Choosing between San Francisco preschools for your little one can be difficult. There are many options. While you may want to consider things like price and location, what’s really important is building your child’s skills for school and life in the future. For this reason, you’ll definitely want to review several preschool options to find the one that best meets your child’s needs. These are just three of the many preschools in San Francisco:

The room to grow preschool

This preschool has locations in San Francisco and Oakland. Accepts three- and four-year-olds for half-day preschool or an extended option that’s great for working parents. This school operates on the Reggio model of learning, which states that children should learn things on their own rather than be taught everything. Because of this model, teachers actually act as facilitators. They let children discover projects and then guide them in turning those projects into learning opportunities. By doing things on their own, children will really grasp new concepts and learn to explore their worlds.

At school, the three- and four-year-olds are in separate classes, but come together for communal meals, songs, and storytelling throughout the day. Younger students who stay all day will get a needed nap to help them regain energy for afternoon play. This is a great preschool option for San Francisco families. By only admitting up to 26 families per school at a time, the preschool really fosters a sense of community.

Magic Cabin Preschool

If you want your child to have a more planned and intentional preschool that is still focused on play, the Magic Cottage Preschool on Lawton Street may be a good choice. This school is based on the Waldorf style of early education. This is similar to the Reggio model in that it also points out that a child’s environment is essential to creating learning opportunities. However, instead of being entirely run by the children, the day at Magic Cottage is structured by teachers. Within that structure, children have the ability to play and explore.

Magic Cottage students alternate playing indoors with playing outdoors, and activities rotate on a predictable daily and weekly basis. One of the things that students love at this school is playing outside, even when it rains. They also have the opportunity to visit nearby community gardens and even grow their own herbs and vegetables in an organic garden. This exposure to plants and seasonal growth is important in helping students understand how the natural world works.

Little Star Preschool

This preschool on Taraval and 36th Street offers a structured curriculum that still has flexibility for child-oriented activities. The school offers an engaging curriculum that includes instruction in various Chinese dialects. Students will also be exposed to dance from other cultures, and this multicultural school allows students to make friends with students of many races and religions.

Little Star Preschool operates on a weekly theme that allows students to tie together lessons and activities from across the week. Each teacher plans a lesson plan based on the theme of the week.

Each year, parents can meet with teachers to go over individual student assessment. This helps parents know what to work on at home and how to plan for kindergarten and elementary school options. Students will also receive progress reports to help parents help them through preschool and beyond.