South of Market Child Care Preschool Program

The Preschool Program is offered at both facilities:

Yerba Buena Gardens CDC and Judith Baker CDC

To see the fast facts about our Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Programs, please visit our childcare summary page.

The Yerba Buena Gardens Child Development Center is a model program whose services reflect the changing needs of the South of Market neighborhood. The center is an oasis in the downtown area where parents and young children experience a safe, secure, warm and loving environment - a place to grow and learn.

Each classroom is a special place where children develop competency, independence, social skills, and a healthy self-concept according to their developmental level. The program provides care by highly trained teachers to include:

• Preschoolers, ages 3 to 5 years in four rooms accommodating 16 children perroom;1 teacher for every 8 children.

• Classroom projects and themes based on children's special interests.

• Arts focused curriculum supplemented by using the rich cultural resources of the Yerba Buena area such as the Center for the Arts and Ansel Adams Gallery.

• The children's learning garden where children grow food and plants in their own plot of land.

Yerba Buena Gardens Child Development Center was built by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency to serve the diversity of families who live and work in the South of Market and Yerba Buena areas. State subsidy is obtained from the Department of Education, Child Development Division for low-income families with a priority to those living in the South of Market Area. Priority enrollment is also offered to parents working in nearby corporations who have developed partnerships with South of Market Child Care, Inc. Other spaces are reserved for the general public.

The Judith Baker Child Development Center has been a vital child care and family support program in the South of Market area for 30 years. The center has been a place where children from all cultural and economic backgrounds have experienced a safe, secure, warm, and loving environment.

Each classroom is a special place where children from 3 to 6 years of age can develop competency, independence, social skills, and a healthy concept according to their developmental level. The program provides care for:

• Preschool, ages 3 to 6 years in two rooms accommodating 24 children per room;1 teacher for every 8 children

• Classroom projects and themes based on children's special interests.

• Arts focused curriculum supplemented by using the rich cultural resources of the Yerba Buena area such as the Center for the Arts and Ansel Adams Gallery.

• The children's learning garden where children grow food and plants in their own plot of land.

Parenting education, support groups, and parent involvement in the center is a high priority. Many activities are planned for lunch time or after work to accommodate working parents' schedules. The centers are open from 7:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Friday.

Both sites' programs provide an enriching curriculum by a staff of certified multi-lingual individuals that includes art, literature, cooking, dramatic play, and outdoor activities. Foster grandparents and volunteers add an additional enrichment support to classroom activities.

Please contact Noushin Mofakham, Executive Director, at (415) 820-3500 or by email for any additional information or questions. To apply for this program, please go to our online application for submission. For maps and directions, please see our Contact Us section.