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Dearest Supporters,   As we welcome 2023 into our lives, it is a natural time to reflect on the past, revel in the now and plan for the future.  As you continue reading below, you’ll note statistics about what we have done in the past, our current status and our plans for the future. LEAF:…Continued

  The 14th annual fundraising event for A Stepping Stone Foundation, the Farm to Table(aux) Cultural Street Art and food event was held on Saturday, October 8th at The Sunkist Warehouse in Mesa.  Attendees enjoyed the interactive art displays from our event featured artists Lalo Cota and Zarco Guerrero, listened to the sounds of Mariachi…Continued

A Stepping Stone Foundation is so much more than a preschool program. When a child enrolls in preschool, the whole family enrolls. Many of you already know that at least one enrolled parent must attend adult education (English or GED prep classes), parenting classes, work in the preschool classroom and participate in home visits. Below…Continued

Please join us on October 8, 2022 to raise funds for our children and families.  Tickets go on sale in mid-July. Stay tuned for more details as the event nears.

On February 1, 2022, A Stepping Stone Foundation Executive Director Cindy Gattorna signed a grant agreement with the Arizona Office of the Governor which is administering Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This is a BIG DEAL!!! The award for $490,000 will span two years and it…Continued

I was honored to be asked to present to education students enrolled at Maricopa County Community Colleges Mesa Campus in October via Zoom. Below is a link to that presentation about A Stepping Stone Foundation. Link to MCCCD Presentation This presentation gives an overview of A Stepping Stone Foundation, how COVID has changed what we…Continued

A Stepping Stone Foundation (SSF) once again warmly presents the Holiday Angel Program for disadvantaged preschool children and their families. Due to COVID restrictions, we can only serve 20 families (about 55 children), so our Angel tags are going quickly. Since the Shadow Rock campus is limited due to ongoing COVID mitigation, there will be…Continued

“The most eye-popping effects the researchers find are on high school graduation and college enrollment rates. The kids who got accepted into preschool ended up having a high-school graduation rate of 70% — six percentage points higher than the kids who were denied preschool, who saw a graduation rate of only 64%. And 54% of…Continued

A Stepping Stone Foundation gratefully received a $15,000 grant from the Arizona Republic’s Season For Sharing campaign.  Enjoy our little thank you to them here. $15,000 provides 20 families with 30 hours of high quality preschool, adult education, parenting education or home visiting. THANK YOU!

Each year, we invite former preschoolers who were in one of our Stepping Stone-funded LEAF programs for six months or more to apply for the Billie Gannaway Memorial Scholarship.  Over the years, two additional scholarship offerings have been added; Ivey Stepping Higher and the William O. Smith awards. $44,300 is the total of all 2021…Continued