Preschool / Early Childhood Education - Mission YMCA

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 others 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. Our newest location, Alice Chalmers Preschool, is in collaboration with 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, 2023: 5 Full Days Per Week (Monday-Friday)

Community Participants: Full-Fee Tuition Rates

$2,883/Monthly - Infants (3 months-24 months old, our new center is expected to open in the fall of 2023!)
$2,196/Monthly - Junior Preschool/Two's (2-3 years old)
$2,015/Monthly - Preschool/Pre-Kindergarten (3-5 years old)

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

$2,306/Monthly -  Infants (3 months-24 months old, our new center is expected to open in the fall of 2023!)
$1,756/Monthly - Junior Preschool/Two's (2-3 years old)
$1,611/Monthly - Preschool/Pre-Kindergarten (3-5 years old)

Please Note: 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 to 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 a San Francisco resident to qualify. Please note, that parents/guardians must have an active Facility YMCA Membership upon registering and throughout program enrollment. 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 DEPENDS ON FUNDING AVAILABILITY AND IS 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 regarding 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. There is an eligible 5% sibling discount for a 3rd 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 programming, 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 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

Join our online waitlist! We are currently accepting waitlist applications; click below to get started!

MISSION YMCA PRESCHOOL     ALICE CHALMERS PRESCHOOL

VILLA DE KAPUSO CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Questions? Please email kalvarez@ymcasf.org for more information. Please note there is a Non-Refundable $100 Waitlist Application Fee.

Due to the safety of our staff and children, tours have been canceled until further notice. Please get in touch with Katia Alvarez at KAlvarez@ymcasf.org for more information.