Preschool / Child Care in San Francisco CA

Holy Family Day Home, San Francisco:
For more than 100 years, Holy Family Day Home has been a pioneer in providing educational development for young children while nurturing positive interaction with their families. We offer first class Infant, Toddler, Preschool and Kindergarten Programs in San Francisco. We are proud to serve families in the Castro, Central East, Mission, Buena Vista and neighbouring Bay Area communities. We partner with parents and guardians to encourage healthier families, build a foundation for lifelong achievement and open doors to a rewarding future. As the Day Home embarks on another century of service, we remain committed to fostering an environment of limitless possibilities for our students. We were named the highest quality childcare center in San Francisco by the California Department of Education in 2002. We serve Bay Area families from a diverse socio-economic background.

Infant Program:
Our Minna Street Infant Program is designed to be a "nest" for young children — a completely safe space in which they may freely explore their environment. The children interact with one another and develop their natural sense of independence and curiosity.The Program serves nine infants ages three to 18 months and sixteen toddlers ages 12 – 24 months.

The infant room has an excellent infant to caregiver ratio of 3:1. This ratio allows for highly individualized infant care. Each child is assigned a primary caregiver who is responsible for meeting the basic needs of the child and regularly communicating with the infant’s parents/ guardians. Caregivers follow each child’s feeding and sleeping cycle and provide routine care and nurturing supervision according to each child’s needs.

The physical environment has soft areas for indoor play and an outdoor area that is separate from the toddlers. The separate play areas maximize the infants’ safety while providing open areas for movement. Infants are seen as competent human beings, capable of communicating their personal needs and getting those needs met. Infants may explore the indoor or outdoor environments as they wish, always accompanied by a caregiver.

Preschool and Kindergarten Program:
Central to our Dolores Street Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten Program is our belief that children's self-esteem is based on pride in their culture, appreciation of their feelings, celebration of their uniqueness and the experience of success.

The children enjoy a rich and varied day filled with educational activities that prepare them to become learners, an essential building block without which they would not succeed in the years ahead.

The morning program includes activities that provide children with the opportunity to develop learning skills through play activities. The children practice their gross motor skills and develop strong muscles and bones in our extensive yard with age-appropriate outdoor equipment. Lunch is also served in the classrooms.

After lunch, the children are taught hygiene and personal care by washing their face and hands and brushing their teeth. Naptime follows and children rest quietly with a book and/or their favorite stuffed animal. At the end of their day, the children are provided with a snack and participate in group activities where they acquire social skills and learn conflict resolution strategies.

The Holy Family Community Health Program:
The Holy Family Community Health Program supports the health of all its children and their families. Our Community Health Program is truly ending the cycle of poverty by offering services and educational classes to help our parents/guardians secure affordable healthcare and culturally sensitive health related services. When families are healthy, they can focus more attention on their child's educational development and on achieving financial stability through gainful employment. Our on-site Community Health Advocate works to identify and respond to the health needs of our families.

Our services include:
• Making referrals to local healthcare agencies and resources,
• Assisting families in their search for affordable health insurance,
• Educating our families by inviting guest speakers and leading discussions and workshops on relevant health topics, and
• Partnering with other community agencies that promote healthy living, such as Weight Watchers, San Francisco Food Bank and San Francisco Ballet Company