ Jensen campus. The expansion will add four new classrooms, and construction should be complete this fall, allowing Small Steps to gradually increase its capacity to 180 students by the fall of 2014.

Please join us in welcoming Greg Stirman as Small Steps’ new Executive Director!
Easter Egg Hunt with Westbury Christian School

Posted: Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:40:15 +0000

The Daughters of Esther group from Westbury Christian School, brought over 700 candy-filled Easter Eggs to Small Steps, DePelchin Campus, on the Wednesday afternoon before Easter for a playground Egg Hunt! Thank You ladies for sharing this Easter Celebration with the children at Small Steps.
Happy Easter From Small Steps

Posted: Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:35:31 +0000

Small Steps students and families are blessed this Easter season. Thank you to all those who helped make Small Steps Annual Easter Egg Hunt a huge success! In addition to hunting Easter eggs, the students and their families had photos taken with the Easter bunny and enjoyed face painting, a bouncy house, decorating Easter bags, and a beanbag toss.

We hope and pray that your Easter is as blessed as you have made ours!
Visit to Old McDonald’s Farm

Posted: Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:24:10 +0000

Small Steps students are very thankful to our friends at Old McDonald’s Farm for hosting a field trip for our two-and three-year-olds this week! The students saw all kinds of farm animals, enjoyed a train ride, and even rode horses! Fortunately, the rain held off long enough for the students and parents to enjoy a picnic and some quality play time before saying goodbye to the animals and heading back to school.
Small Steps Has Broken Ground!

Posted: Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:32:22 +0000

We are excited to announce that Small Steps has broken ground on our Jensen campus expansion! The addition will add four new classrooms, two student evaluation and therapy rooms, and meeting and office space. The building will be substantially complete this fall, allowing Small Steps to open two additional two-and-three-year-old classrooms in September. The addition will allow Small Steps to serve 60 more children and their families.

Thank you to everyone who has pledged their support of Small Steps’ expansion project! We are currently less than $360,000 from our $2.6 million capital campaign goal. If you would like to support the expansion of Small Steps’ Jensen campus, please complete and return the attached form, visit our donation page, or call the development office at 713-236-0330. Please be sure to specify that your donation is for the capital campaign.
Western Week at Small Steps

Posted: Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:18:19 +0000

In celebration of the rodeo, the orange class at Small Steps has had a western themed week! The students learned about farm animals, decorated bandannas, made cacti with toothpicks, dressed up as cowboys, made potato prints, and built a western town out of boxes. The students used their knowledge of letters and colors to decorate their western town and then write a story about it.
Thank You JPMorgan Chase!

Posted: Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:12:26 +0000

We are so grateful for the continuous support we receive from JPMorgan Chase. Recently, Small Steps students, families and teachers were given the opportunity to attend the dress rehearsal performance of the Houston Ballet’s Cinderella. JPMorgan Chase donated 40 tickets to Small Steps Nurturing Center. Thank you for sharing this amazing experience with our Small Steps students and families!
Small Steps goes to the Rodeo!

Posted: Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:12:07 +0000

For the 12^th year in a row ColdRiver Cattle Company hosted a BBQ Cook-off party for Small Steps students and teachers.

The party included a dance contest with prizes, a magic show, face painting, lunch and a piñata! Thank you to the team members of ColdRiver Cattle Company for your continuous support and for always making our Rodeo experience so much fun!