-
April 2025 by Zona Pan
Both of our kids attended Tinker, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. One of the things that really sets Tinker apart is its emphasis on outdoor play—our children thrived with so much time spent outside exploring, learning, and just being kids. We love that they enjoy ample outdoor time all year round.
The teachers and administrators are incredibly caring and dedicated. You can tell they genuinely love what they do, and it shows in how they engage with the children and support each family. We always felt heard, welcomed, and part of a thoughtful, intentional community.
Tinker is a truly special place and we feel so lucky to have been part of it.
-
August 2023 by Scott Jablonski
We are now sending our second of two children to Tinker and love the teachers, admins and other families there. We were one of the first families at the Park Presidio location 4 years ago and, throughout, they have always been welcoming and caring with our little ones. There’s a lot of outdoor action which is terrific for kids learning about nature, etc. and it’s great to see the same teachers helping our second child grow years after our first was there. Highly recommended!
-
August 2023 by Trevor Ford
Both of our children spent 4 years at Tinker and they loved every minute of it. All of the teachers over the years were special, our kids still talk about them.Location is convenient for trips to the park or Presidio, both of which are part of the outdoor curriculum.
-
August 2023 by Jessica Allen
My son loved this preschool! He attended for two years and is more than ready for kindergarten. The teachers are excellent and put a lot of thought into their lesson design. Little things, like having each child trace their name every morning to "sign-in," are so brilliant. My son rapidly developed the ability to write his name form this small activity.You can tell they put a lot of thought into building social emotional well being among the student when you visit the school. Students play together and happily help each other with outdoor building projects and games.Can't recommend enough. We stumbled upon this preschool because we were looking for a place after the pandemic that fit our needs and realized we were so lucky to have landed our son in a spectacular preschool.
-
August 2023 by Tim Fortescue
Tinker gave us everything we hoped for and more for our daughter. Our daughter started as a toddler (2 and a half years old) and is leaving a confident, curious, adventurous, creative 5 year old. We credit much of this to her experience at Tinker. We loved that she could explore outdoors every day at Golden Gate Park and Mountain Lake Park. Her teachers were fantastic, spending so much time with her and giving her role models to look up to. She made wonderful friends in class and we met other parents that have become our close friends. As she starts Kindergarten soon, we're grateful for these past nearly 3 years at Tinker and hope that the rest of her school experiences will be as positive as this was.
-
August 2023 by Jessica A.
Can't recommend this preschool enough. Our son is leaving a confident and caring 5-year-old ready for kindergarten. The teachers put a lot of thought into their lessons, incorporating their outdoor explorations with indoor projects and discussions. He's learned about the water cycle and pollenators, speaks some spanish and mandarin words and phrases, and has developed great emotional maturity. The entire program is managed with thought and care, with lots of communication that kept us informed about what he was learning each day.
-
January 2023 by Noree C.
This review is about a year late, but we wanted to share our experience at Tinker, the Clement Street location. Our son attended Tinker for one year. Since my son's enrollment was during COVID, we didn't tour the school in person. (In general, the school has implemented relatively conservative COVID protocols, but there have been few exposures and no closures to our knowledge.) Despite not touring the school in person, we love the Progressive/Reggio education philosophy including the daily walks to the surrounding parks. During our time there, the teachers were amazing; they helped him with his transitions, kept us updated on his progress, and took the time to simply chat with us. We really enjoyed seeing our son thrive at Tinker.
-
October 2022 by Shari K.
I rarely take the time to write reviews but feel compelled to do so in order to share how wonderful our experience at Tinker in Noe Valley has been! The Noe Valley location has been open for less than 1 year and our daughter started there full time at 15 months old. The teachers are absolutely outstanding and love the babies like their own. Unlike the other Tinker locations, the Noe location serves children 6 months - 3 years old so as a first time mom dropping my baby at daycare full time was rather anxiety inducing at first. However, now I can confidently say it has been the best decision for our family. Our daughter absolutely loves going to "school" every day and she has grown so much during her time there. She has learned so many amazing words and skills and looks forward to being dropped off every day! The teachers do a wonderful job of sharing updates on her progress and activities each day through photos and weekly minutes. Perhaps most important to us, the Tinker faculty is committed to building a community among their families and as a result, we have built an amazing network of friends and support through Tinker which has been invaluable to us since we do not have any immediate family members close by. All in all, I truly cannont say enough good things about Tinker and we look forward to sending our new baby there when she turns 6 months old this spring!
-
October 2022 by Cailleach De W.
We absolutely LOVE Tinker. Our daughter started at Tinker when she was about 12 months old and she is now 21 months old. She is thriving. I love the teachers - they clearly care so much about our little one and are excellent educators - both nurturing but also very thoughtful about early childhood development. It's been especially heartening to see Piper become a part of the Tinker community - she has this whole world that she has become a part of and it's special to witness her sense of belonging and comfort and enthusiasm when we drop her off every day. I also love the mandarin immersion and am consistently surprised at all the words she is picking up. Big thank you to Tinker for providing a home away from home that we can count on to support Piper and her growth.
-
August 2022 by Rosie C.
We moved to Canada about 2 months ago and our son started at one of the best Montessori schools in Toronto. It doesn't hold a candle to Tinker (not even close). He attended Tinker for nearly 2 years and it was amazing. We reflect often on how unique the nature-based program is, with teachers that are well trained and show genuine care. We will never forget that our kiddo went to school in Golden Gate Park and learned among the trees.
-
August 2022 by Brian C.
From the outside you can't even tell it's a preschool but once you tour and see the inside, you get a quick sense how loving and dedicated the teachers are. If you are looking for a preschool in SF, this is one I highly highly recommend. The kids are out most of the day learning from environment. The teachers are so engaging, caring, and loving towards the students. They make crafts from things they learn during the day. Pictures are posted daily and teacher provide an update when you pick up your child - makes you know your kids are in good hands and with professional. Miranda, who runs all the Tinker gives personal tours and when you meet her you can feel the passion. I love this place and 100% recommend this place for your little ones!
-
August 2022 by Riley D.
This review is about the new Noe Valley location. In order to fill out an application, you're required to pay a $100 fee. We paid the fee because we were very interested in the daycare given the location and the great reputation the other locations seem to have. After taking our money, they set up a virtual tour - and didn't show up. We followed up and they asked to reschedule. Fine. We showed up to the rescheduled virtual tour, and they didn't show up again! And this happened one more time before we finally gave up. We tried to reach out to ask for our application fee back and never heard another word from them. It feels like we were scammed out of $100 without explanation or apology. Even if this was some major misunderstanding, the least they could do is reply with some sort of explanation. Based on this experience and the total lack of communication, we definitely would not trust them with caring for our child.
-
May 2022 by Stephanie D.
I can't imagine a better preschool to send your child to in San Francisco! My son attended Tinker from 18months to 5 years old and have been nothing short of amazed with the level of love and care all of the teachers have provided for my son. It is a safe/nurturing environment and the teachers are always keeping the learning fresh and exciting for the kids. They put a lot of thought and effort into the curriculum. Even in the height of Covid, they made sure to keep the kids schedules as normal as possible. One part of the program that we love is that they go outside and explore parks nearby everyday, rain or shine! They also provide daily pictures, weekly newsletters and conduct parent/teacher conferences so you can hear about the progress your child is making. The school is so involved with developing your child! There is also a active parent community that puts on events and playdates which is a nice way to connect with other families in the city. All the kids there are always so happy and excited to be there as well. My son loves the friends he made at Tinker and tells me how much he loves his teachers everyday. The school does a very thorough job of vetting teachers and have enjoyed getting to know all of them. They are like family. We will miss Tinker dearly (we had to move to the east coast). They really have a great thing going there and can't wait to see how the school grows and evolves over time.
-
February 2022 by Sergey M.
Our two kids, 5yo girl and 2yo boy, are excited to go to this school every morning. And we, as parents, are fulfilled and grateful in confidence that we are giving our kids an amazing childhood experience. - Outdoors: It's hard to overstate or to appreciate without experiencing it, the impact of the magical outdoors of the Golden Gate Park and the Presidio. All kids every day spend at least half the day (and sometimes full day) in the parks. They become capable hikers so you'll stop using stroller and will be able to hike with your kids. There is so much to see and interact with in the park: plants, animals, visitors, park rangers and regular dog walkers to make friends with, and sprinkler rainbows on sunny mornings. Plenty of space to run and play. With daily drop-offs/pickups in the park, it is a joy and healthy lifestyle for the whole family. Outdoors it is also easier for parents to stick around for a bit or observe the class from distance (very comforting those first worrisome days). And what a great way to help kids develop love of nature and care about climate change. I remember being a bit concerned about inclement weather and restrooms, but in practice its never been an issue. Indoors of the school are modern, neat, creative, and inspiring. - Progressive education: In this school kids are not only loved, but they are also respected and trusted to make decisions about what and how to do throughout the day. There is some structure, and the experience is always social (a kid is not alone doing puzzles), but teachers are not telling kids what to do the whole day. Instead teachers are friends and collaborators. Teachers know our kids as much as we parents know them, which is surprising at times. There are regular parent-teacher conferences, ~20 beautiful pictures of the class daily, and weekly newsletter for each class describing exciting moments of every individual kid. If you are not aware of progressive parenting and education, I highly recommend the "Unconditional Parenting" book. - Other/misc: Tinker has been very helpful with Kindergarten choice and successful application. Families and teachers are as diverse as SF. Active community of parents, organizing events and being social but without pressure. Strictest COVID and safety protocols compared to other schools (and being half/full day outdoors helps). Kids are so loving and engaged with newly joining friends, all coming to talk, touch, and hug, and teachers talking so lovingly and patiently, I remember tearing up with relief and joy on day one (our daughter went to another great daycare before covid, but after that had a bad experience in a traditional very structured academic preschool). School has been flexible and accommodating to family needs, e.g. we always drop off late in the morning. Teachers change sometimes (for good reasons), but our kids have been able to build very strong personal relationships with new teachers and with multiple teachers. There are napping and non-napping groups for everyone to be comfortable and free.
-
February 2022 by Jen W.
Tinker has been a fantastic experience for our child, especially during this challenging period of the pandemic. I'm writing this review to highlight and laud their COVID safety protocols, their flexibility of moving classes to have more time outside when COVID conditions have been daunting, and the ability for teachers and administration to meet this moment without ever sacrificing learning, fun and safety. I believe our child has become more resilient and adaptable and thus more prepared for the world beyond preschool.
