We've been with this school for 3 years. Sarah, the director, is really the heart beat of the school. She sets the tone of the school. The teachers, some who have been there for a decade, are phenomenal with children. Our kiddo had two NEW teachers in the same school year and still both teachers were an AMAZING fit for Slippery Fish. They really don't force kids to do things they don't want to. They build great rapport. I LOVE they this school offers nature days, they are typically for kids in Flying Fish class. Kids can move from indoor/outdoor if weather permits. I HEAR my kid speak with inclusive language and invite others to play with him. They really want the best for your kid, not just trying to keep enrollment high. The parents are always so open to outside of school play dates. Note: This isnt a great spot if both parents are full time working with no village. Yes, you will have a co-op job and extra 5 to 9 hours (depending on your job) of work per year. There is a parent meeting every month. You dont need to fundraise. Yes, you do need to help out with a teacher shift at school once a week. You gotta sign up for stand by shifts. We pay a little extra for after care twice a week (very affordable). When I pick up my kid, his emotional cup is full because he's had such a great time at school. read more

So happy with Slippery Fish! This is a co-op preschool, so be ready to take on some teaching shifts and a job to help maintain the school, such as cleaning or media/photography. Glad to get to know the other parent-teachers and staff. They are good with children with a wide range of needs. Can't recommend them highly enough! read more

Slippery Fish - Several classrooms and an outdoor play area - Preschools Near Me - San Francisco, California

It's our 4th year at Slippery Fish. I have toured many preschools. Slippery Fish is a little gem because the Teaching staff is one of the best! The teachers have masters degree in early education and one of the most diverse and well-rounded staff I have come across. The school director is also a wealth of knowledge to navigate services and help families. My kid is really shy and has built great social relationships with his peers and teachers at Slippery Fish. I couldn't have asked for a better first school experience for my family! What makes Slippery Fish special from other preschools: - Teachers love and compassion for each individual student. They help kids build confidence and independence!!! - Flexibility to support ALL kids. Potty training is not required, Nap/sleep is not required (kids have a resting period), healthy snacks provided, flexible schedules. - Offers a Nature program for kids to be outside like a Forest School - Play based learning with Exposure to Pre-k activities and age appropriate curriculum - A great community of families - AFFORDABLE compared to other preschools I found cooperative schools are a great way to be involved with your child's early education. As a teaching parent, I have learned so much and how to support my child. It's really cute and fun! I love being with my kid at school. read more

Our daughter just finished her last year at Slippery Fish and we are so thankful to have been a part of this community for her first school experience! The teachers, parents, and kids created an educational, safe, and super fun environment. There are indoor and outdoor play spaces and a rotating mix of toys, projects, and crafts, so the kids stay active, creative, and social in diverse learning areas. We're especially grateful for the staff's help with our daughter's separation anxiety. Their compassion and expertise made a big difference, boosting her confidence as she heads to kindergarten. The teachers are top-notch (many have master's degrees), and the monthly parent meetings are informative - there is no doubt we became better parents from our learnings there. And the parent community is just awesome! So supportive of each other, and there are always efforts to get the kids together to do to fun things after school and on the weekends. We love love love this school. read more

Slippery Fish is a lovely school and community. Our kid was there for three awesome years, from Koi to Flying Fish. The school prepped him for Kindergarten in many ways, while also developing his love for nature and being outside a lot on Nature Days. The Co-op community provides great ways for parents to be involved in the education of their kids in a hands-on way, while also creating many opportunities to build new parent-friendships. Thank you so much to the teachers at Slippery Fish who wrote thorough reports tracking our kid's learning trajectory. We recently went back to Trunk or Treat, a lovely Halloween gathering that they do. Our family feels so lucky to be connected to Slippery Fish. read more

A little update to my review of Slippery fish here. This is our child's 4th year at the school and we cannot be happier. I am a better parent being at this school and our kid is blossoming. Important things to know about this amazing gem of a school relative to our family and the era: The school has taken an outstanding approach and adapted to safety around the COVID-19 pandemic. This is where I would not have imagined that having a co-op could have been so comforting. But it is! Parents have helped lead the way in forming both a nature-based preschool program for next year, along with primarily outdoor programing for the campus-based preschool program. The outdoor classrooms are perfect for children who are not yet vaccinated and families who are covid-cautious (like ours). I feel so confident and happy with our place at this school and the major COVID precautions and safety the school has made makes it all the more wonderful. Plus the previously mentioned community allows more transparency between families that it puts me at ease. Furthermore - both me and my partner work nearly full time and we have made this school work for us. Although it is a part time preschool, there is an aftercare option and we have also routinely employed an after school nanny. We have been lucky to learn so much from our school relative to positive discipline, we have even been able to better train our newest nanny to take the same positive discipline approach as we see our super well qualified preschool teachers at Slippery Fish. If Slippery Fish had a full time option we would definitely take it, and I would say this part has been our biggest challenge, but the quality of the staff and teachers, parent education, and co-op community we get from being here far outweighs the after school care juggle we are often making. We love our school :) read more

My daughter graduated in 2021 and we couldn't be happier with our experience! The teachers are incredibly knowledgable and thoughtful and kind. My kiddo is very shy and has some challenges and she was seen for her whole self and supported in ways I didn't even realize would be helpful. They talk the inclusion talk and walk it gracefully and flexibly. The director is on a never ending quest to improve the already wonderful curriculum and practices. We love this school with all our hearts! read more

The teachers, director, and community have made a huge impact on our family. It is a safe and care-filled environment for your child to grow, learn about himself or herself, and to receive social emotional support. Parents who teach in the classroom receive immeasurable training that can be applied as a parent and caregiver. The teachers have won the highest awards in their profession and I can attest to the thoughtfulness and exact organization of the classroom environment. I love all of the outside space for kids to roam. The outside offerings will be expanded in the 2021-2022 program. If you have a desire to participate in the classroom, cultivate community, and develop life-long friendships, this is a wonderful place to grow as a person and parent. My oldest is in elementary school now, and his teachers comment on his mediation, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills. I am so proud of all of the skills and self insight he developed at Slippery Fish. read more

The Slippery Fish Co-Op Preschool has been a great experience for my 2 year old son. He has been attending the "Minnows" program twice a week, since August of 2017 and in that time he's learned and changed a great deal. He's learned how to engage others, handle situations and problem solve. He loves to play with the other kids in the various sensory stations, arts and crafts and just running around outside. Its great to see the group of little ones play and interact together as well as explore their own likes, dislikes and personality. Teacher Shenna and Director Sara are amazing and our little one loves being there with them! They're both so warm, caring and very empathetic. They do their best to help the kids develop and are constantly encouraging them. Both Sara and Shenna are also a wealth of information and have so much information to share with us so we can continue to help our son grow and learn. My wife and I were new to the co-op environment, but I find myself a big fan having experienced it. It's a great feeling knowing that your child is in great care with the staff and with the other parents. Its also a great feeling knowing that you are taking part in helping build a space for your kids to learn and grow in. While this style of education environment may not be for everyone or every family, you can trust that your child would be in a very warm, nurturing, fun and stimulating environment where everyone involved is there for the common goal of enriching our kids. read more

Amazing, well run cooperative school. Very dedicated teachers and involved parents. Administration and teachers have won Statewide awards for their school management and curriculum. Additional plus - it is a feeder school to some of the Bay Area's best K-12 schools. read more

Looks like a fun place but one of the parents as caregivers staffed there on the day we stopped by were completely rude to my husband and I and even worse, made my child cry. Don't come here. The user who says that they tried to help us out really needs to understand that we were genuinely offended. And it's true - you actually do have to climb 4 flights of stairs without an elevator to get to the Cubes and Crayons space. With a lack of coordination (between Cubes and Crayons and Slippery Fish) and a less-than-pleasant encounter with Slippery Fish staff, it all amounts to an awful first impression and their actions made my daughter upset. I left in tears. read more

We absolutely love Slippery Fish. It has been a wonderful experience for our daughter. She's blossomed, made great friends and had a blast. What's more - it's a cooperative, so I've made friends too and learned more about being a good parent. The space is great, the people are great, Recess staff have been amazing!!! It's a reasonable price, you get some time to yourself and your child gets a lot of great socializing. The other review is a sad thing. I was there that day and was trying to help these irrate people. They were rude and didn't seem to know that we were trying to help and that we didn't know much about the new Cubes and Crayons program either (although it sounds neat, and I think they are working out some kinks). We were bending over backwards trying to help, (seeing they were frustrated) and they just kept yelling about how they had to climb stairs and no one was there.... blah ... blah... blah.... They were so busy yelling that they didn't even seem to notice or try to comfort their daughter who was clearly upset by the ordeal. It's a sad thing that they would turn to yelp to complain about a program they know nothing about. read more

We moved out of the Bay Area last May (2014) and I miss Slippery Fish almost every day. I knew it was a really strong school with a really strong teaching team and administrator, but I don't think I realized just how special it was. The community that is fostered there is incredible! I miss my fellow moms all the time. I have found schools with play based learning that is little more than a playgroup, and schools with curriculum that seems overwhelmingly and unnecessarily structured at the preK level, and I realize that the harmony of scaffolding kids individual learning on their individual levels and giving them the opportunity to engage in curriculum based learning while in a kid-driven, play-based setting, like you find at Slippery Fish, is an art form, and it is not as common as I'd hoped. I could honestly go on and on about the things I loved and miss about Slippery Fish, and how I've found nothing comparable (to the teachers, curriculum, classroom, board, parent involvement, community). If you like the co-op model, want to be engaged and involved in your kids' school, and have a chance to be part of Slippery Fish ... grab it and please know how lucky you are! Teacher Mariella and Teacher Sara, if you're reading this, Andy and I to this day find ourselves wishing we could run things by you, have your guidance on how to support what she's working on or through now, or just have a parent-teacher conference. We still look up ASQs online and do them on our own to know what's coming and be conscious of how we can support her. We're better parents because of you. read more

My daughter has gone here for almost a year, starting at 18 months, and it has been a wonderful experience for her. Slippery Fish gives her a safe, fun environment where she can play with other kids, and watching how she's developed socially and creatively has been a real joy. The teacher, Nicki, is great with these kids--they really relate to her and trust her. She leads them in art activities you'd never guess pre-preschoolers could do. (Painting at 18 months? It's pretty abstract, but they can sure do it. Play dough? Heck, yeah. Beading projects? I witnessed that myself last week.) And then there's the reading and the dancing and singing and--oh, it goes on. The last year has been a great experience for me, too. SF is a co-op, so you stay and watch the kids one day for every four that your child is there. You get to know a lot of other parents (very few of my long-time friends here have or intend to have kids, so that's been huge for me), and you get to know the other kids, too. It's been amazing watching them all grow over the year. We'll be a little sad this fall when it's time to move on to real preschool, but Slippery Fish has been essential in helping my daughter be ready to go. read more

I don't know who loves Slippery Fish more, me or my daughter, it is a wonderful co-op pre-pre-school! My daughter has been there for over a year and cannot stop talking about her teacher, friends and parents who have all become more like family to us. I can't believe how much she has learned since attending. The founder of the school is amazing with both caring for and disciplining children as well as mentoring first time parents. The parents have all been very accomodating and loving to my daughter and are extremely personable to work with. The teacher is incredible and the kids all love her. She is very good at calming children who are upset, re-directing children who are misbehaving and most of all having fun with the children while teaching them valuable life skills. The school has taught me and my daughter so much, there should be more co-op's like Slippery Fish. read more

My 18mo daughter recently began attending Slippery Fish, and we're very happy with it. She gets to interact with children her age (18-24 months) in a pleasant environment under the leadership of caring teachers and with the help of parents as committed as we are to their children's emotional and intellectual well-being. My husband enjoys his time in the classroom, and I've enjoyed working with parents through my co-op duties and expect to make some long-lasting friendships. Many aspects of this pre-preschool are refreshing: open admissions, no donation/fundraising responsibilities, and low cost. The only downside is that the location is out of the way for us (Lake Merced area), but at least there is plenty of room for the children indoors and outdoors and parking for the grown-ups. read more

My son and daughter have been going to Slippery Fish for a year now and we love it. The community of kids are great. The teachers are amazing. The parent community is amazing. It's such a great place to learn how to parent your and other's children. A great place to learn about developmental experiences. It is a wonderful first school that allows the wee ones to socialize and play and learn in a safe and friendly environment. Now that Slippery Fish is expanding into a full preschool we are more than excited. read more

My son (23 months) just joined the Slippery Fish family a couple months ago and so far it's been great. I really have nothing but positive things to say about the program. My first priority was to start socializing him more with other children - which has been great, but I was also looking for a little time to myself. We are experiencing some transition difficulties with him (I've been his primary care taker since he's been born, so with me all of a sudden not there has been a little hard for him), but with the help of Nikki (the teacher) and all the other parents it's getting better and better. My son also has food allergies, but everyone has been so great in trying to accommodate him and there's always a watchful eye on him during snack time. I know he's in good hands when I'm not there. I feel so lucky to be a part of the program and would recommend it to anyone. read more

A wonderful environment or little ones to start socializing. Playing, music, dance, art and everything else that's good for a pre preschooler. The parent network is nothing short of amazing. I have met some truly incredible families - both children and parents alike. the nice thing about a co-op is that parents really and truly care and, when they're working (or not), take care of your kids like they were their own. read more

Slippery Fish has been a wonderful learning experience for us as new parents. The director Sara embodies the spirit of the school - passionate, caring, and thoughtful about the wellbeing of the children. The low teacher to student ratio, design of the program, and curriculum all reflect their focus on quality care. We continue to be impressed at the monthly Parent Education nights with how organized and well thought out the program is. Our teacher Shenna in the Minnows program exemplifies what you want in a teacher - knowledge, experience, and a loving heart. Each week she plans thoughtful activities and materials appropriate for the children's development. Our son loves the flexible option of exploring the indoor and outdoor space, playing with a variety of materials including the dirt pit, sand/water table, finger painting, and other art projects. The teacher models behavior in how to interact with toddlers being kind and firm at the same time, and has been so helpful in explaining the many concepts in child development. They have been instrumental in guiding us on our journal as new parents, giving us keen insights, suggestions, and tools showing us how a social/emotional focus can establish a strong foundation for life. We are so grateful to be a part of this community full of amazing people who care. read more

Six months ago my husband attended a Slippery Fish open house and paid $35 to submit an application for our daughter. Six months and we have never received any communication from Slippery Fish of any kind. read more

I guess you don't get much when you don't pay much. The day that I was there has been written about in two of the other reviews here. Kim is right in that there was one Slippery Fish person trying to be helpful, but that doesn't excuse the behavior of other Slippery Fish members. The person with whom I had the most contact was immediately hostile. She gave the impression of someone who really just wanted a break, but it was her turn to be stuck 'watching' the kids. Pretty sad. read more

confession: when i heard the word "co-op," my first thought was: hippies. crazy hippies. i was wrong. my son has been at slippery fish since he turned 2, and to say it's been a lifesaver would be a huge understatement. as a stay at home mom, most of my son's time was spent with me (guaranteeing him a lifetime of therapy). with another child on the way, we decided it was time for him to a) learn how to socialize well with other kids, b) get used to listening to directions from other people, c) discover (although maybe not embrace) sharing and taking turns, and d) give mom a small break so i didn't go insane. slippery fish was the perfect environment for my son's first "school" experience. the teacher, nicki, is involved and patient and kind and, fortunately, easily amused. she is enthusiastic with the kids who want to jump around all over the place and warm and comforting for those a little more reserved. the parent network is nothing short of amazing. as reluctant as i was at first to join a co-op, i have met some truly incredible families - both children and parents alike. the nice thing about a co-op is that parents really and truly care and, when they're working (or not), take care of your kids like they were their own. in a word? priceless. read more

Our daughter is two, and she's the second of our children to go to Slippery Fish. We love our co-op pre-preschool. Originally hosted by Axis Cafe, Slippery Fish has now moved to a room in Recess Urban Recreation, and it is a great place for kids. The addition of a teacher means that parent members get more of a break, and makes for an even better educational environment for small children. read more

It was pretty much love at first sight with Slippery Fish. At our first visit I was so impressed with the clean, spacious facilities at Recess. And after watching all these sweet, adorable toddlers playing and eating together I knew my toddler would have a blast. My boy just turned two when he started at Slippery Fish and had strong separation anxiety. The teacher Nicki worked with me, my husband and our boy to help transition our son over the course of a couple of weeks. At first it felt like we would never be able to leave him, so when we finally did it felt miraculous! Nicki was so patient and calm and all of the parents were understanding and helpful. My boy started coming home with paintings and crafts. His speech has really developed. He tells me about yoga, snacks, music and all the games he plays. Parents are asked to occasionally provide the snack and are asked to make it healthy, balanced and organic. It has really exceeded my expectations of what a preschool designed for toddlers could offer. As a co-op we have to work one out of every four shifts as well as put in hours outside of class time in your assigned area. There are mandatory meetings but they are occasional and actually pretty pleasant. Well worth it, especially considering how affordable it is. Parents may request to work more and pay less, or vise versa. It has been a wonderfully rich experience for us. I am sad that he will be too old to continue in the fall, but feel confident that this has been an excellent precursor to preschool. A+! read more

The Fish is rad. My little boo has been attending for almost a year now, and he loves it. It is a hands on practice and you will definitely learn a lot about socializing and educating preschoolers. It's like a formalized share care with school structures, schedules, routines and curriculum. Yes, your 16 month old can start on a curriculum! The school is very dynamic and continuing to set the bar high, we're finalizing the process of becoming a Preschool for All school, and operations across the board are improving consistently. read more

Great program! Sarah, the director, REALLY cares and works to make sure the program is excellent, the children are safe and the parents are doing their co-op roles right (she helps in a kind and respectful way). My daughter attended this program last year and loved it. She "graduated" and still asks for her slippery fish friends, mommies and teacher Angela all the time. Teacher Angela is amazing, she has a great teaching background and is a very calming presence. She is also super respectful and caring of the children and their families. We felt very lucky to be part of such a great program for our daughter and a wonderful community of people. read more

I love Slippery Fish! My son joined as a Minnow in Sept 2012 when he was 13 months. I love that they have such a robust pre-preschool program for 1-3 year olds. I truly feel like my son is thriving socially, physically and emotionally there through our work on separation, the array of fine & gross motor toys we don't have at home and the introduction of healthy snacks daily, to name just a few things.. The teacher, administrator and fellow parents quickly became mentors and friends. I was looking for a community for our family, a place for me to be active since being a SAHM was feeling isolating, and a place for me to have a job. And it has delivered in every way. I had a baby in December and my Slippery Fish family was paramount in helping my family and my toddler with that transition. The coop moved into a new space in 2011 and I love it. Lots of parking and green outdoor space. I really like the location as it seems like a little oasis of green within the concrete jungle. read more

This program is amazing for not only the kids, but also the parents. The teachers are fantastic and my son wants to go to "school" every day. We've been part of the program for over a year and have watched our son thrive. read more

What a great place! Our son has been going to Slippery Fish since they moved to their new location out by Lake Merced. Their campus is great! Half indoors and half outdoors, and it is nestled in a quiet little park on a church property so it is totally free of the trials of city life...plus TONS of free parking. The kids eat very healthy snacks, and always come home happy. But let's get real, Slippery Fish is about the kids not about the snacks or free parking. The teacher student ratio is 1 to 4 (in our class, different depending on the age), so there is always quality attention being given to the kids. To be honest, I have always looked at school for a 2 year-old as "an organized play group," but this is where I was wrong. At SF, the kids are learning valuable social skills and they are working out the complexities of toddler-hood in a very supportive and thoughtful environment. Through guidance of excellent and dedicated teachers and staff our son has grown in ways that is at once remarkable and heartening. However, perhaps the most valuable lessons at SF are what the parents take home. As first time parents, SF has taught us how to be better parents, how to interact with our toddler, and deciphered some of the mysteries rolling around in our toddler's emerging brain! This is perhaps why we love SF the most, because we know we are taking away skills that we can use for the rest of his life. So in short, go for the great campus, stay for the skills your whole family will learn! read more

I didn't know what to expect with joining a co-op preschool initially, but quickly found out that this is a great way to really get to know some cool families and be part of a community. Slippery Fish is located in Recess Urban, which is such a great space with art, dress-up, music, make-believe play, and physical activity. On wednesdays, Recess Urban is closed to the public, so Slippery Fish gets the run of the entire place and has double the number of kids than the other days. At first, we were a bit nervous about the potential chaos and but I think now, our daughter prefers those days, because there is so much to do and so many friends to play with. I think the person who wrote the negative review that is on this page is confused because there is No Cubes and Crayon during the time that Slippery Fish has been at Recess Urban and so never had a relationship with them. Slippery fish just rents the space from Recess Urban. I think they must be trying to comment on Recess Urban. Also, I think they did a great job with giving parents more flexibility with the work commitments. The commitment is generally to work 1 out 4 times that a child attends. But now, they have pay less, work more options where you can buy out of doing some work shifts. Or, if a parent wants to pay a little less, then can work extra shifts. The teacher, Nicki, is also great. She has a fun sense of humor with the kids and they really look forward to seeing her. My daughter talks about her and the other teacher, Zenda, with excitement and even tries to dress like them. There are many more examples of how we have really been enjoying Slippery Fish and wish we were attending more days. read more

My son has attended Slippery Fish for the past year and we have loved every aspect of the program. He has grown socially, emotionally and developmentally in ways we could have never imagined. The staff is so incredibly warm and caring, the curriculum is spot on for the many age groups they serve (12mo-4 yrs) and the space is clean, joyful and inviting. We are so excited that the program is expanding to be a preschool (not just pre pre-school) so we can stay! I also look forward to starting my baby when he turns 1! Can't say enough good! read more

My 15 month old son has been a Minnow at Slippery Fish for a few months now and loves it! As a stay at home mom, I was searching for a place I could take my son where he could have social interaction with kids his age and get comfortable being away from my husband and me. He goes to "school" twice a week, two hours at a time and it was exactly what I was looking for and more. The other children in his class and their parents are wonderful. They have a great time playing, doing arts and crafts, and exploring nature outside. I am amazed at how quickly my free-spirited little guy is learning to sit still with his buddies at snack and circle time. It is amazing how much he has learned and how much he has developed by spending time with his peers. Teacher Kathy is really great. She is very sweet and loving with each child. She provides various activities, toys and experiences that are both age-approriate and gently push the kids to learn and do more. Sara, the Slippery Fish Director, is also amazing. She is friendly and sweet and very empathetic. She worked quickly with us to get my son enrolled in a very short period of time. I see that she takes this time and effort with every family and issue at Slippery Fish and I have no idea how she does it. I can't say enough good things about her. Lastly, I am a huge fan of the Co-Op environment. Like working for a small, grass-roots type of company, when you want to change something, it sometimes can take more time, and the initiative has to be your own, but change can and does happen! At a more corporate, established child care place, the rules are the rules and if you don't like something, you put up with it or leave. But Slippery Fish is what you want to make it. I love being in my son's classroom once a week and I love being able to help the school run as well. Especially I love that we are not required to fundraise! A Co-Op is not for every family, but if you want your child to belong to a warm, nurturing environment that you and your family are also a part of, then Slippery Fish is a place you should check out. read more

My daughter has played at Recess since she was 7 months old...and I can't remember when, but we noticed Slippery Fish in the adjoining room. My daughter was captivated. That is when I thought that she may benefit from knowing some children more, instead of just the drop in "whoever is there is there" type thing. She has been attending Slippery Fish since last September, and I have watched her grow to love this school and the children (don't even get me started about the teacher Nicki..she is a gem). She talks about everyone when we are not there, and they truly love and care about my child. Since it is a co-op, you have to work, and that has made me blossom as a parent (if even more of that could happen). My husband and I feel like we have a little community, where the first year for us was pretty lonely that way. Joining was the best and luckiest decision for us this past year. I don't know what I would do without them. They are my only childcare! read more

This place is truly amazing! Slippery Fish concentrates all the love and energy that parents put into their children and produces a wonderful co-op preschool program. My son attended Slippery Fish this past year and now attends a traditional preschool, but attending Slippery Fish gave him great social and communication skills, and he has had zero adjustment issues. Now that I have another preschool to compare Slippery Fish to, I can say that this is really a top-quality program. The activities, music and movement, art, books, and classroom supplies are in every way as good as a non-co-op (read: more expensive) preschool's. Every day upon pickup at Slippery Fish, our teacher or a working parent always gave me a friendly report of my son's activities that day. Slippery Fish's head teacher Angela and director Sara are excellent communicators and wonderful people. This program provided a great way to get to know our child's friends, the other parents at the school, and the teachers. read more

This is our second round at Slippery Fish. My daughter started here when she was 15 months old, that was already 3 years ago, and now my son, who's 2 1/2, is a Goldfish. Obviously, we loved Slippery Fish so much we decided to come back, but it has definitely changed so much, all for the better. The teaching staff is so strong & devoted. The outdoor space gives all the kids a chance to explore all the things city kids can't in the cement jungle which is their usual playground, plus they get to spend all their pent up energy. The activities & curriculum is stimulating and flexible. Most importantly, the community that rallies for & support each family is so amazing. There is so much opportunity for both parents & child(ren) to grow at Slippery Fish. I had the chance to meet my children's first friends, who's parents became my closest friends &, also, got to know my children's personality in such a manner that was natural & unobtrusive. That was the most precious gift to me, as a parent. read more

As a stay at home parent to a very active and curious little boy, I started looking around for some kind of regular toddler programming or classes long before he turned one. I was tired of being cooped up in the house, and I wanted my son to have a safe place to play where he could also start interacting with other kids his age. We started at Slippery Fish last fall when he was just turning one and it continues to be a wonderfully rewarding and enriching experience for both of us. As I've grown more knowledgable of the preschool scene in San Francisco, I've come to really appreciate how strong a school Slippery Fish is. The director is deeply committed to creating and maintaining a first rate preschool. The teachers are extremely well trained and sensitive to each child individually and the class as a whole (FYI: all have master's degrees). The facilities are top-notch with lots of indoor and outdoor space to play - a rarity in the city. Being at Slippery Fish has afforded me the chance to work on separation issues with my son. Parents are welcome in the classroom even on non-teaching days, which meant that I spent most of last year staying in the classroom so my kid could build connections and get comfortable with the other kids, parents and his teacher. I was grateful to have access to a safe environment where my son and I could both get used to being away from one another for a short time. The work has paid off - now my kid calmly says goodbye to me on my non-teaching days, eager to get back to his playing. Yes! And he's happy to see me when I come back, not resentful and angry. The school is a co-op, so parents are expected to contribute both in and out of the classroom. These obligations do take time, but I found that the work I've put in has benefitted me in unexpected ways. From parent education meetings and watching the teachers model positive discipline strategies in the classroom, I'm learning how to better manage these challenging toddler years (well, I'm trying!). Perhaps most unexpectedly of all, I feel like I've found a community of parents to whom I can turn for advice, recommendations, play dates or just general venting. :) It's also heartening to see my son playing with other children, forging his own connections with friends that he will hopefully have for many years to come. read more

My daughter has been at Slippery Fish for over a year now, starting at one year old in the Little Fishes program, and it has seriously been tremendous for her and for me. I don't have family in the area, and I didn't have any "mom friends" or any sort of parent community. Slippery Fish offers not only a great part-time play-based co-op pre-preschool, but also an instant in to a close-knit parent community. You really get to know the other parents because you work with them as part of the co-op, not like just chatting at music class or the playground. The teachers at Slippery Fish have taught me so much about toddlers and early childhood development, and the parents at least as much as well. And the space is fabulous - it's housed in Recess Urban Recreation, which has a huge amount of toys and play equipment and a messy art room and pillows to jump in and books, etc. We have loved being part of Slippery Fish and I'm just hoping I can find a co-op preschool that's anywhere near as good for when my daughter turns 3! read more

My son is currently in his 3rd year at Slippery Fish. We actually left earlier this year to be part of different school (a well-established school with a great reputation). After 2 weeks at the new school, I begged to get back into Slippery Fish. I didn't realize how good it was until I left. The teaching staff at Slippery Fish are utterly dedicated and engaged with the students. Because it's a co-op, parents are in the classroom supporting the learning environment and allowing the teachers to focus on each student's unique needs. The program director is committed to professional development and allowing teachers to develop project-based curriculum based on student interest. I think being a teacher, especially a preschool teacher can be a burn-out job and Slippery Fish has created a supportive environment for teachers and parents. They are truly striving for excellence in pre-school education. read more

My daughter started at Slippery Fish 3 months ago and loves it! She started as a shy little lady and has become so outgoing and outspoken since she began. The teachers are fantastic and the new space we'll be moving into shortly is amazing! It is also a great place for parents to meet other parents with kids of similar age. We are thrilled with Slippery Fish! read more