Steps to Success has some important things to show you. They are things that have the potential to brighten your children's futures.

Steps to Success is opening its doors to the community it serves.

"My biggest thing is that child focus," said Adriana Witman, who's been Steps to Success' administrative director for five years. "We want to plant good seeds in good soil. We want to have an environment where kids feel safe and feel secure and where they can be creative. It's giving them an opportunity to use their imaginations, to grow and become productive citizens."

Beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, Steps to Success will conduct its inaugural open house at its Zion Lutheran Church home, 18 Quarry Road, Leola. Facility tours of Steps to Success' eight classrooms for infants and toddlers, young toddlers, older toddlers, preschool children and prekindergarten students will be offered.

There will also be opportunities for visitors to meet staff members and teachers, review materials and curriculum, ask questions and learn about financial options. The event is free and open to the public, and the community is encouraged to attend.

Visitors may register at http://www.stepstosuccessinc.com/openhouse.

"We've never opened the doors to the community before," said Witman. "We're looking to get enrollment up. We want to give parents an opportunity to see our facilities and get a chance to talk with our teachers. It's just to have an open door for them."

Currently, enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is open and Steps to Success has openings for a total of 20 children across its programs. Steps to Success offers child care services for Lancaster County children from age 6 weeks up to kindergarten and offers before- and after-school services for Conestoga Valley and Donegal students.

"(The open house will) be more of a laid-back feel so parents can get a feel for what a classroom is," said Witman. "It won't be as busy as a normal classroom day. There will also be age-appropriate activities, learning materials in the classrooms and a chance for one-on-ones with the teachers."

"I want the open house to be an exciting event for the community," she added. "We want families to get a feel for how much we love the children. We have a close-knit family feel here."

During the school year, Steps to Success is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and closed during all major holidays. A typical day at Steps to Success includes morning free play, circle time, learning time, activities, lunch, nap time, afternoon circle time and afternoon free play.

Steps to Success offers the research-based, comprehensive Frog Street curriculum.

The child care and early learning center follows the Conestoga Valley School District calendar. The upcoming school year will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

"(The curriculum) all interacts and collaborates with what (young children have) learned," said Witman. "It's a lot of activities to get to the next step. We really teach on each milestone as they progress. Having them in a child care center gives them a really good foundation for the learning years. We set them up for success. We want them to grow up to be police officers, doctors and teachers themselves. You see differences in children who go to child care centers. We set them up to be quality community members who are making a difference in the world."

"It's also so important for children to be around other kids, just getting social skills they can't get at home," continued Witman. "Establishing that at a young age is important. You don't want to go to kindergarten and not have those social skills."

Steps to Success employs a total of 50 staff members, 44 of whom are teachers. The organization is funded by tuition fees, grants and government subsidies.

"When Michelle (Harbaugh) started it, Steps to Success was a tiny, little day care center," said Witman. "It's grown into an even higher-quality program. We added new programs. We added new curriculum. We added more teachers."

For additional information, go to http://www.stepstosuccessinc.com.