Thread to discuss DayCare/Pre-K Options in San Francisco

[InvestandChill]

Seasoned Parents from SF,

 I'm looking for affordable DayCare/PreK options. Bright Horizons has acquired Marin Day Schools so now there are a bunch of Bright Horizons. Any other options you are looking at? Parochial schools can be great if you are a member of a church or religious organization. Thoughts?

[mamagoose]

Not from SF but I did a ton of daycare/preschool shopping in Florida so my $0.02:

I was very impressed with Bright Horizons. They were the only "big chain" preschool that offered part-time hours & days that fit my self-employed schedule, even though the rates were a little higher than I was ready for but not outrageous. They offered swim lessons on site, free pre-K for 4-year olds (a Florida thing), meals were included, they did sports/gymnastics/dance on-site, and I met with the teachers who all seemed happy to be there. It was clean and I would have had no qualms enrolling our kid there, except it was a 20-25 minute drive away. It honestly reminded me of a nice elementary school, just with younger kids there.

We ended up going with a parochial school in our neighborhood (Episcopal), and we are not a member of the church, or any church for that matter. We grew up Christian but don't attend church regularly, so it didn't matter to us whether it was a religious school or not. Our daughter has attended Episcopal preschool during the year, Presbyterian toddler summer camp, and at one point I was going to enroll her in a Jewish preschool b/c they are highly rated and had the most flexible hours (it was just too far a drive). The church preschools are amazing and decently priced, especially for part-time working parents. If you can find one with wrap-around hours for full-time working parents, even better. Her preschool only goes to pre-K, and if it lasted K-8 I would pay for it in a heartbeat b/c we love it so much there. It's like Hogwarts for toddlers, and we can walk there from our house :) I also found that the church preschools were more flexible with things like age requirements, i.e. the "18 month old" class had kids that were 14 months, as long as they could walk & hold a sippy cup.

Best of luck!

[Conjou]

I have friends in SF that formed a co-op together for both purposes and it is super groovy cool and effective. You should give the idea a look forward your situation.

[emilypsf]

There are tons of options.  Maybe post a bit more about what you're looking for (full time or part time?  What area of SF?  Daycare or preschool?).  For starters, check out schools that participate in preschool for all, which means your preK year is half off.  If your child is TK eligible, definitely look at the public TK's (I've heard that Alvarado, Serra, and Noriega are good).  There is some priority in the public school lottery for students coming from the preschools affiliated with city-wide public elementary schools, and it's a first come, first serve system to get into the preschools.  You can apply as soon as your child is 2.  I've heard that Rooftop and SF Public Montessori are good.  If you want part time, the co-ops are cheapest, but you have to work, which is hard if you have a younger child.  If you're looking for daycare and can go to the Richmond or Sunset, you can find inexpensive, nice home daycare.  Finally, I don't have firsthand knowledge, but I have heard that everything is way cheaper if you can go South (Specifically Daly City, San Bruno, Brisbane, or Pacifica).

[emilypsf]

Btw, Bright Horizons is generally not considered an affordable option - although it sounds like they have a lot going for them.  And if you're downtown, I don't think there are many other options.