Stepping Stones School Director Robin Moses was a quiet observer as a child—not drawn to the spotlight, but to the subtle cues of how people’s minds work. That curiosity led her to study psychology at Brooklyn College, where she began to understand the science behind what had always intrigued her.

While Robin was a student there, her mother accidentally nudged her toward a path that would ultimately become her calling. “She worked in special education and suggested I pick up some shifts as a substitute teacher at a school for children with disabilities,” Robin says. “I did not expect to fall in love with that world, but I did. The kids were just amazing. I felt like I could understand them, like I really saw them for who they were.”

The experience was transformative. Robin immediately applied to a master’s program in special education and then worked at a school for children with autism in New York. When she started her own family and moved to New Jersey, she looked for work opportunities and came across The Arc of Essex County’s Shapiro Center for Early Intervention, where she began picking up shifts in January 2004. “I just love meeting the children, getting to know them and their needs, and figuring out how best to help,” she says. “Each child is like a little puzzle you have to solve, and I found I was pretty good at it.”

Soon, Robin was called in to help at Stepping Stones School, where she enjoyed working with the children and getting to know the staff. When the longtime preschool teacher retired in 2019, Robin stepped into the role. “I just fell in love with everything: the kids, the program, the energy.”

In 2023, Robin was named the new school director, guiding the team through a major transition as Stepping Stones moved to its new location in Fairfield and expanded to accommodate children up to age 12 in the new “Primary Plus” classroom. “The new building has been a great change for us,” she says.

There is so much about her role that Robin loves, but nothing makes her happier than getting into the classrooms with the children whenever she can. “I truly believe I’m the most genuine version of myself when I’m with the kids,” she says. “My true, kooky, silly personality comes out, and there’s such a special joy that I feel. I never would have envisioned this for myself, but I’m at my most comfortable here.”

She loves working with her team to talk through challenges and come up with solutions together. “My goal is to keep the staff from getting overwhelmed and to support them in whatever way I can.” She also savors the bonds she has developed with Stepping Stones families. “It’s a real community here.”

At the center of it all, though, are the children in her care. “There’s such a genuine goodness in these kids,” she says. “The amount of times we cry tears of joy here, it’s not trivial. Because it takes a lot of work to achieve each milestone, and no one works harder to get there than the children themselves. Our job here is to teach them that they can do it, and to cheer them on every step of the way.”