Preschool / Early Childhood Education - Mission YMCA

Our YMCA Child Development Centers are dedicated to providing high-quality professional care to toddlers and preschool children. Creating strong emotional bonds between the child, families, and other children is the primary focus. Children need to feel emotionally and physically safe in their environment to reach their highest potential.

The Mission YMCA preschool has been operating since 1977 and became a licensed early childhood education site in 1995.

We believe in the importance of developing a relationship with nature, and we offer a variety of gardening activities like planting seasonal vegetables and flowers, studying bugs and insects, and other gardening-related activities.

At our Mission YMCA Preschool location, we have an expansive outdoor garden and playground area. We grow kale, apples, plums, lemons, peas, and many other seasonal vegetables. Youth learn about the life cycle of plants and plant their own seedlings. The Alice Chalmers Preschool is in collaboration with the San Francisco Recreation and Park. It recently underwent renovations in 2020 and opened in July 2020. 

Our goal for every child is to lay the foundation of a healthy body and mind. We prepare each student for Kindergarten with age appropriate materials and activities and conduct parent and teacher conferences. We our part of the OECE Office of Early Care networks of high quality funded providers and the QRIS (Quality Rating and Improvement System), our preschool program is at a tier 4 out 5 and we continue to work to maintain the quality program standards. As part of the OECE high quality preschool programs, we also continually assess by the CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) and ECERS (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale) to maintain high program quality through our classroom environment and teacher-child interactions as well aged appropriate curriculum. 

Monthly Rates, Effective July 1, 2024: 5 Full Days Per Week (Monday-Friday)

Community Participants: Full-Fee Tuition Rates

$3,027/Monthly - Infants (3 months-24 months old, only available at Villa de Kapuso Child Development Center)
$2,306/Monthly - Junior Preschool/Two's (2-3 years old)
$2,116/Monthly - Preschool/Pre-Kindergarten (3-5 years old)

YMCA Facility Members: Tuition Rates 
(Must have an active facility membership throughout program enrollment)

$2,422/Monthly -  Infants (3 months-24 months old, only available at Villa de Kapuso Child Development Center)
$1,845/Monthly - Junior Preschool/Two's (2-3 years old)
$1,693/Monthly - Preschool/Pre-Kindergarten (3-5 years old)

Please Note: The Parent/Guardian must have an active Facility Membership upon registering and throughout program enrollment. If you cancel your YMCA Facility Membership during your program enrollment periods, you will be charged the Community Member monthly rate. Active Facility Members receive additional benefits such as discounts on afterschool programming, summer camps, etc. 

Preschool For All Program, 5 Days Per Week (Monday-Friday)

The Preschool For All program runs through September-August. Families must be residents of San Francisco to qualify. Please note that parents/guardians must have an active Facility YMCA Membership upon registering and throughout program enrollment to qualify for the YMCA Facility Member monthly rate. If you cancel your Facility Membership during your program enrollment periods, you will be charged the Community Member monthly rate.

Community Participants: PFA Discount

$1,607/Monthly - Preschool (3.9-5 years old, a discount of $407)

YMCA Facility Members: PFA Discount

$1,204/Monthly - Preschool (3.9-5 years old, a discount of $407)

Preschool For All Eligibility

The Preschool For All (PFA) Subsidy and MRA Scholarships DEPEND ON FUNDING AVAILABILITY AND ARE NOT GUARANTEED EACH SCHOOL YEAR. To qualify for a PFA discount, the child must be a San Francisco resident and must turn 4 years old on or before December 2 of the year enrolled, regardless of family income.

For more information about discounts and scholarships, please contact us at (415) 452-7566 or by email at KAlvarez@ymcasf.org.

Tuition Rate with Discounts

A 20% sibling discount will be applied to the oldest child's tuition rate, and a 5% sibling discount is eligible for a third child. Financial Assistance is available to qualified families. Alternative payment vouchers are accepted. Tuition rates are subject to change. Active facility memberships include discounts on monthly tuition as well as our youth programs, such as summer camp, youth sports, and other programs. 

Scholarships & Alternative Payments
We accept third-party vouchers (alternative payments from Wu Yee, Children's Council, DHSS, local and state vouchers, CalWorks, ELS, 4Cs, etc. if applicable). Child Care Scholarships (MRA funding) may be available for income-eligible families.

Billing, Late Payments, or Returned Payments

Monthly tuition is due 10 days before the 1st of the month. An automatic draft is REQUIRED.

Families who have not paid their tuition by the first of the month will be assessed a $50 late fee (per child). A $15 bank fee will be applied to all rejected early child care and education drafts. Tuition payments and late fees will be due by the first of the month. (Depending on the circumstances, a Program Director may waive the fees).

Financial Assistance

The YMCA of Greater San Francisco’s Membership and Programs are open to ALL. Financial assistance, to the extent possible, is made available through the generosity of donors on a first-come, first-served basis. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. We have Spanish, English, and Arabic speaking staff on-site.

Requirements for Enrollment

All children must be:

• a minimum of 2 years old
• potty trained

Sample Classroom Schedule (Activities are consistent, times vary slightly by age-group to allow for staggered outdoor playtime.) 

7:30 am - Center Opens, Quiet/Free Choice Activities (hand washing upon arrival)
8:30 am - Clean-up, Hand Washing, and Morning Snack
9:15 am - Circle/Music Time
9:45 am - Small Group/Free Choice
10:15 am - Outdoor Play
11:15 am - STEAM Activity/Hand Washing
12:00 pm - Lunch Time
12:45 pm - Story Time/Hygiene
1:00 pm - Quiet/Nap Time
2:45 pm - Snack Time
3:15 pm - Outdoor Play
4:15 pm - Hand Washing, Small Group/Free Choice
5:15 pm - Story/Library Time
5:30 pm - Clean-Up/Center Closes

Note: Schedule subject to change.