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.

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.

My son started at Tinker when he was about 1.5 years old. He is now almost 5 and will start TK in…read morethe fall. I do not have enough wonderful things to say about Tinker. They are not just a preschool but a genuine community with deep roots to the local neighborhood. The teachers and leadership stay up to date on evolving philosophies around early childhood development, with a strong focus on raising happy, confident, and emotionally well-adjusted children. There's a deep respect for each child as an individual, along with an emphasis on social-emotional growth, independence, and curiosity. We feel incredibly grateful to have been part of this community and for my son to have this enriching early childhood experience.

Tinker Preschool has been a wonderful experience for our family. The teachers are exceptional:…read morewarm, caring, empathetic, and truly invested in each child. We also love how much time the kids spend outdoors. The focus on park time, exploration, and nature-based play is such a special part of the program. Tinker strikes a great balance between child-led exploration and structured learning, which has helped our daughter grow with both confidence and curiosity. The school also has a strong sense of community, with thoughtful parent involvement and a very supportive environment for families. Miranda and the Tinker team have been incredibly helpful throughout, especially during the stressful kindergarten application process. We're so grateful to be part of the Tinker community and would highly recommend it.

Excellent program. My son attended the camp and preschool. He spent all day outside, played, got…read moredirty and learned a lot about - and to respect - nature. I love that they offer part-time slots so I was able to combine this program with a more traditional preschool program for the best of both worlds. Director Carlene was a joy to work with and the teachers were knowledgeable and built great relationships with the kids. We will miss this program when my son starts kinder in the fall. I'm just happy he can still attend the camp for summer and school holidays!!!

We love this forest school in Golden Gate Park! My daughter has been attending regularly since…read moreMay. We had a gap in care that we needed to fill until her preschool started in August. Honestly I find myself wishing I could make this program work year-round for us and just stay here. We are planning to come back on school breaks. As a Covid toddler, my daughter didn't have much experience with groups or playing with too many other kids. But she had definitely reached the age where she wanted to play with other kids and make friends. ALAG has been a great transition for us before preschool. My daughter has learned cooperation and sharing skills, how to do group activities, and has made some friends. She started out very afraid of bugs and no longer has those fears. She loves climbing trees, digging in dirt, doing art projects, and reading books with the group. The teachers schlep so much gear it is a sight to behold! They really care about the kiddos in the program and are so invested in their social and emotional development. Carlene was the teacher for a few days, but it seems most of the day-to-day teaching is done by Maddie, Susie, and sometimes Marnie. These women are delightful and absolutely beloved by the kids (and us parents!). This is a great program that I highly recommend. My daughter comes home very dirty and happy every day!

Little Bee is an incredible preschool, and I could not recommend it enough to prospective parents…read more Our son has attended the Funston (Presidio) location since he was 2 years old. Each class has 3 main teachers + floating teachers, who all care for the kids with kindness and empathy. The campus' location in the Presidio creates an idyllic and beautiful environment for the kids - they go outside to explore nature every morning and we get sent daily pictures and videos of their adventures. We love the Mandarin immersion aspect, and our son is fully bilingual thanks to the teachers' efforts. Sarra, the director of Little Bee, runs a tight and efficient ship. The involved PTA organizes many community events, such as monthly playdates, Easter Egg Hunts, an annual Camp Out, Pumpkin Picking, Santa's Brunch, parents' nights out and more across the Funston and Lombard locations. Beyond just a preschool, this is also a supportive, caring, welcoming community of families and we have met many wonderful friends through Little Bee.

Little Bee is an amazing preschool with a loving and supportive environment. The teachers truly…read morecare about each child, and our daughter thrived here both socially and academically. We couldn't be happier with our experience!

Our 5yo recently graduated from Nature Kidz after attending for the last 2 years (transitioned from…read morePac Heights Kidz - their sister school). When we were considering transitioning him from Pac Heights Kidz to Nature Kidz, we were skeptical. This is an outdoor program. San Francisco weather is so unpredictable. How is he going to stay warm and dry and not be miserable? What happens when it rains? How is he going to learn the tools he needs for Kindergarten in an outdoor setting? Welp, he loved it more than we could have ever imagined. This is because the teachers are amazing and the program that they've designed is flawless for an explorative and energetic child. They are out and about, exploring different trails, parks, and playgrounds daily! During the explorations, they are learning and growing. If weather is poor, they adjust and communicate the change that best suits the day / group. Our son is well prepared for kindergarten academically because of the guidance from his NK teachers. He can write his name, draw beautiful pictures, understand more vs less, knows the sounds of each letter, can write each letter in both upper and lower case, and is able to act appropriately in a classroom setting (raising hand to answer questions, taking turns, ability to focus and pay attention). Over the last 2 years, Nature Kidz has been a huge part of our lives that we are truly going to miss. The teachers and families have had a big impact on our life and we were in tears at pick up on his last day. We are so happy with the decision to join Nature Kidz. If you value kids playing outside in the fresh air, exploring, running, laughing, learning, growing, and most importantly, spending their day surrounded by teachers who absolutely love and care about them, then Nature Kidz is the perfect program for your child. We love Nature Kidz and the care and love that they provided for the last 2 years! 10 stars!!

Our son has been a part of the Nature Kidz program for several months and we have seen a wonderful…read moretransformation in him. Upon joining the program, our son (3 years old) was fairly reserved around new people, and was quite used to being taken care of (having his parents/caretaker put his shoes on/off, jacket on/off, even helping to feed him occasionally). Since joining, he has blossomed. He is very self sufficient, puts his shoes on by himself quite often, cleans up his toys, feeds himself completely, and regularly initiates play requests with new children, unprompted by an adult. He absolutely loves his friends at school and finishes each school day exhausted from learning and playing, with clothes dirty from exploring outside, and with a smile on his face. Teacher Santosh is truly gifted and leads with empathy for the children, teaches through play and deliberately forms connections with each and every child. The teachers and the other children are truly what make this program special and I'm grateful we found it. In my view, some of the hardest parts of building a school are 1.creating a nurturing program that inspires children, 2. creating camaraderie, and 3. recruiting the best teachers; in my view Nisha and Marinelle have done a fantastic job on this front. It is also very important to run tight operations and have solid communication. There have been some hiccups on both of these areas (hence the 4/5 stars), however if the administration is receptive to feedback and wants to improve, these are completely fixable. It's a small program that is very flexible in how it functions and as such there are pros and cons, but the administration has responded in a humble, receptive and collaborative manner and has sought to make the program better. (I'll check back in a few months after I've had a chance to see how some of the changes play out and assuming some of the hiccups have been resolved, I'd happily update my review to 5/5 stars.) No program is perfect, but for me, I'm very grateful we found the school and the program!

We feel incredibly fortunate to have had our daughter attend Apple Tree for a short but very…read moreimpactful six months before we moved out of San Francisco. It was, without a doubt, one of the best decisions we made for her early development and happiness. From day one, we had complete confidence in Jasmine and her dedicated team. They made a thoughtful effort to ensure our daughter felt welcome during her transition into daycare--bringing her favorite toys (baby dolls) to her at drop-off to help soothe her. By the third day, she was no longer crying at drop-off and quickly began looking forward to going to school. She regularly talks about her amazing teachers--Chloe, Toni, and Ruby--and all the friends she made in her classroom. One standout example of Apple Tree's incredible attention to detail: during her very first week, they surprised us by celebrating her 2nd birthday with a cake and singing, even though she was brand new. She was absolutely beaming in the photos they shared with us. The classroom activities were varied, thoughtful and based on monthly themes. We loved receiving weekly photo updates that showed all the fun and educational things she was doing. It was clear she was thriving in this environment. A unique and helpful perk of Apple Tree is the monthly Parent's Day--offering full-day weekend drop-in care. This gave us valuable time to recharge, knowing she was in a safe and familiar space where she was happy and well-cared for. We also really appreciated the flexibility Apple Tree provided with our variable weekly schedule, allowing for earlier drop-offs when needed. Since starting at Apple Tree, our daughter's confidence and independence have blossomed. The school gently encouraged her to do things on her own--like putting on her jacket and shoes--which built her self-esteem. We started potty training over spring break, and thanks to the attentive support from her teachers, she was fully potty trained within a month. There are so many more positive things we could say about Apple Tree. We are deeply grateful for the nurturing and joyful community they created, and we feel so lucky our daughter was a part of it, even for a short time. If you're considering enrolling your child here and have any hesitations, let this review be the encouragement you need--Apple Tree is truly a gem.

We have been sending our daughter to Apple Tree for the past year and a half, since she was a baby,…read moreon the recommendation of a friend. Now as a toddler, she loves to tell us about her friends and teachers there. Jasmine and the team are very warm, experienced and communicative, and all the kids look delighted to see them each day at dropoff. They plan an amazing range of activities, usually with a fun "theme" of the week, and we've noticed at home that she picks up practical skills like tidying and putting on clothes. We also appreciate that they have a large outdoor space, and provide meals for the kids. We are very grateful and would highly recommend!

We LOVED our experience at Little Sun! We lived a block away and never knew it was right in our…read morearea but so happy we found it. Our daughter started when she was 2.5 and fell in love with the school and Teacher Victoria and Teacher Veronica. They were very helpful with potty training making is very easy for us. We can't say enough good things and highly recommend it. Our daughter learned a lot by being exposed to older kids 3-4 and her speech increased quickly. We moved out of state and sadly had to say goodbye. Even 4 months later when I ask my daughter who her favorite teacher is (she has 3 in her new school) she says Teacher Victoria.

Our son is a current student here and we love it! Great community and Teacher Victoria is the best!…read more I highly recommend if you are looking for a spot for your little one.