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July 2020 by Eliza J.
Calvary was everything we were looking for in a preschool - beautiful facility, wonderful leadership, spectacular teachers. Our son entered in the pre-k program - he grew so much that year, made great friends and hit the ground running in kindergarten. We loved the school so much that we started our daughter at age 3. We appreciate Calvary's focus on sparking kids to think and play creatively with daily provocations, following the children's interest through exploration, and learning to be "kind and caring friends." The after school enrichment program is fantastic, offering additional classes like tiny techies, gymnastics, additional art classes, and nature programming - think built in extracurricular activilities without having to schlep your child around the city! The biannual art show is a real treat as well. Most recently, under Deb's leadership the school rose to the challenge of remote schooling, continuing to exceed our expectations during a global pandemic. In addition to engaging live zoom calls, read alouds and virtual offerings like music, yoga, gymnastics and art, other thoughtful details included sending graduates their caps in the mail, hand-written notes from the director to every child in the school and a personal distance visit by the teachers to our home. Finally, while not the driver for our decision-making when evaluating preschools, we did notice that almost every child went to their top choice kindergarten. Our two oldest are now at Marin County Day School and our youngest will start at calvary the minute he is old enough.
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September 2019 by Vanessa C.
I'm so grateful for the experience and preparation my son received for 2 years at Calvary Nursery School. My son was exceptionally shy and anxious entering nursery school. But under the nurturing guidance of Calvary teachers, he blossomed and developed joyful friendships with many classmates. He was excited to go to school every day, and came home skipping and laughing. He also received acceptances from several private schools. Now that he is in kindergarten, we see how well prepared he is. There are many wonderful aspects of Calvary's program, but a few stand out: 1) Quality of the teachers -- My son's teachers were exceptionally warm, loving and dedicated to child development. I felt they really understood and connected with my child, and helped him develop the socio-emotional skills to support success in a school environment. 2) Thoughtful and well executed curriculum -- Calvary is an established nursery school with long tenured leadership. Its curriculum is creative, integrated and well-run with the benefit of time-tested experience. An especially lovely example was the study of caterpillars and butterflies in the spring. The kids observed real caterpillars and butterflies, read books and did math exercises with the same theme, made painted butterfly wings in art and used them for imaginary play, and then released the butterflies into the school garden. So much joy and wonder! Other standouts are the excellent music and art programs, run by long tenured teachers. 3) Community and friendships -- The culture of the school is very sociable, with an active parent community. There are lots of volunteer in classroom cooking and reading activities, as well as parent "nights out". My son made very good friends at Calvary, and our family did too. We miss it. In sum, my son learned many things at Calvary. He learned he could make friends, laugh and be his silly self. He learned to ask questions and to express himself. He learned to be kind and caring. He learned he could go to his teachers for help. He learned to love going to school, which was perhaps the most important lesson.
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May 2019 by Lauren M.
Calvary has been the perfect first school experience for my kids. I love the consistency of the program and that from the start they attend 5 mornings a week, plus that they don't have to switch to afternoons. It's a nice progression with a longer day for the second (or third) year kids which helps with the transition to kindergarten. We knew we wanted a play-based school and felt the curriculum at Calvary was very thoughtful and engaging and our boys, who are on the younger end, were well-prepared for kindergarten. The wonderful director, Deb, is a huge asset to the kindergarten process, guiding each family through with tips, checklists and informational sessions to give you the information you need to make the best decision for your child and your family. The teachers are so dedicated and caring and you can see the passion they have for teaching and a true love for the children. I loved reading the detailed stories about my son on his progress report. Classroom blog posts and a private Instagram account give a great glimpse into their school day. I appreciated the quality and number of volunteer opportunities -- not so many that the kids got distracted by having parents around all the time, but enough that everyone who wants to volunteer gets a chance. The teachers are very appreciated (delivered breakfasts, lunches and coffees on special days) and well-supported (mentor program, professional development, etc.) both by the parent community and by Deb. One of my favorite parts about the school is the parent community. You get a nice mix of working and stay-at-home parents (Dad's too!), who are interesting, welcoming, involved, always up to do something for the school or help another parent out. The school has a long history and many Calvary graduates are back with their own kids attending now. The school has many sweet traditions; one of the kids' favorites is Bedtime Stories night where the older kids get to come back to school in their pjs for pizza, stories and flashlight tag on the rooftop playground. I also appreciate that the school introduces kids to giving back through school-led initiatives like Project Night Night and a Halloween costume drive benefiting Raphael House. My youngest tried to run upstairs to go to school with her brothers every morning when we dropped them off so I'm so excited for her to have her turn starting in the fall.
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May 2019 by Eric W.
Three reasons why Calvary is the best pre-school / pre-K in San Francisco: leadership, curriculum and parent community. The Director of the School, Deb Anaya, is truly a thought leader for her peers in the market. She's been at Calvary since 1999 and has not only created an amazing program that best prepares these kids for elementary school but also has attracted some of the best teachers in the area who truly care about the development of social life skills, creativity and the basic fundamentals that will guarantee your child is well prepared for kindergarten. We knew the program at Calvary was the best when we received the ultimate accolade from our daughters kindergarten teacher: "where did your child go to school, she's one of the best prepared kids for kinder in the class." Achievement unlocked We're repeat customers too! Our son will graduate this year and my youngest will go there next year. Should also note they are one of the more reasonably priced preschools in the City especially given the caliber of the school.
