Noe Valley Nursery School

My daughter attended NVNS for two years, from the time she was 3 until she started Kindergarten, and it was such a positive experience for our whole family. She started off as a rather shy and slow to warm kid and I can truly credit the school with building her confidence and bringing her out of her shell. She developed trusting and loving relationships with a whole group of adults - from the staff teachers to the parent teachers. The incredible ratios in the classroom, where there was never a shortage of caring adults to support her, really helped in this. Seeing her get close to some of the parent teachers, who also became very close friends of mine over the years, was honestly one of the most rewarding things about being part of this community. She was born during COVID and we all felt pretty isolated, and I truly think NVNS helped turn that around for us. Beyond this, I loved the enrichment activities the school offered. Gardening, swimming, Canyon hikes, music. I loved that free, self directed play was balanced with some fantastic organized opportunities for her to get a little taste of different hobbies and things she might like. Being a coop is definitely a commitment but one that we were happy as a family to make and I can say, it has paid off with long term friendships for both our daughter and our family. Highly recommend!

Noe Valley Nursery School (NVNS) is an incredible co-op preschool at the top of Glen Canyon in Diamond Heights. My three daughters have attended NVNS over the past 6 years, and our family has become part of the warm and welcoming NVNS community. The school is play-based and led by our experienced and nurturing teachers. Our school front doors open to the new Christopher Playground where our children play each morning, and Glen Canyon is a short walk away providing opportunity for nature walks and exploring. As part of NVNS, we've had the ability to work in the classroom and watch our children grow and form friendships, and we (as the parents) have formed close friendships with other parents. We highly recommend NVNS if you are looking for a co-op preschool for your child.

Every co-op will tell you, the community is what makes their school special. What makes NVNS stand out from others is how the whole family benefits - from siblings to grandparents. My 1 year old (future NVNSer) is growing up in the classroom, attending as a sibling on my workday, she is respected and encouraged by the older students. My 3 year old (current student) is more interested in music after watching parent-teachers perform in the classroom and at concerts on the weekend. My 5 year old (an alum!) made lasting friendships and gets to reconnect with other alums during community events and camping trips. My husband and I are continuously learning from the parents and grandparents who bring their own unique teaching style to the classroom and the playground after school. This community changes with the addition of new families, so we hope you'll join us!

NVNS is a gem of a co-op preschool. My two children attended for five years combined and memories of that time are some of our most treasured as a family. The location can’t be beat, the director and teacher are experienced, wise, enthusiastic, nurturing, incredibly kind and create a magical environment for kids to learn through play. My husband and I grew as parents by observing how the teachers and parent-teachers interacted with our children and by learning how to engage with children different than our own. The community is warm and inviting and our entire family made wonderful friends there. My older child is currently in 4th grade and some of her best friends are still those she made at NVNS. My younger child qualified for TK and we opted to forgo TK and keep him at NVNS to benefit from another year of play. For those with questions about how a play-based program translates to kindergarten readiness - both my kids easily acclimated to the structure of kindergarten. Their K teacher also shared that the focus on social emotional learning in a play-based environment is essential for success in kindergarten and had a direct correlation to their ability to thrive in elementary school. I can’t recommend this school enough!