FAQ

Ms. Maysa moved to Arizona from Canada at the start of 2005. After the birth of her first daughter, Nikki, Maysa had found it to be difficult to be away from her immediate family. Nikki’s relatively young grandparents wanted to be closer to her first grandchild, too.

Maysa initially received her postsecondary education in business management and sales. However, being a mother for the first time had been a life-changing experience and motivated her to learn more about the early childhood education. So, she decided to pursue her Master’s degree in education.

Maysa received her Master in elementary education with emphasis in curriculum and instruction from the University of Ottawa. After she obtained her State of Arizona K-8 teaching certification, she started to experience teaching in the District of Creighton, and being in the classroom with some of our underprivileged children in phoenix.

As the head of our school and its financial officer, Mr. Aram’s background is more in science and management. He’d spent in his management position for nine years in Ottawa, before he joined his family (Maysa & Nikki) here in phoenix.

When the idea of “let’s run our own preschool and childcare!” was cooking in Maysa’s and Aram’s heads, the birth of their second child, Melissa, has just given them no better reason than just let’s do it: Like the shining light!

The premise for acquiring A Step Ahead in Ahwatukee was obvious from start. If a preschool or a childcare is a good fit for our own daughter, Melissa, it would also be an appropriate place to invest and grow into. Moreover, we were aware that Ahwatukee and ZIP area of (85048) turned out to be the second best place to live and work in the United States. The school’s location also happened to be close to our home. In addition, we believe that our center has got an excellent structure, including spacious rooms and big playground.

Our vision is to establish a childcare and preschool that will meet the needs of our local population, in particular the young and working parents. A place that could also be considered “a second home” for the most precious gifts of our parents’ lives.

A Step Ahead should not only be providing warmth and safety for our parents’ children, but also engage them in the creative and mind-stimulating activities. We wanted to build a progressive and academically challenging preschool. This demands a relevant curriculum and proactive programs to stimulate learning in our students. To achieve our higher standards for the early childhood education, having caring and informed teachers, who desire to make a difference in the lives of our children, we believe, is essential. At A Step Ahead preschool, our objective is to employ and attract the most qualified and experienced teachers and teacher aides. More importantly, it is our focus to build a type of team members, who admire active precipitation in our children’s learning and to basically enjoy their positions every single day.

Mrs. Maysa Fini is a very enthusiastic and dynamic teacher. Her academic training has focused on early childhood curriculum development. All that, has helped her become a successful and intelligent childcare and preschool operator.

Mr. Aram’s role is to ensure a strong and efficient administration. As he explains it: I consider myself an involved father, who cares dearly about the safety, health, and education of my children, and I feel the same for all students at A Step Ahead childcare and preschool. What he brings to the center is his almost 10 years of experience in customer care and staff training and mastery in communication. Aram’s favorite statement is: “I am a strong believer in community service and direct communication with our parents. I enjoy listening to their feedback.”

An additional word from Maysa & Aram:

We like to explain this as simple as we can, since we would like “A Step Ahead” not to be evaluated by the glossy corporate flyers, but by our deeds. We are responsible for the health, safety, education, and, of course, fun of our students. We love to hear from parents; their views determine our success as a childcare provider, as well as meeting our academic objectives. We are not for profit school or to raise our tuition expense irresponsibly. We intend and enjoy to be proactive and involved in our day-to-day operation.

Both of us moved here (Chandler, Arizona) from Canada right about the start of 2005. After the birth of our daughter, Nikki, Maysa found it to be very difficult to be away from her family. Nikki’s relatively young grandparents also desired to be closer to her grandchild.

Maysa’s primary background was in business management and sales, but being a mother for the first time persuaded her to learn more about the early childhood education. So, she decided to do her Master’s in elementary education with emphasis in curriculum and instruction. Maysa graduated from University of Ottawa in Tempe in 2007, and has since become a state of Arizona certified K-8 teacher. She’d experienced teaching underprivileged students in the Creighton School District for about two years.

Aram’s background, however, is in nutritional science and management. He’d left his corporate profession in Ottawa, Canada, after nine years to be the part of the move to Arizona as well.

When the idea of “let’s run our own preschool and childcare!” was envisaged in their heads, the birth of their second child, Melissa, has just given it no better reason to do it: like a shining light!

The premise for our selection was clear from the start: if the preschool or childcare is an ideal fit for our own daughter, it would also be an appropriate place to invest and develop. We are also informed that Ahwatukee ZIP code 85048 turned out to be the second best place to live and work in United States (reported by NPR). Our chosen location also happened to be very close to our home. In addition, we believe that our center has got an excellent structure, including spacious rooms and big playground.