Our Program & Curriculum
At Primeros Pasos, we aim to speak in Spanish 100% of the time to the toddlers and preschoolers in our care. Each of our caregivers has directly experienced first hand (many including in the raising of our own respective children) the benefits of acquiring a second language at an early age.
Parents need not speak Spanish for their children to benefit from our program! Children have the ability to "code switch," meaning they can speak in different languages to different people. The great majority of our families do not speak Spanish at home, yet each year, our Pre-K students who take the SFUSD Spanish track language entrance examination regularly score "native" and "fluent!"
We are a true Play Based program based on the pedagogy of Lev Vygotsky which posits (in summary) that children learn by doing. We provide developmentally appropriate provocations using open-ended materials to foster children's love of learning through play. We are influenced by the Stanford Bing Nursery School which we believe to be one of the best play-based programs anywhere. Our teachers enjoy periodic continuing education provided by their wonderful educator programs.
Children graduate from our program well prepared for Kindergarten in the full sense of the term. Most important among those skills are love of learning, self-confidence, respect for others, ability to work alone and in groups, and self-knowledge and loving self-regulation.
Our Pre-K graduates attend a variety of SFUSD, Private and Parochial schools including: Alta Vista School, La Scuola Italiana, San Francisco School, St. Paul's School, St. Finn Barr School, and many others.
Parents need not speak Spanish for their children to benefit from our program! Children have the ability to "code switch," meaning they can speak in different languages to different people. The great majority of our families do not speak Spanish at home, yet each year, our Pre-K students who take the SFUSD Spanish track language entrance examination regularly score "native" and "fluent!"
We are a true Play Based program based on the pedagogy of Lev Vygotsky which posits (in summary) that children learn by doing. We provide developmentally appropriate provocations using open-ended materials to foster children's love of learning through play. We are influenced by the Stanford Bing Nursery School which we believe to be one of the best play-based programs anywhere. Our teachers enjoy periodic continuing education provided by their wonderful educator programs.
Children graduate from our program well prepared for Kindergarten in the full sense of the term. Most important among those skills are love of learning, self-confidence, respect for others, ability to work alone and in groups, and self-knowledge and loving self-regulation.
Our Pre-K graduates attend a variety of SFUSD, Private and Parochial schools including: Alta Vista School, La Scuola Italiana, San Francisco School, St. Paul's School, St. Finn Barr School, and many others.
Our Core Values
- Children develop key intellectual skills as well as cultural sensitivity through early exposure to learning another language.
- Children are lovingly cared for in small groups to ensure proper supervision and ensure individualized care.
- Caregivers are reliable to build a strong and stable relationship between the child and the adult.
- Caregivers are responsive to the emotional and developmental needs of children to enable children to learn and grow at their own pace.
- Caregivers communicate effectively with parents to benefit the child’s complete experience.
Primeros Pasos provides a healthy and safe environment to protect the child from hazardous conditions. We provides a stimulating learning environment with developmentally-appropriate indoor and outdoor spaces for exercise and learning to expose the child to new ideas and opportunities.