Stepping Stones, Inc.

I came down to Cincinnati from Columbus to visit friends for the weekend, and was invited to volunteer at Saturday Kids Club. While I enjoyed spending time with and getting to know the kids, I feel as if the day was very unorganized, and there was only one male staff member, that I unfortunately can’t remember the name of, that was of any help to us. We were given a schedule of activities at the beginning of the day, which was then not followed. It was very difficult to explain to the children in my group why we were not doing the crafts or using the slotted “sensory time”, as these were things they seemed excited about at the beginning of the day. Instead, we spent the whole second half of the day outside on the playground. While the children were mostly enjoying their time outside, I noticed volunteers were mainly the only ones being attentive to them. The staff running the camp seemed to be sitting together at a picnic table chatting, while myself and others were trying to keep everyone under control, and staff seemed to only ever interact with a child when they were approached. Many moments occurred where I questioned why staff were allowing certain behaviors within activities, and why they seem to not want to even be working. There is no clarity or conversation beforehand between staff and volunteers as to what the expectations from volunteers are, and what they are and are not allowed to do with the children. I was not introduced to anyone nor was anyone introduced to me, which made it nearly impossible for me to figure out who was actually in charge of the event. At one point, there was 5-7 children trying to storm out the front door of the building together, and while staff watched it happen, my friend/fellow volunteer was the only person outside doing her best to corral everyone inside. A bit later, a member of our group that required extra assistance in the restroom told us that they needed to go. As it is staffs job to assist in these types of situations, we brought him to them and told them, and they just said “okay” and at least ten minutes went past before I saw anyone actually take them to the restroom. This did not seem like any kind of “camp”. It seems to be “staff” members sitting around on their cell phones, not enforcing scheduled activities, while volunteers scramble to try and entertain the kids. While I did have a good time, simply because I got to meet new people and I enjoy the company of the kids, I am worried about how the camp is ran and if anyone would have truly interacted and spent time with the children, had my friends and I not been there. I do not have children, but if I were a parent I would definitely want to know that this is what happens once I drop my kid off.

My daughter went to camp here and had fun. From a parental perspective they were very security focused and seemed to care about my daughters happiness and wellbeing. My only issue is that there was very little communication between the staff and parents, so if my daughter had an issues I learned it from her instead.

My son has been going to camp here for close to 3 years. He's attended 2 sessions of summer camp and goes to Saturday Camp during the fall and winter. It's nice to know my child will be in a safe environment with educated and skilled people. He's able to play and experience things like a typical child.

My son has been going to Stepping Stones for many years from summer camp, to young adult club, overnights and now adult day camp. He loves to socialize with his friends and they always are keeping him busy. We have not had one bad experience. They keep in contact with us. I like that I can pop in whenever I want without warning. That tells me that they don't have anything to hide. I would recommend this facility to any family who wants a safe, clean, happy environment for their adult with disabilities, to keep them active, working towards goals for independence.

Stepping stones is the worst camp ever. I went there for 29 years in a row. At first I loved it but towards the end of my time there the staff started calling me names like sassy. Staff shouldn’t be allowed to call campers names. So in March 2016 I found a better camp. Recreation unlimited is the better choice.