My 15 month old has been at Hands and Hearts for a few months and absolutely loves it. We love…read morethat its a small group of kids and Kate & team give each of them so much individualized attention and support. They spend lots of time outside, do really cute art projects every day, and Kate keeps parents really well informed about their schedules (when they ate, napped, etc) and sends lots of fun pictures. We couldn't be happier here, its such a gem!

Katya truly felt like she was sent to us from heaven. From the very beginning, she was incredibly…read morefriendly, warm, and kind--but most importantly, deeply caring. Finding someone you trust with your baby is never easy, and after almost giving up on finding the right nanny, meeting Katya was such a relief. She quickly became an essential part of our family's routine and a huge support for us. Katya is always punctual and dependable, which gave us so much peace of mind. As a mom herself, she brings valuable experience and intuition, and she consistently made thoughtful, helpful suggestions that made a real difference in caring for our baby. Her genuine love for children truly shows in everything she does. We always felt that our baby was not just looked after, but truly cared for and nurtured. We are incredibly grateful to have found her and would wholeheartedly recommend Katya to any family looking for someone trustworthy, attentive, and compassionate.

Our son joined Tinker when he was 7 months old and we stayed for 4 years because we liked the…read moreprogram so much. I can say the best part of the preschool system is the teachers. They are super attentive to the kids, very caring, and know how to shape the kids into wonderful little people. Some programs out there have hit or miss teachers who lack strong engagement with their kids and may just sit back. Not here. The teachers lean in and run a well designed program that thinks through emotional learning, academic learning, and structured play. Every time we have a school holiday the kids prepare and sing songs for the families and have choreographed routines. They learn how to follow instructions very well. On the learning front, our son is a fluent Mandarin listener via the Mandarin immersion and we expect that to set him up very well for a full K-5 Mandarin program. As a 4 year old he has been learning basic phonics and writing at school, which is an awesome acceleration over the status quo. Our son has developed extremely well in all dimensions as a result of his time at Tinker. We have also forged strong bonds with the community (parents, teachers, and staff). The PGA is highly engaged and we have many events throughout the school year. The one area that could be improved is back office organization and clear communications, especially upon grade transitions. But this is somewhat to be expected given all the moving pieces of families leaving and working around class size constraints. It all works out in the end!

We've been part of Tinker Noe Valley since 2022. Our son is about to head off to Kindergarten, and…read morewe marvel at the little human Tinker has helped him become. His earliest teacher, Sally, instantly became one of his favorite grownups. She brought such warmth to everything. In her class they would craft with materials from nature to work on fine motor skills, go on neighborhood walks to learn to observe while learning Mandarin and English vocabulary, and work on sharing and kindness in the sandbox on their trips to the playground. She and Teacher Fangfang make a wonderful team. In Teacher Laylay's TK class, his world expanded - their class goes on daily field trips to the likes of Cal Academy, MOMA, City Hall, and sometimes neighbors welcome them to observe chickens in their backyard! Together with Teachers Annie and Hannah, they work on Mandarin through instruction and songs (and put on performances every few months), along with English phonics. They work on art projects to celebrate our seasons, and during free play, the children explore Legos, train tracks, puzzles, and kinetic sand building. He enjoys school so much that he wants to be first to arrive in class, and last to leave! The family community is supportive and welcoming, and we've made some life-long friends. We've had many spontaneous Town Square hangs, parent night outs, and a few camping trips over the years. Miranda, the Head of School, was invaluable in supporting us as we navigated kindergarten applications. From guiding us to the right fit for our son, to just calming our nerves along the way, she went above and beyond. We are thrilled that our son got into his first choice school. It's a testament to the reputation she's built with Tinker.

If I could give 10 stars, I would. The aunties here didn't just "watch" our child -- they nurtured,…read moretaught, celebrated, comforted, and truly loved him from 9 months through age 3. We'll never forget the joyful birthday celebrations, the creative art and crafts, and the delightful snacks and little foods they sent us home with at pickup, as well as daily pic/video updates via app/email; such thoughtful touches that made every day feel special. Detailed daily reports, enriching activities, outdoor fun, and meaningful Mandarin exposure became an incredible gift for our family. Leaving felt like graduating from a second home, and we're beyond grateful for the love they poured into our son and into us.

My child-care prayers were answered when Angela's was recommended to me by a fellow mom in 2017…read more Since then I have sent my second daughter there as well. They have both thrived in the loving care and under the ever watchful eye of all the Aunties in each age group. I cannot say enough how much we enjoyed our time with them and they are greatly missed. We consider them family at this point and still send holiday cards. Janina

Our son is about to graduate after almost 3 years at Little Tree. We loved our experience,…read moreespecially the teachers. There was no teacher turnover which is amazing as the teachers really get to know your child with all their quirks and can help through whatever you are working on with your child. They were especially patient and helpful with potty training! There is strong parent community with a monthly pizza get together at the park and an active WhatsApp group. What I especially love about Little Tree is that the kids that go here are so sweet and kind, and I think the school really helps with that through their focus on interpersonal relationships and social skills. My son was accepted to all the private schools we applied to as he was well prepared for this next stage of his education.

We are so lucky to have Little Tree as our neighborhood preschool. With so much uncertainty in our…read moreworld today, it's comforting to know our little one is in caring hands with the Little Tree staff. Our child is entering his second year here and it's almost the same team as when he started a year ago. This says a lot about how they work together as one cohesive unit with shared values and a consistent approach to early childhood development. After checking out a few in home daycare options and other neighborhood preschools, the warmth here is palpable and genuine. They are always intentional and almost giddy w new activities and fun projects to do w the kids that center around monthly units of study. This is not your "bring home a cutesy piece of art for your parents to hang on the fridge" place. Instead they let them explore colors and textures, and you can see the progress in your child's dexterity as they progress from gross to finer motor skills. I mean, my kid is still very much in the gross motor skills realm and that's fine by us. :) They also take grand summer bus trips (ex: to the Ferry Building or the Salesforce gondola ride) and a weekly trip to the local park. The attention to a play based philosophy and to fostering positive social interaction is evident in our kid's language skills. Our child will readily tell us what did or did not happen each day and how happy he feels when he's at school. He tells us that bees love pollen and that this was something new to him. He regularly tells us when he needs more room or when he is not ready to end his play at home as well . We feel comfortable sharing feedback and finding common ground in our communication with the staff and appreciate the evident love and joy they have for our kid and all kids in the program. They make a point of allowing time to chat about his day at pickup which is rare in most settings where the evening pickup rush can be hard to even say a quick greeting. They recognize how important the line of communication is w parents and always have examples of what he did at school. Lastly, I would say they will meet you where your child is in their development and support you with your parenting decisions whether with regards to potty training, food, or sleep. This level of partnership is unmatched and only possible because they are in tune w our child and with the range of where kids are on the journey. We love sending him to Little Tree. It's safe, loving, enriching, and incredible. As you consider where you'd like to send your child, we highly recommend this neighborhood school. The cost is absolutely reasonable and you don't have to do an hour of commuting just to find the elusive perfect place. It's where it should be: down the street within walking distance of home.

We had a wonderful experience with Stretch - to this day our kids are constantly exploring their…read morenatural surroundings. Wonderful teachers and community - highly recommended.

Stretch absolutely rocks. Michelle is amazing at running the school and the teachers are so…read moretalented and caring. Our daughter went to Stretch for a year and sadly we had to take it out when we moved and we hated that we had to. Stretch does an amazing job of understanding children and creating an environment where they feel safe and can learn and grow. Highly highly recommend the school.

I had two children attend GPM over the past two years, and while I am grateful for the education…read moreLisa and Minyi were able to provide, working with the administration of this school was a singularly frustrating experience, which ultimately led us to withdraw our daughter from the school after having put down a deposit for the upcoming school year. The school administration, led by Rosemary, consistently under-communicated and miscommunicated with parents in the downstairs classroom, leading to frequent confusion, surprise, and frustration, to the point where the parents of the downstairs classroom felt like second class citizens at this school. The final incident that prompted our withdrawal occurred when it was discovered by a parent in late May 2025 (less than two months before the end of the school year) that Lisa would be removed as the teacher of our children's classroom, to be replaced by Rosemary herself. I say "discovered" because this plan had apparently been in the works for some time, and based on Rosemary's subsequent reaction to the leak of this information, it was clear she would have preferred to not to tell the affected families until much later. The firestorm this caused prompted Rosemary to schedule a meeting with the parents whose children this change directly impacted, ostensibly in order to hear our concerns. To call what we experienced at that meeting disrespectful would be an understatement. We felt gaslighted, our concerns were belittled, and we were subjected to meandering, confusing, and deceptive answers to our questions. When we specifically asked why Lisa was being removed as the teacher, we were given a long circuitous explanation that started with budget cuts, and ultimately ended with philosophical differences in Rosemary and Lisa's teaching styles. Specifically, Rosemary felt that Lisa was over-emphasizing math and reading, while Rosemary herself wanted to emphasize "meditation" and "exploring spirituality". I believe the phrase Rosemary used was, "All [Lisa] wants to teach is math and reading". I responded to this answer by telling Rosemary that this was precisely the reason why my wife and I chose this school over others: I distinctly recall Lisa explaining at the open house we attended two years ago about how much the kids she taught were instilled with a love for math and reading. Of course, not every parent has to agree that math and reading is a better emphasis than meditation and spirituality. That's for every parent to decide for their children. But the key point I wanted to emphasize was that it was *our* choice as parents to decide what was right for our kids, not Rosemary's. When Rosemary began the parent meeting, she expressed no empathy towards what we as parents were worried about; the only thing she was upset about was the fact that this information was leaked at all. She would have preferred that we did not find out at all until it was too late. Preschools fill up quickly. This incident kicked off a mad scramble for many families, including ours, to find alternate preschools for our children. The parent meeting soon devolved into Rosemary questioning one parent's qualifications to judge their child's education, and then ultimately asking why it even mattered who the teacher was. Ultimately, the problem was not even that Lisa was removed as teacher (though we obviously wanted her to stay); it was the fact that there was zero transparency in any of this. Rosemary seemed intent on letting the clock run out and not announcing this until right before the start of the new school year. Nearly all of the parents who attended that meeting ended up withdrawing their children as a result. While this was the most egregious incident we experienced at this school, this was just the last in a series of other things, some big, some small, that we experienced during just this past school year, including: * The abrupt announcement of a nearly $400 per month school lunch program exactly one week before the school year began that was presented as mandatory. This amounted to an over 15% increase in tuition. This was reduced in price and made optional only after parent feedback. * Similarly, the other team in the downstairs classroom was transferred to an administrative role right before the start of the school year. This was announced 4 days before the start of the school year. * The school misaligned their spring break with that of SFUSD, which resulted in significant scheduling conflicts for several families. * Emails from the administration frequently went out with mistaken dates and locations. * Emails to the administration frequently went unanswered. If you've made it this far, my warning for any parents considering this school for their children is that Rosemary, in my experience, was a person we could not trust to give us timely, accurate, and ultimately truthful information.

If you are looking for a school that is inclusive, look elsewhere. Don't waste your time. We did an…read moreinterview and I mentioned there is some neurodiversity in our family. We were not called back. I don't think it's a coincidence. I'm so glad I mentioned it even though my child is not neurodivergent. Whew!

Our 3.5-year-old son had a wonderful experience at Greenwood Trail Forest School, where he attended…read morefour days a week. The teachers -- especially Maddy and Al -- are warm, attentive, and genuinely care about the kids. The program is impressively well organized. Everything was set up and ready before our 8:30 arrival, which made drop-offs smooth and stress-free. Maddy clearly puts a lot of thought into each child's experience, and it shows. The kids are always working on creative, nature-inspired art projects, which we loved. Our son especially enjoyed the nature discovery lessons, Teacher Jacey's dance class, and of course, snack time with the teachers :) We also appreciated the Brightwheel app for communication -- getting photos throughout the day was a real joy and gave us a window into his world. We'd strongly encourage any prospective families to join

Our daughter recently started at Greenwood Trail and we are so happy. We were worried about the…read moretransition for our almost 4 year old from a different school, yet she took to Teacher Maddy and Teacher Al right away. You can tell how dedicated Maddy is to her program, and how much she loves all the kids. I love the use of the Brightwheel app for communication and to see all the pictures throughout the day of the kiddos activities. Could not be happier and would recommend Greenwood Trail to anyone thinking about joining.

Irina is owner of the cozy and cute daycare. I come to her kids with my "Movement class for kids"…read moretwice a week. Irina is very caring, kind and loving children. I could see that kids feel themselves comfortable and confidently. I really like all of the activities she plans for the them. I saw what the beautiful flowers planted kids, they were told me about some museums and parks they visited. Also a lot of toys, books and backyard for playing --- all of this constitute safe, interesting and helpful place for kids.

So happy you have a Yelp page now so we can leave our praise on how great this daycare is!…read more Irina, the wizard, the educator, the health-focused cook, the creative mastermind has a great big heart and is full of care for kids and their development; and, it's noticeable when kids acknowledge that and reciprocate that warmth and respect back. She introduces many new programs, learning games, collaborative exercises, and many more activities to keep kids engaged, curious, learning to play with other kids, partake in age appropriate developmental curriculum, and of course have fun. Love that the kids get in touch with nature by helping grow their own vegetables, then pick and enjoy their harvest all together! All the meals are home-cooked and organic, and environment is very friendly and clean! Great place for little kiddos and a piece of comfort and mind for you that they are in great hands! If you're on a market for a new daycare, give this place a call!