Relocating with Questions about Pre-School (San Francisco, Berkeley: preschool, where to live, move to)

[lopezcc22]

Hi-

We are relocating to the Bay Area from NYC and we are in the process of determining if we want to live in SF or in a suburb outside of SF. We have a 2.5 yr old and a baby on the way so one big question I have is regarding pre-school options. My son will need to start a pre-school program this fall and I want to make sure I'm informed in what options are available so I can take that into consideration when deciding where to live.

I've heard generally that public school in San Fran isn't fantastic but I was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of a good resource to use to figure out what public and private pre-school options are available.

We have become accustomed to the idea of sending our children to private school since it is sort of the "norm" in NYC however I'd like to save on that expense if the public school options are just as good as private in San Fran.

Thanks in advance!

[Ceece]

Consider a nice suburb on the BART line, like Pleasanton or Walnut Creek. You will have few problems with schools and won't need to go the private route unless you want to for whatever reason.

[mburns]

Hi,

Check out greatschools.net for ratings for public school (K-12). Also, take a look at berkeley parents network, Berkeley Parents Network: San Francisco Preschools, there's lots of good info. and reviews on different preschools.

Good Luck!
Mary

[uptown_urbanist]

I don't know if you can join if you're not a current or past SF resident, but you could check out joining the Golden Gate Mothers Group. They host regular talks and things about choosing schools and preschools in the city, and they have a really active website with more than 3000 San Francisco mothers of young (under 5, I think) kids. You have to be a member to use it, though. It's definitely worth joining if you do move to San Francisco (you get discounts on things and they help arrange playgroups, etc.). I've heard that some SF public schools are excellent, but the current lottery process is a huge hassle. I think there's been some work towards changing it to make it more family-friendly. For public schools in SF the SF K Files blog got big a few years ago. It's also a good resource. I haven't closely followed it, but I believe that the woman who started it had decided to go with a private school before bailing out and instead going with a San Francisco public school. The site has lots of reviews of SF elementary schools.

On the preschool front, be prepared for potentially long waiting lists. Some of the schools have interviews and things, but even the lower-key places still often have first-come, first-served lists that fill up long in advance, sometimes LONG in advance (as in: years). Obviously not everyone goes that route and you'll still be able to find something that you like, but I'm just throwing it out there so you won't be surprised. But then again, I hear it's like that in NYC, too.