Q: When will I be notified if my child was accepted?
A: For applications received before February 16, admissions notifications for fall will be emailed to you in mid March of that year. For applications received after this date, please contact us for more information.
Parker School works in conjunction with the majority of preschools in the Bay Area to ensure that you get all of your admissions notifications at the same time, and can therefore make an equitable, informed decision about your child’s early education. If admitted, the acceptance email and enrollment forms will have childcare options listed that you may request for the upcoming school year. While part and full time childcare are typically available, priority is given to the children of families with two full-time working parents, or single parents, and families with established need for care from prior years. Please let the Director know if childcare is a critical need for your family.
Once all of the enrollment requests are received, the Director will notify families of the childcare options that have been confirmed for each child. If unable to honor your request, your child will be placed in the wait pool for the program desired.
Q: What does a wait pool email mean? What can I expect if I receive one?
A: During admissions, siblings and children of Parker alumni are given special consideration, but other factors are taken into consideration as well. Since sibling enrollment occurs at the same time as regular enrollment, we are unable to confirm how many openings exist for new applicants before all of our enrollment forms are received.
The number of available openings for all programs vary from year to year, although our main, annual need is typically for applications to our AM Nursery program.
Those applicants not offered placement in the AM Nursery program when the first acceptance letters are mailed, will be asked to return a wait pool request form, indicating whether or not they wish to remain in the wait pool. A wait pool letter means that while we feel your child and family may be a fit for Parker School, we simply do not have enough space to accommodate.
Should an opening occur, only families who have indicated that they would like to remain in the wait pool will be considered for placement.
Q. How much do your programs cost?
A: You can see our full schedule here. Parker School is happy to be a Preschool For All provider school, enabling qualifying families who may otherwise not be able to afford preschool tuition access to our wonderful programs with a tuition rebate.
Q. Do you offer tuition assistance?
A: Families are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance. A wide range of families qualify, from those who can afford almost full tuition to those who can afford minimal tuition. Every year we are able to offer partial and full scholarships to multiple families. You may download a tuition assistance application here.
Tuition assistance applications are due before or on February 1 each year. Applicant families need to submit a copy of their completed taxes from the previous year, W-2s, a monthly budget statement, and any other information that you feel would help the school understand your family’s financial situation.
The tuition assistance review process is completely confidential. If your child is admitted to One Fifty Parker Avenue School, tuition assistance decisions will be noted in your acceptance letter.
Families are asked to resubmit tuition assistance requests each year. We make every effort to maintain the level of support each family receives their first year at Parker School, if the family’s situation remains unchanged.
Q. Is my child eligible for enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year?
A: Please read below for more information:
For the 2024/25 School year:
If your child was born between January 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022, they are eligible for our AM Nursery Program;
If your child was born between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, they are eligible for our PM Nursery Program;
If your child was born between September 2, 2019 and December 31, 2019, they are eligible for our TK Program;
Q: What can I expect of the school calendar?
A: Currently, we mostly follow the San Francisco Unified School District’s (SFUSD) calendar with some small variations. More specifically, families should expect the following:
Approximately 170 days in session for the school year which includes 2 closure days for parent/teacher conferences, one in the Fall and the other in the Spring;
4-6 weeks of Summer School in June and July;
The school year typically runs from late August/early September through early June;
Total weeks closed in the calendar year: 10 (5 in July/August; 1 for Thanksgiving; 2 in Winter; 1 in Spring; 1 in June);
Federal Holiday Closures (8 stand-alone closures days): Labor Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lunar New Year, and Memorial Day during the regular school year, as well as Juneteenth and Independence Day during our Summer Program
3 staff development day closures
2 parent teacher conference day closures
Q: Will you make an exception for my child to join earlier than indicated on the eligibility chart?
A: While not impossible, it is extremely rare that we slide our date of eligibility for any potential applicant family due to licensing regulations. Having a child born just beyond a school's age-deadline can feel frustrating to prospective parents. We understand the challenge of finding a preschool in San Francisco, that your child is likely ready for a group-experience, and that you are likely in-need of childcare. We are sympathetic and hope you and your child find what you need as immediately as possible ...and we hope that you will consider applying the following year when your child is age-eligible to join us at Parker School.