Our son has been at Pacific Primary for two years, first in Gray Whales and now in Coyotes at the Yellow Sun School. It has been a wonderful place for him to grow. What stands out most is how well the teachers know the children. They pay close attention to who each child is and help them build confidence, empathy, and curiosity. One thing we especially appreciate are the learning stories the teachers share with families. In one moment from the classroom, our son became frustrated while playing and said, "I'm feeling upset." Another child came over, sat next to him, and comforted him. The teacher helped them talk about what happened and how they supported each other. It was a small moment, but it captured exactly the kind of learning that happens there every day. Keiko has been a remarkable teacher for our son. She connects with him in a genuine way and clearly wants to see him thrive both in and out of the classroom. We have also appreciated the community of families at the school. It feels thoughtful, welcoming, and grounded in a shared goal of raising kind and curious kids. Pacific Primary has been a very special place for our family. We feel lucky our son has spent these early years there. read more

Pacific Primary School - Annual pride march in the neighborhood celebrating how love makes a family. - Preschools Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is our last year at this gem of a preschool, and I'm genuinely sad to say goodbye to such a magical place. Our kids -- two very different personalities -- have both thrived at Pacific Primary. We wanted a school that would partner with us in raising good human beings: children with empathy, curiosity, and kindness. And boy, did they deliver. Among the countless things we adore about Pacific Primary are the incredible in-house chefs who prepare fresh, homemade lunches and snacks, and who weave in thoughtful lessons on food, farming, and nutrition. Another standout is the expressive art and music programs. My kids have been huge fans, and have learned so much about life, emotions and experiences through the magic of music and theater. I am forever grateful for the exceptional time we've had at Pacific Primary read more

Pacific Primary is a dream preschool. My son has attended for three years, and I can't imagine a better place for him to build a foundation as a person. The teachers take the time to truly know each child, nurturing their confidence, social skills, creativity, problem-solving, kindness, and so much more. The parent community is vibrant and welcoming. Throughout the year, there are many opportunities to connect with other families, and it genuinely feels like an extension of our family. Most of the teachers are seasoned educators who have been with Pacific Primary for many years. It's clear they love what they do, and that the administration supports and invests in them. We're so grateful to have Pacific Primary as part of our lives. read more

Being a part of the Pacific Primary community has been such an incredible gift for the last two years. My praise for the school is endless but I'll start with the most important thing: my child is deeply known by all his teachers, administrators and staff. His strengths are celebrated and his teachers set personalized goals for his growth. He is joyful, safe, respected and challenged at school. I am so grateful. I have also loved how open the school has been to my presence. I can linger at dropoff, participate in sing along, chaperone a field trip...all within the context of what works for my work schedule. This has allowed me to observe my son with his classmates so that I can know that side of him. It has also provided great dinner time conversation fodder. Lastly, Pacific Primary is a community of down to earth families with the common goal of raising good humans. I have offered and received friendship and support too many times to count. While I know that the coming school years will bring new friendships, these will always hold a special place in my heart as our first community as a family. read more

We feel incredibly lucky to have found Pacific Primary. In a city filled with amazing preschools, Pacific Primary stands apart. The teachers and staff are the heart of this place. Many have been here for 10, 15+ years, and you can tell. They're not just experienced - they genuinely love what they do and know each child deeply. That kind of continuity and expertise is rare and makes such a difference. PP is also the only preschool in SF with dedicated music and expressive arts teachers. What we love most is the community--and how the school actually supports working parents. Pacific Primary has real economic diversity that actually reflects San Francisco, not just one slice of it. Families from different neighborhoods and backgrounds come together around shared values about childhood and education. Just good people who care about their kids and support each other. Everything about the school is designed to engage and support the needs of working parents and caregivers. No extended summer break and extra costs for camp. In other words, you don't have to have a house filled with staff to be able to attend! And the parental involvement aspect works perfectly. When the school needs help with events or activities, families are happy to pitch in. It feels natural, not like homework. You participate because you want to, and that shared buy-in creates genuine connections between families. Our child loves going to school, comes home excited about what they learned, and is genuinely thriving. The communication from staff is great and we've made friendships through the school that extend well beyond pickup and drop-off. read more

Two of my children have attended Pacific Primary and I feel lucky every day that we are a part of this phenomenal community. My sons have been in three of the four classrooms on the Yellow Sun side of the school - Sandpipers, Gray Whales, and Coyotes. The teachers are gifted, caring educators who have taken the time to know my children deeply. My older son (who graduated) is greeted with warm hugs by all of his former teachers when he comes with me to pick up his brother. If my younger son has trouble going down for his nap, a teacher will sit with him and pat his back until he falls asleep. The attention and care teachers give to their students is truly incredible. The curriculum is play-based, creative, and thoughtful. My son just wrapped up a year-long unit on rock and roll that grew from the kids' interests and involved building a real set of drums, playing electric guitars, a field trip to Mel's to play the juke boxes, a bus trip to Amoeba records, and dozens of dance parties and karaoke sessions. My son is excited to go to school every day and there's always something new and engaging for him to play with. He is deep in paint, sand, Playdoh, fuse beads, Legos, and slime on a daily basis. He's also learning all the fine motor, academic, and social skills he'll need to succeed in kindergarten. My older son (now in 3rd grade) moved on to a private elementary school very well prepared, and his classmates now attend a range of public and selective private schools across the city. There is a huge outdoor playground with sand, a garden, a big climbing tree, and a patio for basketball and obstacle courses. Kids spend time with a music specialist and an expressive arts specialist multiple times a week and have hot, freshly-prepared lunches every day. The schedule is designed with working parents in mind with few holiday closures and just a few weeks off in August. I truly feel like the staff at Pacific Primary want our whole family to thrive. There is also a down-to-earth, involved, and kind parent community that I am grateful to be a part of. Both my kids and I have made lifelong friends at this school and there is a lot of intention that goes into helping build connections among parents. This school has been around for 50 years for a reason and it's a true standout in the city. read more

I want to preface my comment by saying that this school was founded by a brilliant group of people but the people who run it now are not the same. My child was unhappy there in year two and it was hard to watch. We couldn't wait to leave. As a parent, I didn't feel comfortable there either. The front desk staff--this weird guy with black painted fingernails was rude to me on a daily basis. The drop-off made my child cry every day. The first year teachers were great. The second year were a combination of pompous, yelling, out-to-lunch, and sort or preocuppied people who seemed like they were suffering there. I'm on the woke side of the spectrum. I thought their marches and political virtue singnalling were great at first, but they never spoke out about Palestine once. They are definitely PEP. (progressive except for Palestine). Guy who does the parking is kind of rude also, will micromanage you into and out of your parking space and try to act like you can't drive etc. Its easier to park when he is not there. The teachers in year 2 just don't even look at your child at drop-off, look away, or read stories that don't connect to them. They just talk about themselves during parent teacher conference and not your child. Feels like what they say is boiler plate. A lot of the wealthier children are neglected by their over-achieving parents and left with a stream of nannies and au pairs who don't care about them and it shows in their behavior. The people who donate more money and give generous tips on top of the exorbitant tuition receive better treatment, pay for babysitting on the side etc. When I see the PP kids at the elementary school nearby, they all seem like they're having a hard time transitioning, have no social emotional coping skills, suck their thumb still, cry a lot etc. My child is highly gifted and was getting into power struggles with a male teacher's aide who was yelling a lot. I tried to complain to the director but her response sounded like she was reading from a script. Also, they were letting my kid sleep very late at nap and then it was hell getting to bed and getting up in the morning. Kid was also sleeping through snack and they were not feeding my child and at the end of the day my kid would be very hungry! Maybe the teachers were eating it. I found this out later in the year. They don't sanitize their rooms and stomach bugs and flu rip right through the classroom. Staff will openly be sick and talk to you without wearing a mask. Oh yeah, they don't believe in bleach. They have a lot of weird rules that are kind puritanical but part of their ethos that they enforce on the families. You will see what I mean. No characters on t-shirts because that somehow hurts their imagination, no plastic disposable water bottles, no costumes at Halloween-- a long Halloween pageant, but no Christmas songs either. Yet, they let the kids play with those water beeds which are basically micro plastics. Guilt tripping parents into doing chores and going on weekly field trips when other people are sending their nannies to do this. Also, kids don't seem happy. And singing teacher yells sometimes. Do yourself a solid and go to the school nearest your house or apply to public TK which will free next year starting at age 3. You will avoid being around the people who ruined SF. You will thank me later. Cue the simpering posts that will refute my comment. I would like to add: This school could still turn around and do better. But they would have a lot of work to do in order to correct some of their issues. If the first year teacher's ran the school, the school would be amazing. But unfortunately they don't. read more

Could be cleaner. Staff place their own needs before children. Not child focused. No academics. Glorified babysitting.

Does not teach academics nor prepares kids for competitive elementary schools. Go on a rainy day -- the school just smells dirty and musty. Poor quality teachers because no one wants to live in San Francisco due to the high cost of living, older homes, homelessness, and drugs. Save your money and buy a house in the suburbs where it's safer and academics are emphasized rather than social issues which got San Francisco to where it is now. The school is entirely woke and supports the wrong values. read more

An incredible school, the best any parent or child could hope for. Teachers and staff feel like family. The community is incredible.

Our Orange Sun school. Teachers are like family. Dash loved going here! read more

I wrote a negative review in late November (see removed for content after clicking on the bottom "reviews not recommended" -- I think I was too specific in adding names and details). It's funny how around 12/5-6 three positive reviews came flooding in and only 1 out of 3 is recommended for reading. I will write my review in more general terms this time: Most reputable preschools in San Francisco are mindful these days in making good behavior a top priority in educating our children. Yes, we all want our children to be good citizens of the world -- be respectful, considerate, thoughtful, compassionate, empathetic, socially aware beings. In addition, I would also expect the preschool to teach some academics in a fun way. Pacific Primary DOES NOT do this. Even in Aaron's review, I do not see any mention of academics. Our son attended PP for two years. He was not prepared for a rigorous, structured, immersion private school kindergarten which was heavily advocated over public school by PP. PP knew he also had at least one learning difference. He still has not made any friends in Kindergarten, is constantly being picked on, and engages in imbalance of power friendships. He was behind academically and is now repeating Kindergarten. The students at private school tend to be hand selected -- cream of the crop types. At least they must have done well on their playdate interviews and had good recs from their preschools. To take the position as PP did, for a below average student with a learning difference, to be put with these types of kids was in my opinion cruel and unnecessary, especially when he was lucky enough to win the SF school lottery and was accepted by one of the best SF public schools in a great neighborhood. My 3 yo daughter is attending an excellent preschool now. She is learning to be a good citizen, has many friends, and somehow is getting some academics taught to her in a fun way. The other day, she pointed at a piece of cereal and accurately called it "hexagon". When we asked her why -- she counted the 6 sides which surprised all of us sitting at the breakfast table. She has only attended a few weeks and all of a sudden she knows octagon, hexagon, pentagon, diamond, rectangle. My point is not to boast about my child but to mention in contrast that in the two years our son attended PP, he never surprised us with anything academically intelligent. Yes, it seems PP tries to teach kids how to be nice and get along with each other, but that seems to be ALL they teach. In my humble opinion, you are better off going to a preschool that teaches interpersonal skills as well as some academics in a fun way to prepare your child for the rigors of Kindergarten -- especially if you're planning to go the private route (the bar has been raised quite a bit since our childhood). To a lesser concern, but still a negative, the school smells dirty especially when it rains. It has a musty smell like wet dog or children who haven't bathed in awhile. I don't smell this at other preschools. read more

My wife and I have two kids that are either currently enrolled Pacific Primary or alum. We were made aware of the school via friends and as we began to investigate our options for preschool it was clear to us that Pacific Primary was right for us. We explored other schools in the city (Montessori, etc.) but they all fell short of Pacific Primary on one or more aspect. Here are some of the things we really liked: Community: The preschool age is such an important time for parents and kids alike. For many, you are learning what it means to become a parent for the first time and that might mean dealing with lots of situation for which you have no experience. Pacific Primary helps parents through this by creating a strong of community around the school. Some of our best friends have come from the community and that is because the school encouraged parents to be involved in the classroom, hang around on drop off and pick up, etc. Ultimately I think Pacific Primary (and community) taught me as much about being a parent as my kids learned at the school. Diversity. Pacific Primary is truly a reflection of San Francisco residents. Just about every combination of gender, race, religion, income, education, etc. is represented in the classroom. As a result my kids are not fazed when they come across a 'non-traditional' family. Staff. The staff at PacPri is off the charts. Compassionate, caring for sure but also firm when they need to be. They are also very open to feedback. I personally have become good friends with several of my kids teachers because as individuals they are such good people. Of course this fact delights my kids because they keep to stay in touch. Pacific Primary has helped my kids to be confident and find their interests. The music program at PacPri is truly special and has had a lasting impact on both my kids. They are not afraid to sign and dance, speak in front of strangers, shake hands, etc. For my kids, sharing was not a god given ability. Pacific Primary has been a major influence on helping my kids to be able to express themselves, identify conflict and work (using words, not haymakers) on resolving differences. The school has several tactics for helping kids address conflict. These are practices that my wife and I have implemented at home. The consistency has greatly reduced bickering amongst my kids when at home. We have a third child. Only a few months old at this point but there is no question in my mind that she will also attend Pacific Primary. read more

I am an elementary teacher whose two children attend or have attended Pacific Primary. The Pacific Primary community is what every parent hopes to find. The school and its directors live its mission. The directors are totally approachable and available and have incredible expertise in early childhood education. It is a school that puts diversity as its number one priority. Our multi-racial family is one of many at Pacific Primary. The teachers are stellar and give their all to what they do. They meet the individual needs and interests of each of their students. Their curriculum is inspiring and engaging for these young students. Pacific Primary students are 21st century learners. The teachers inspire their students to be curious explorers of the world, while being compassionate community members. I would love for my children to be at Pacific Primary forever, but unfortunately they need to go to Kindergarten. More young children deserve to experience preschool like our children do. It is a model school, not only for preschools. read more

This is an amazing school. Whoever sais that preschools are just like daycare... boy do I have news for you. It makes a BIG difference. My daughter is leaving this amazing school for kindergarden in September and we met with some of her soon to be kindergarden friends. Three of us met at the playground and at one point the other two kids got into an argument. They were preparing for a play and one wanted todo it now and the other wanted to practice for 5 minute and then do the play. They argued and argued which lead to a screaming match. My daughter was on the swings and when she heard the crying, she came over and asked what the problem was. When explained, I asked her what she thought would be a good solution to the problem... This is what my 5 year old came up with... "The one who wants to perform now, performs now. The one who wants to practice for five minutes, practice while the other one is doing the show. Then by the time her part is over, 5 min. will be over and you can go next!" Pacific Primary- Mission accomplished! This preschool teaches these youngsters the meaning of being mindful and flexible. It is their culture to teach the children how to resolve conflict and find solutions on their own. AWESOME teachers and Belanne our director..... Amazing! Thank-You Pacific Primary for an incredible journey and solid foundation for my daughter. read more

I am a single gay dad with a daughter who is currently enrolled at Pacific Primary, and a 3rd grade son who spent two years at the school about 4 years ago. I cannot be more thankful and more enthusiastic about the experience that my family has had here. The teachers are amazing - true experts in early childhood education who partner amazingly well with me as a parent to help guide and navigate my kids as they learn how to be in a social group, make friends, deal with conflict, experience emotions, build confidence and skills with self-expression, art, movement, etc. When I was a first-time parent with my son, learning everything on the fly while balancing a career, I felt so supported by the teachers and the school, while learning so many new parenting skills that I continue to use. The school also has a great focus on building a community amongst the parents, which was a completely unexpected benefit. My family and I have made so many friendships with other families that I know will stay with us for a long time. The school has excellent leadership too - in Belann and Lynn - that continue to guide the place in a way that stays true to its vision of creating a child-centered program that supports working parents that reflects the rich diversity of the city but still allows the school to evolve and grow with the times. read more

My daughter is finishing her third year at Pacific Primary and I can't say enough good things about the school. The teachers communicated with me consistently and kept me informed about what they were observing of my daughter's behavior and development. That allowed her mother and I to stay informed and figure out to how to help her when she needed it. We looped the teachers and administrators into our decisions and received support on the new things we tried. The school has consistently helped us help our daughter and she is developing into such a wonderfully smart and caring person. She is happy and excited about her life, and the school has been so important in helping her get and stay that way. The school community is diverse, engaged and welcoming - we have had innumerable great play dates and associated adult events. The administrators had multiple "parenting" seminars each year, and these were wonderful events at which to get more insight on what works and what does not with raising pre-schoolers. I feel so fortunate that my daughter attended Pacific Primary and I expect we will remain connected to the school for a long time. read more

This is an incredible institution! have had the good fortune of having two kids attend this preschool and cannot say enough about the great experience. It has made me a better parent. The school's philosophy puts the child first and one can see the results from the rave reviews the kids get when they go on to elementary school. The directors' Belann and Lynn are amazing and the teaching staff is fabulous. The school has dedicated music and creative arts teachers and I know my kids enjoyed every minute of those interactions. The cooks at school who whip up a hot organic lunch every day inculcate great eating habits in the kids. The attention to each child and the care that each child seems to get is extraordinary. The love and affection that the teachers show for the kids is one reason why we have felt that it was the best place for our children. I have yet to run into an alum parent who has not echoed similar feelings about the school. I could go on and write for hours about what a great place it is but suffice it to say that I would highly recommend Pacific Primary to anyone. I wish we had more institutions like this in the city. read more