I just happen to work at Sterne School--the 4th-12th grade school that leases the building where…read moreSt. Mary's Preschool is also housed. It was purely convenience that made me check out St. Mary's for my son. Wow, I'm so grateful that I did! He's been enrolled here since he was 2, and the program really is incredible. The teachers and the Director are caring, knowledgeable, professional, and reliable; my son has grown so much since he started here. He's more independent and is so good at following rules and directions now! He's also learning Chinese. Everywhere we go he says, "Mama, that's Chinese!" He cleans up his toys at home now without my nagging (this place is spotless!!) and he really enjoys meeting new kids now. This place is truly a hidden gem in a very convenient area at the intersection of Chinatown, North Beach, and the Financial District.

Our son has attended St. Mary's Preschool since its inception in 2015. He will be graduating at…read morethe end of this school year and will have spent 2.5 years with the kind and loving teachers there. I am a firm believer in the Montessori teaching technique, where kids can each progress at their own speed, and encouraged along the way. They were very patient in working with our son during his potty training phase. The environment is new, clean and warm. The kids get their crazies out during recess and gets healthy snacks and fruit. Our son constantly tells us how much he loves his school and his teachers. Many family events are organized throughout the school year, making the class feel more like family with lots of familiar faces. A great choice for your child!

Our son started at Veronica's when he was just 11 months old and stayed until he turned four. After…read moreroughly three years there, we are leaving only because he is starting TK, and I can say without hesitation that finding this place was one of the best things that happened to our family during his early childhood. When I first started looking for childcare in San Francisco, Veronica's came highly recommended by virtually every mother I asked. Veronica runs a home-based daycare/preschool and pays attention to the details that matter enormously when someone else is caring for your very young child all day. The children are served real, healthy food: soups, pastas and other home-style meals. She was very accommodating of our vegetarian preferences, helped with potty training, and even taught the children good habits around sitting down and eating properly. As a parent, these things were a huge relief. The children also have a wonderfully active routine. There is music class, singing, daily circle time, frequent trips to nearby parks, and regular visits to places like the local library and Exploratorium. It never felt as though the children were simply being kept occupied until pickup; there was a genuine rhythm and richness to their days. The teachers also shared wonderful little personal milestones with us. Once, a teacher messaged me because my son had painted on his hands for the first time, she knew that he normally hated getting paint on them and recognized that this was a meaningful step for him. Moments like that showed us just how closely they knew and understood our child. Another thing I came to appreciate enormously was Veronica's strict illness policy. It could sometimes be inconvenient as a working parent but I was grateful for it because the rules were applied seriously and consistently. In our experience, it meant illnesses did not simply circulate endlessly through the group, and our son ultimately seemed to miss fewer days because of sickness. The teachers knew my son as a person. They noticed his moods, interests and needs, shared details from his day, encouraged his growing love of music and performing, and gave him a remarkable sense of continuity and security over several formative years. As an immigrant working mother raising a child far from extended family, having a place I trusted this much meant more to me than I can adequately express. Veronica's became almost a second home for our son and an important support system for our whole family. We will always remember Veronica and her teachers with enormous affection. I sincerely hope this wonderful little preschool continues thriving for many years. San Francisco families are very lucky to have it.

My second daughter has been going to this daycare since eight months of age. She was born 10 years…read moreafter our first one and you can imagine how anxious we parents were especially given we had just moved here from the east coast. As a parent of a child who attended here for the past two years, I am pleased to share my thoughts on this wonderful establishment. Veronica and the staff have impressed me! While Veronica is strict when it comes to teaching, values, discipline, cleanliness and manners given her background of having dedicated a major part of her life towards healthcare as a physician, she is also extremely warm, loving and caring. You can clearly see how the kids absolutely adore her like their own grandma. She is very careful about the staff she picks. They are all amazing and hard working. The staff are not only well-trained but also genuinely passionate about early childhood education. As physicians ourselves, we give importance to cleanliness and avoiding infections. The facility is impeccably clean and has numerous safety features, including secure entry points and child-proofed play areas, which gave me peace of mind. Veronica gives a lot of importance to disinfecting the facility every day. She prepares homemade food using great quality ingredients every single day for the kids and they love it. The daycare offers a diverse curriculum with a Reggio Emilia approach that includes arts and crafts, music, yoga/exercise, outdoor play, and educational games. The daycare regularly updates parents through newsletters and daily reports, ensuring I was always informed about my child's progress and activities. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, with ample space for both indoor and outdoor play. They take the kids out for a stroll if the weather permits. Overall, I highly recommend Wonderful Children Daycare to any parent looking for a nurturing and educational environment for their child. The staff's dedication and the engaging curriculum have made a lasting impact on my child's early development and I am truly grateful for the care and attention they provided. I understand that my review might seem all too good to believe, but honestly I have not once (including the first day) felt heavy hearted dropping off my little one. She loves going there every morning and they are indeed Wonderful !!!

let me preface first this my younger sister attended kai ming head start WAY back in the day…read morewhen i as a 10 year old could sign her out & they would give me a bologna sandwich & apple juice as i waited for her to wake up from her nap or something i can't really remember b/c it was over 30 years ago.... yeah they DON'T DO that anymore. my not so little guy attends kai ming & he LOVES it . it IS incredible to see him grow from a child who couldn't or didn't want to write his name to where he can write his first and last name, his alphabet, #s, shapes,& colours. the staff are AMAZING kind and hard working !! it is obvious they are passionate & it shows. i am sad that my not so little guy will be graduating soon WAAA!!

From the owner: This welcoming center provides free, high-quality early childhood education for up to 20 children,…read moreMonday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Its intimate setting allows teachers to give children attentive, individualized support.

I had a nun tell me in 2nd grade to go fly a kite--that's as authentic as one can get no?…read more They also had me doing long division by the time I was in 2nd grade vs my younger sister who went to public school in 2nd grade (she was starting single digit multiplication). She switched over to private school for grades 6-8th.

My husband graduated from this school and now our son attends it. We love it. It's a small school…read moreand very community based. The principle and teacher's are wonderful.

This was a great option if you work in the financial district. The facility is clean, and they…read moreteachers are friendly, attentive, and professional. They location is a bit hard to find and near the basement, so there is no natural light. My 10 month old seemed to adjust ok. He generally uses a wubba-nub pacifer, which apparently is prohibited there. It says you cannot bring "loveys" but I wouldn't constitute a wubba-nub as a lovey. Nevertheless, I found myself running to CVS after dropping him off to buy a normal NUK pacifier which he used throughout the day when necessary. While I wanted to take my son out for lunch, and was able to if I wanted, they also recommended it may make the day even harder as it would be hard for him to adjust back again. Your call, but I opted to leave him there for the day since my day got crazy. They called in the early afternoon to give me a brief update, and the daily report was adequate to know a summary on his diapers, naps, and feeding schedule. All in all. A great option if you have this benefit.

My experience with Bright Horizons Back-Up Care has been appalling and has left me questioning how…read morethis service can be marketed to employers as reliable back-up childcare for working parents. First, Bright Horizons arranged a caregiver through Jovie San Mateo named Rolanda. She arrived at our home with a runny nose and cough. I specifically asked whether she was sick, and she assured me it was allergies, that this "happens all the time," and that she had medication for it. I trusted her reassurance and allowed her to care for my baby. Three days later, both my baby and I became sick. The fact that a caregiver with active respiratory symptoms was sent into my home with no warning to care for a young child is crazy. I contacted Bright Horizons because I wanted an explanation of their illness policy and, more importantly, reassurance about what safeguards would prevent this from happening again. I never received any meaningful follow-up. After spending three days sick while caring for a sick baby, I had another caregiver confirmed through Bright Horizons/Jovie for a full 10-hour day so I could finally return to work: KeAvionne (Key) White. Key and I had already spent approximately 40 minutes on an "onboarding" call the previous week. The morning she was scheduled to work, she never arrived, I repeatedly called and texted her, but her phone was off. When I called Bright Horizons, I was initially asked whether I wanted to cancel the reservation or request a replacement. I explained that I urgently needed to work and asked them to find someone. I then spent approximately ONE HOUR on the phone, while simultaneously caring for my crying baby, only to eventually be told that they could not find a replacement. Only later was I told that Key had actually cancelled the previous evening and that a manager named Cassandra had called me and left a voicemail. My phone shows no missed call and I received no voicemail. This is particularly difficult to reconcile with the fact that when I initially called, Bright Horizons asked whether I wanted to cancel rather than telling me that the reservation had already been cancelled. After all of this, Bright Horizons offered me $100 to obtain "equivalent care." I had booked TEN HOURS of in-home childcare in the Bay Area. That amounts to $10/hour to find a professional nanny at the last minute. It doesn't come remotely close to the cost of equivalent care and is below California minimum wage. Meanwhile, this is an employer-sponsored benefit for which Bright Horizons is being paid to provide back-up care. I would not recommend Bright Horizons Back-Up Care to working parents who actually need to be able to rely on their childcare.

I have two kids at Russian Hill Academy - one is leaving for Kindergarten this fall 2026 (started…read moreat the tail-end of COVID) and the other just started last year in 2025. We had our son in the thick of COVID and were nervous about sending him to daycare. His interaction with people outside our home was limited, not to mention the fear of illness at the time. Jiali and her staff made sure we were totally comfortable with their practices, and they are super clean in general. It is a safe and clean space for kids to learn, explore, and remain healthy. When it came time to send our daughter to daycare, it was a no-brainer. We jumped at the available slot and she has been happy and thriving for the last 9 months. She is in her own class with kids in her age group and has made her own friends. The school does a good job of having the siblings find one another at select points in the day but she also has a strong independence which is important as we prepare for our son to leave RHA. If we could keep our son at RHA we 100% would but alas it is time for him to move on so we will hold onto the remaining time our daughter has there, dearly. The friends we've made will be with us for a lifetime, and we give so much credit to Jiali and her staff for all the heart (and sweat) they pour into creating a community for kids and parents alike.

We cannot say enough good things about Russian Hill Academy and the care we get with Jiali and her…read morestaff. Our daughter started at a year and a half and thrived around having children her age and older around. She always came home with new words and found her best friends at the daycare. She has since started kindergarten but misses the daycare and always wants to come in and give a hug to the teachers when we come to pick up my son. The children go to the playground, have a beautiful indoor area for play and learning. The food is home cooked by the staff (my children eat more vegetables there than I can introduce at home!). I love to see the combination of fun with education as well. Our son now attends and also started at the same age, he loves going in and is always excited to tell us about his day. The school is Mandarin immersion (we do not know/speak Mandarin at home) but both children love and speak the language well, always singing songs and teaching me words. My daughter has loved it so much that we continue to find opportunity to continue to learn Mandarin. They both are able to identify symbols and converse easily with the staff. The activities that are posted and shown to us through Brightwheel are always impressive with respect to the breadth of activities like learning about caterpillars and butterflies or doing motor coordination activities. The children are always enthusiastic about singing and dancing and my children's Mandarin proficiencies are demonstrated through the video as well. While we do not always get to communicate as thoroughly with some of the teachers, Jiali is always very responsive to questions and keeping us updated on our child's progress. We have not had issues despite not speaking Mandarin for our children and we have loved that another language is being developed with our children. The families in the community are also wonderful and we love attending the yearly event where the children learn dances and songs to present to the families. Jiali is second to none in expertise in care for children. I credit her for both of our children being potty trained at the daycare, and she had to use very different approaches for both of them which I know comes from her understanding there's different personalities and needs for children. She has the children's safety and growth both in mind. We moved away from the Russian Hill area but felt so strongly about our great care with Russian Hill Academy that we have continued to have our care with her despite moving further away.

Our daughter has attended Pacific Heights Prep for 2.5 years, and has grown so much working with…read moreEmily and her team! The program is focused on helping kids develop socially and collaboratively, and I've seen our daughter build friendships, learn from the older children, and learn to show so much patience and care for her "younger friends" at school. PHP has also been a great community for us as parents - we've gotten to know a number of neighborhood families for park dates and get togethers. Emily helps build connection through occasional weekend park gatherings for spring and fall for families to connect. It's been a great environment for both our daughter and for us - and we're planning to send our son there too as soon as he is old enough!

Super attentive staff, my kids learned a lot and very good activities too. They were not English…read morespeakers and they helped a lot

Our two kids loved their time at CK. Lisa has been in the neighborhood and teaching for a long…read moretime, and you can tell she really loves kids (and they love her back!) Our kids learned a lot since they started a CK, tons of songs, types of crafts, and skills like holding a pencil, doing puzzles, writing their names, etc. Early on, Miss Lisa identified areas where my older son could develop, for example she noticed that he wasn't able to do puzzles and tended to get frustrated with them. She helped him do them very patiently when he started, and now a few months later he's able to do puzzles on his own and really enjoys them! She's very in tune with the students, and we also got lots of updates during the day. There is also a nice backyard in the house with a play area where the kids can spend time (in addition to public parks). We've also really enjoyed the other teachers. Highly recommend!

We adore Miss Lisa and the teachers at City Kids…read more Our daughter excitedly exclaims "School" with her arms in the air and a huge smile on her face when we turn down the block in the morning. It's so fun to watch her interact with the active curriculum and other kids. The teachers send out regular emails with detailed updates and photos of what the kids have been doing and they are a highlight of my week! Watching Miss Lisa manage the COVID-19 situation only deepened my respect for her. Her attention to staying informed and communicating with the parents about her decision making process was highly commendable. She always puts the children's interests first, no matter what. I not only feel safe with my daughter at City Kids, I feel tremendous gratitude that she has been able to attend this caring and engaging preschool. Thank you City Kids for all you do!

Massiva, Younes and their family are such warm and supportive caregivers and I am so grateful that…read morethey founded Holistic Seedlings and I feel so blessed that we were fortunate enough to find them online and for our son Camden to be accepted into their program. What Massiva offers at Holistic Seedlings is truly unique. It is clear that running her daycare, in the way in which she does, is both her passion and purpose in life. She an exceptional cook and with her holistic nutrition knowledge she makes the most delicious and nourishing food from scratch for all the children every day. (Breakfast, lunch and snacks). She often shares homemade snacks, dates or freshly baked sourdough loaves with the parents as well! She takes the children to their community garden every week to teach them about where their food comes from, how to tend to the plants and how to harvest and enjoy whatever is in season. Her eldest sons host and teach soccer every Friday afternoon. Their support and influence has had a remarkable impact on my son, who loves soccer and basketball and clearly looks up to the older boys and enjoys playing with them. It warms my heart to see Camden so well taken care of. Massiva and her husband Younes, provide such a warm and loving environment at their home. I trust them wholeheartedly and I honestly could not imagine what I would do without their holistic support. My husband and I felt instantly at ease with them, in contrast to other daycares we visited that just cannot compare. An added bonus is that Massiva an excellent and creative photographer! The regular photos she sends parents through the daycare app are an absolute gift and treasure for us to have. We can see all the wonderful activities she has created for the children and get to witness all of the joy that radiates from their smiling and excited faces. I also keep each of these high quality photos as a document of my son's growth and development. I also so appreciate the bi-monthly mother meetings that Massiva hosts to bring the mums together over a delicious homemade meal to discuss important topics related to our children and how best we can support them and align in our approach. Most importantly it's been an incredible blessing to find someone like Massiva that shares so many of my own concerns and values regarding nutrition and a blend of both traditional and modern, holistic approach to childcare. Her care is not only consistent with our approach at home but supports, amplifies and exceeds any expectations we could have for Camden's health, happiness and wellbeing.

We've had our little one at the holistic seedlings wonderschool for just about six months now from…read morethe age of 11 months. From the moment we met Massiva, we were assured our son would be well taken care of. We have had no problems at all, a testament to how Massiva keeps the kids safe and happy (what more can you ask for?) She fills his tummy with nutritious (and delicious!) food, helped us put him on a regular nap schedule, and she regularly updates us with pics and videos on how much fun he's having throughout the day (indoors and outdoors). Definitely the best option you will find with a home day care in SF.