preschool tour: glenridge co-op

We have begun looking for a preschool for Luke. In San Francisco, this is not such an easy proposition, as there are more kids than preschool openings, and the market imbalance has caused a sort of frenzy and nearly all schools have waiting lists. Dada and I are determined not to stress about it, but even without the stress, finding a preschool and enrolling Luke is going to take a fairly major investment of time and energy. We have identified about 10 neighborhood preschools, and for each of them, we have to visit without Luke, with Luke, then submit an application with a nonrefundable application fee. All told, lots of $$ and lots of time. (Thank goodness preschool in the 70s didn't require such organization and advance prep, or poor Dada and Mama would still be waiting for a preschool experience!)

I'm going to try and use this space to capture some of my impressions of each school, particularly as the visits become fast and furious and the sites start to blend together. On Saturday, we visited:

Glenridge Cooperative Preschool



Impressions:

• Amazing, peaceful and unique location in Glen Canyon
• The program would support our entire family (monthly parent education events, connections between families, ability to participate in the classroom and really share Luke's preschool experience)
• Warm, sensitive and developmental approach to preparing kids for kindergarten.
• Luke would thrive here.

The Facts
Web site: www.glenridgecoop.org
Location: In a slightly dilapidated Parks and Rec building in the middle of Glen Canyon (approx. 10 minute hike into the Canyon down a fire access road)
Start/end times: 1/2 day program (9:30 to 12:30 or 12:30 to 3:30)
Class size: 25 in the morning; 19 in the afternoon
Student/teacher ratio: 6:1
Parent participation: Significant. Parents work 1 day a week alongside teachers, parents must do a school job, and attend monthly parent education/general meetings
Facilities: Beautiful indoor play-stations (art, manipulatives, dramatic play) with ample materials. The outdoor play area is the whole Canyon, with daily hikes and nature trips like picking blackberries (rain or shine).
Likelihood of getting in: Slim. We figure there will be 120-130 applications for approximately 10 open spots.

Downsides
We'd have to find a creative care arrangement for the other half of Luke's day. Spare time is hard to find now, and the requirements for parent participation (outside of classroom hours) are significant.