Research shows children who attend preschool programs where they learn empathy and respect for themselves and others are more successful in school and as adults. Sadly, thousands of San Francisco families with young children lack access to quality, affordable childcare.
Teaching Empathy & Providing Support
Many early childhood education programs lack a critical social-emotional component, even though research shows that children who learn empathy at a young age are better prepared for adulthood.
Further, new parents often suffer from feelings of isolation as they transition into a new chapter of their lives. On top of that, San Francisco is a transient community, so people often don’t have support systems or family nearby.
The Mission Kids’ Difference
Mission Kids creates an environment that fosters empathy, respect, and love of learning that nurtures each child into reaching his or her full, creative, intellectual, social, and independent self. Our commitment to bilingual, play-based learning and our focus on social-emotional learning in the classroom provides exactly the supportive environment every preschooler needs.
We are a co-operative learning center, where parents spend time working in the school with the children and staff. We encourage families to parent as a community — and our support network extends beyond the walls of the school. where families support each other and build long-lasting friendships.
Amplifying Our Impact
We are thrilled to be starting a new chapter in our school’s story. Our beautiful new campus at 969 Treat is a jewel of childhood early education in the Mission District of San Francisco. Our new building is designed specifically for the needs of our young students and our play-based programming.
In our new space, Mission Kids has been able to double its previous enrollment and provides a fantastic preschool experience for 80 families every year.
Our school includes families of all races, ethnicities, religions, and economic backgrounds representative of San Francisco’s rich diversity. Our school community’s income diversity is one of its many strengths. In fact, we operate under a city-supported program for pre-schools that are mandated to serve a majority of low-to-moderate-income families. Programs like ours, where children from families at different income levels are placed together in classrooms, have been shown to have positive long-term outcomes for children of all backgrounds. We believe, for this reason, we need to expand our current space to serve more families in the area.
Our Community Standing
As a trusted partner of the City of San Francisco, Mission Kids has consistently received the highest possible quality rating standards in our annual evaluation by the Office of Early Care and Education.
The school received a certificate of honor from the mayor in 2012 for dedication to providing children of all economic backgrounds a safe and secure place for social and emotional growth. In addition, we have received strong community support from local partners, government agencies, and neighborhood groups including:
- San Francisco Office of Early Care and Education (OECE)
- Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF)
- Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD)
- Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD)
- Northern California Community Loan Fund (NCCLF)
- First 5 of San Francisco
- Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
- Calle 24 (Latino Cultural District)
- Mission Greenway
- Friends of Parque Niños Unidos
- Dolores Street Community Services
Building Our Forever Home
Our new location at 969 Treat will be our forever home. We will no longer be plagued by uncertainty and the rising cost of San Francisco’s real estate. Owning the space means we will have control over the hours of our school and thus, will be able to offer parents more benefits, such as aftercare for students.
Mission Kids is at the start of an exciting new chapter for our school. We plan to continue to serve families in San Francisco for decades to come, but we need your support. Consider joining our community and donating your time, talent, or treasure today!