____________________________________________
Our mission statement: “At Basic Steps Learning Center, we aim at providing a safe learning environment with high expectations to all learners so that they can achieve their full potential and have high hopes for their future.”
__________________________________________
What do parents say about our preschool program?
“I really like the impact that Basic Steps Preschool in Kent has on our girl!”
“My daughter has learned so much in the short time that she has been there.”
“I was so impressed by the world map my grandson learned and made with colorful tissue papers. He said: “Grandma this is the United States and this is Europe and this is Antarctica.” I asked him: “Is Antarctica warm?” He said, “No, Grandma. It’s real cold with penguins and polar bears.” I am so pleased with his learning skills in your preschool!”
To read more reviews from parents, click here.
__________________________________________
Message from the Founder and Program Director:
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the Basic Steps Learning Center website!
Basic Steps Learning Center was established in July 2012. The first 2 classes we successfully opened were the art/science class and the reading/singing class at Kent Commons in the fall of 2012. After gaining the support from many parents, we then opened our own preschool classroom in January 2013. Our classes now are held at Plaza by the Green, a retail plaza 5 minutes away from Kent Commons and ShoWare Center in downtown Kent, Washington. We started with about 15 kids in the program and now we have over 80 children attending in-person as well as online classes from 8:30am to 6:00pm. We used to have the cooperative preschool program for 1-3 years old, and the elementary-school program for kindergartners, first and second graders. However, due to the impact of COVID on small businesses, we have decided to end our Coop and Elementary Programs (in June 2024) after running them for 6 years.
Currently, we are focusing on strengthening our (1) Preschool/PreK Program (3-5yo), (2) Transitional Kindergarten (4-5yo), (3) New PreK Gymnastic Class, (4) New After-School Group Tutoring Program, (5) Parents’ Night Out/Board Game Night on Fridays, (6) Online/Virtual Learning Program from 4-6pm (2nd-9th graders), and (7) Summer Literacy Camp.
Let me share a little bit about my background. My name is Kany (the students call me Mrs. Joa and some do call me Dr. Joa). I moved to Seattle from New York City for more than 20 years now. I have a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, a TESOL certification, and a doctorate degree in educational leadership at Seattle University, with an emphasis in educational psychology. My dissertation study was about how to better motivate students into learning and help them be hopeful in their academic path. This study has been self-published in 2013 on Amazon.com and the title is: “The Role of Hope in Students.” It’s been 12 years since I finished my dissertation and I am ready to start writing again! Very soon, I will be able to share with you my new book: “Maintain Hopefulness in Us and Our Children.” I am also excited to share that I am getting my Health/Life Coach Certification!! My hope is to one day start an online nonprofit organization supporting young adults’ mental health!
Did I mention that I am a mother of 4 children? When my oldest child turned 3, I decided to leave my teaching positions and focus on educating my own children. Opening my own preschool program has allowed me to fulfill my passion in teaching and enjoy the role of being a full-time mother all these years to my 15, 12, 10, and 8 years old. Indeed, watching my own children having fun and learning with their classmates has been the most fulfilling experience of my life. Now that they are older and like many mothers, keeping them productive on weekdays (away from online videos/games) is very crucial to me. Therefore, I established an ONLINE classroom in late afternoon to keep my children learning after school. I am very proud to share that our online curriculum has helped them score high on their standardized testing!!
Regarding my professional background, I have many years of academic teaching experience. I’ve taught English to children as well as adults throughout my teaching career. I love traveling so in my 20s, I taught English in Japan, China, and Korea. I also was an ESL instructor at Tukwila School District for 2 years and at Lake Washington College for 5 years. After years of teaching students of all ages and raising my four kids, I truly understand what young children need in order to be prepared for their first steps into academia. What makes my program so different from other daycare centers and preschool programs is my commitment to offering a combination of quality education, flexible class schedules and most of all, affordable tuition.
Thank you for visiting our website! For more information about our educational programs, feel free to contact me here. Texting works best for me at the moment. Below you will find some of my children’s school work at Basic Steps.
Best regards,
Dr. Kany Joa (Mrs. Joa)
Here’s my son’s number writing after 5 months of preschool. He was 3 years and 5 months old, definitely has strong fine motor skills. My first 3 kids are all left-handed!
My son loves to learn. He learned his letter sounds when he was 2.5 years old. At age 5 and after attending our Transitional-Kindergarten program, he can read and write at first-grade level.
At Basic Steps, we have a math program called “Boxing Method.” Through this unique approach, I was able to teach my 5 year-old child how to do adding and subtracting at a very advanced level.
All my children learned how to spell basic sight words by the age of 5!
They all started writing their own sentences around 5 years old too!