Holy Family Day Home

LOVE IT! My 3yr old daughter just started at HFDH and I have to say I love everything about this school. Teachers, facilities, meals, curriculum, etc. Everyone was just unbelievably welcoming and helpful in transitioning my little one from a baby sitter to preschool environment.

Holy Family Day Home has been a wonderful home away from home for my four year old for a year and half now. While teacher and staff turnover seems very frequent and perpetual, we’ve experienced no ill-​effects as a family and my daughter’s classrooms have thankfully been unaffected. The building is beautiful and the classrooms are vibrant and functional. The teachers hold multiple conferences each year to apprise you of your child’s progress and learning. There are many ways to be involved as a family and I am grateful for my daughter to have the loving experience that is HFDH. My only (minor) complaint is the number of «short» days for staff development/​meetings, which create challenges for working parents. HFDH rocks!

Update
Holy Family Day Home was a blessing for our sons. They have a beautiful facility, dedicated teachers (Teachers Valentina, Debra, Louis, Maria, Regina are all fabulous, and I know there are others who we just didn’t meet!), and a strong support system. They have a veritable rainbow of families attending, too.
They are a well-​run nonprofit that offers regular options for family involvement and participation, a weekly farmers market that builds community and provides much-​needed food to families, and a support services team for those who need them.
Perhaps the best complement I can give is — our son was 1 of 3 from his class to graduate (if you can call it that in Preschool) into the same program at a nearby public school. I saw the test results of all the Kindergarten students at the beginning of the school year, and all 3 Holy Family Day Home kids tested amongst the highest in their class — meaning they knew their letters and numbers, and were ready to learn more. Said another way, they were well-​prepared and well-​adjusted for Kindergarten, thanks to Holy Family Day Home.
We miss the community there, but have built some lifelong friends, and look forward to remaining supporters.
(old review/​still valid):
LOVE this place. Our older son is here; and younger son will go as well when he’s ready (we’ve only used the Dolores campus as we live nearby).
PROS
— NO waitlist application fee (apply early!)
— 5 day per week, full time care (meant for working parents)
— *sparkling* new facility with wonderful indoor & outdoor spaces
— Great teachers; administrators that listen to your needs & feedback; and will adjust things if needed
— Diverse — not just b/​c they say so, but because they actually do take kids on scholarship and citywide
— Great «Grandparents» (elderly volunteers) for each classroom; improves the already-​good student: teacher ratio
— Teachers are, of course, well trained /​qualified; and work together
— Play-​based, with lots of field trips and extras like «Raising a reader» home bookbags; Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays (free!); fun family events for holidays big & small; even Christmas gifts for each kid
— Non-​denominational; despite its name
— Oldest child care center in SF (historically created/​run by the Sisters of the Holy Family religious order, for the working families of SF — but now not religious beyond age– and culturally-​appropriate holiday celebrations)
— Great ‘teachings’ — potty-​training; discipline; weekly «lessons» — very sweet.
— Super-​convenient on Dolores @ 16^th
— (Our kid didn’t go to the Minna St site, but I hear they use cloth diapers there — helps w/​potty-​training sooner as well as good for health and ‘green’)
CONS
— We didn’t love one of our son’s teachers; but the administrators were *great* about listening to our complaints and
— Food isn’t organic (OOOH, whatever — it’s healthy, USDA-​approved; and our kids love it)
Not sure what the issue was with the 2-​star rating; but if you count the list above; you’ll see why we love it. Would recommend it to anyone w/​kids.

If you want a highly-​structured, cookie-​cutter approach to preschool, this may be the place for you. if your child is different in any way, there are no support mechanisms within the school to support the child’s individual needs. They will claim so, but when you ask for their support, they don’t follow through. Some teachers are amazing, others rule their classrooms like fiefdoms. True, it’s not in their mission statement to «support the individual,» but i would think that was inherent in any «well-​regarded» institution.

I used to volunteer at the HFDH. It is one of the best places that I have ever been. I have never been in a building that is filled with as much love!

I can’t say enough good thing about Holy Family. I originally chose the school because of all the people I know who have attended. Yes, people my age have fond memories of attending school there. When I finally toured the school, I was in love. There is a huge play yard that you can’t tell exists from the street. The classrooms are bright, big and full of things to spark the imagination. My daughter has improved tremendously in using her words to express her needs and wants, and she has wonderful classmates. There are plenty of activities for parents to get involved in or not. It’s up to you. Plus, we actually qualify for a scholarship and get discounted tuition. That’s a huge relief for a single mom who makes decent money, but not enough to pay $ 1000/​month for childcare.