Since Steppingstone admitted its first class of 14 Scholars in Boston in 1990, the board and staff have been motivated by the desire to help even more children gain access to educational opportunities. Over the years, Steppingstone has launched new programs in Boston and Philadelphia, and the number of Scholars admitted has grown from 14 to 180 in both cities.

This desire to help more children is the foundation of Steppingstone’s five-year strategic growth plan. $1 million of the targeted $15 million is to be spent developing and implementing a program that supports innovation, dissemination of best practices, and outreach to help social entrepreneurs who are interested in launching initiatives like The Steppingstone Academy in other communities.

In order to increase the number of Scholars admitted to The Steppingstone Academy each year, Steppingstone needs to increase the number of placement opportunities. Because financial aid limitations restrict the Academy’s ability to place a significantly larger number of Scholars at independent schools, the focus for growth for Scholars seeking placement in the seventh grade is upon the three public exam schools. In 2006, 68 Scholars were admitted to an exam school, an increase of over 20% from 2005!