Peter's Place Nursery School

• Staff & attitude▲

From the sweetest teachers to the most fun and welcoming learning environment, our children have thrived at Peter’s Place. The play-based model paired with developing social emotional skills has been the most nurturing learning experience for our children during their early years. While at home, we actively see them negotiating turn taking, identifying their feelings, and problem solving - all skills they have learned while at Peter’s Place. Our youngest has a hard time with separation, so we were quite worried about drop off. Alongside the school director and teachers, we developed a plan to ease his transition into preschool. Their guidance and care made a world of a difference. He now confidently walks into school and waves goodbye to us at the window. Our children speak about their teachers with so much admiration, and understandably so! The teachers are incredibly warm and kind and know our children so well. There’s nothing more comforting and special than seeing your child be their true self with their teachers and friends. Plus, the community is like a second family for us. We enjoy so many school events, play dates, and out-of-school activities together. Simply said, we adore Peter’s Place!

• Price assessment: Great price
• Services: Service not listed

• Speed & response▲
• Quality & results▲
• Would recommend▲

Our daughter attended Peter’s Place Nursery school for three years and we could not have been happier with our experience there. She absolutely loved going to school every day. We loved that the school is play based but she also learned so much while she was there, we also loved the focus on music and the wide variety of activities for the kids to engage in every day. All the teachers are exceptional and many have worked there for many years, which is always a good sign to me at any business. The school is in a great central location so was easy for me to get to work quickly or run errands after dropping her off. Everyone we know had a great experience here, and we would recommend PPNS without any hesitation!

• Staff & attitude▲
• Price & value▲

If you're looking for a half day preschool or Pre-K program, you won't find a better play-based school in the bay area. You just know it when you see it. The teachers and administrators are respected, highly experienced early education experts who are passionate about knowing and caring for the children. The program director Todd Wanerman is a widely cited author of early education books and spent 20 years at The Little School pioneering their practioner-based approach to inclusion. Our son is learning problem-solving and automony, and developing social and emotional skills that we're not sure he would get in a larger or academic focused preschool program. The school is also affordable with a great parent community. The physical space is special, with the children having the freedom to be outside or inside with one contained, continuous flow. If this is the type of program you're looking for, they're the best at what they do.

• Price assessment: Great price

• Honesty & trust▲

We absolutely love Peter’s Place. We’ve lived in the Inner Richmond for years and always heard wonderful things about it, but when our older daughter was looking for a preschool during COVID, there was no availability. We were very happy with the preschool she went to, so we signed our younger son up there too. But the more we learned about Peter’s Place from friends in the neighborhood, the more we heard the same overwhelming conviction from every family who’d ever gone there. So we finally made the switch, and we couldn’t be happier. The teachers have extraordinary longevity. Some have been there 10, 15, even more than 25 years, and they are fully bought in. The individual time each teacher spends getting to know my son is honestly mind-blowing. When I see them at drop-off or pickup, they have real insight into how he’s developing socially and emotionally, and they know the details of his day, his personality, and his experience. The space is unbelievable. So much thought goes into the creativity of the play areas, indoors and out: a play structure, sand, a water pump the kids can pump real water from, live worms to play with, a pillow pit. We’re genuinely blown away. I couldn’t say more good things about how intentionally and thoughtfully it’s run as a social, emotional, play-based learning environment.

• Staff & attitude▲
• Honesty & trust▲
• Would recommend▲

• Todd

**One of the best play-based half-day preschools in the area!** We absolutely love Peter’s Place. We had no idea we had such a gem right here in the Inner Richmond neighborhood! The program director, Todd, has such a thoughtful and personal approach to each family. We were able to work together to create a special plan to make the transition as smooth and enjoyable as possible for our little one. Since our child had never attended daycare or been cared for by a nanny, spending half a day away from family was a big transition. And we handled it so well! I was able to pick him up early at first and stay with him at school during the first week, which made all the difference. All the teachers are kind, nurturing professionals. You can truly trust them to take good care of your child. Some have been working here for more than 25 years, which says a lot! The school itself has a wonderful indoor-outdoor flow. I especially love that the children can move between indoor and outdoor spaces and enjoy different activities throughout the day. If you’re looking for a wonderful place for your child to make friends, explore the world around them, and grow in a nurturing environment — while also becoming part of a strong, welcoming parent community — look no further. We’re so happy we found Peter’s Place!

• Price assessment: Great price

• Staff & attitude▲

I can't say enough amazing things about Peter's Place Nursery School. Everything begins with the teachers. They are an amazing group who care about your kids almost as much as you do. They are loving, and kind, and knowledgeable and nurturing. They use their skills to guide your kids into social emotional growth and learning and you will be amazed at how your kids become caring, loving members of their community. All the while, the kids are have a ton of fun playing brain-growing games and doing brain-growing activities with each other and with the teachers. They learn the foundations of education while also learning to play well with others and be themselves and make sweet friends, some of which could be lifelong. As a bonus, you will meet the parents of these amazing children and might just develop a lifelong friendship of your own

• Speed & response▲
• Would recommend▲

We first looked at Peter’s Place because it was close to home, but it quickly became clear it was the right fit for our oldest. The teachers are thoughtful and deeply dedicated (some have been there over 25 years!), and the play-based curriculum truly meets each child where they are. Over the years, we were struck by how well every teacher got to know each child. The school has a warm, positive feel, with a real focus on social-emotional growth. The space is small but thoughtfully designed for play and learning, giving kids room to explore and take safe risks. The parent community is wonderful too. We still run into friends from Peter’s Place around the neighborhood and all over town. Highly recommend!

• Staff & attitude▲
• Would recommend▲

We have really loved Peter's Place for both our kids. Our daughter started at a different preschool then moved to here, and some notable advantages of Peter's Place are the really experienced teachers, the incredibly strong parent community, and the flexible play-based approach. The teachers here are really great. At our other preschool the teachers were kind and caring, but not as experienced. At Peter's Place everyone is a veteran teacher (there's even one teacher who has been at the school since it was founded!). It's really hard to retain staff at preschools, so I think the years of experience with early childhood education that everyone brings is invaluable. The parent community is also super supportive - organizing meal trains, planning events - you will feel connected and have an awesome new group of friends. One of my other favorite parts is the school design. Many times during the day the door to the play yard is open and kids can go in and out at will, playing outside or engaging with materials inside. This child-led approach felt very different than our previous preschool's "20 minute recess on the yard" for everyone approach and our daughter really thrived being able to choose where she spent her time. The teachers also know your kid so well and will nudge and push them to try things in an age appropriate way. 10/10, would absolutely send more kids here if we were having any :-)

• Price assessment: Great price

• Price & value▲

• Todd

After touring two dozen preschools in San Francisco, Peter's Place was our absolute top choice. Todd, the program director, and the long-tenured teaching staff bring incredible experience, warmth, and authenticity to everything they do. Even before school began, Todd proactively reached out to discuss and design a personalized plan for our daughter's language development. It set a standard of individualized attention that is nearly impossible to find anywhere else. You can really see their child-centered philosophy in action through their gentle, gradual transition process. Parents are encouraged to stay in the classroom for as long as needed until their child feels completely safe and comfortable. It's only been a couple of months, but our daughter bounds into school excited every morning and has never once complained about going. The teachers take the time to truly know and honor each child's unique personality, temperament, and learning style. We specifically wanted a half-day program so we could spend plenty of quality time with our child during these important early years, while still giving her the opportunity to build her own social life and adapt to a school setting. Peter's Place has been the perfect fit. Even though we live in Twin Peaks and it isn't our immediate neighborhood school, the exceptional quality and care, as well as the wonderful community, make the drive well worth it every single day.

Peter's Place is a neighborhood gem and an exceptional preschool. We love the play-based program, emphasis on social & emotional learning, and the dedicated and nurturing teachers & staff. The school supports imaginative, open-ended play and also provides daily teacher-led circle time, which includes songs, music and movement. There is a lovely outdoor area with a mud kitchen, water table, outdoor art space, and a climber and "pillow pit" for heavy work. What really sets Peter's Place apart is their dedication to partnering with each family to help each child succeed in the preschool setting (for us, this looked like a gentle introduction to preschool to help with separation anxiety). The school really creates a beautiful community for young families. We love Peter's Place and are so happy with our experiences there!