Puddle jumpers is a incredible parent run daycare that I’m just so thankful we found out about through our nanny and friend. The teacher is incredible and has an effortless style of teaching. She is calm and has so many types of activities that she plans on the daily. The children to learn and grow and just plain excited to socialize, read books, get creative, take care of our community garden, and even problem solve. Our little one is always singing songs about her friends, building confidence, and a great contributor to our little village family. We make and provide yummy, healthy meals for the kids. There’s no other daycare I’d rather be at! Would highly recommend to everyone! Tuition assistance/scholarships available as well which is huge!

COVID made for a really challenging childcare environment, especially for new parents in a town with no extended family nearby. some neighbors told us to check puddle jumpers out. since it was the closest option, we figured it wouldn't hurt to reach out and give it a try - and we're so fortunate that we did, because it has been such a positive part of our family's life here, especially as the pandemic has made it so much more difficult to connect with other families with kids in a responsible way. there are a few other co-ops in the mission, but most of them are significantly larger. PJW, by design, is small and intimate. no one blends into the background and everyone has an active role in the stewardship of the space and the kids. the responsibilities you take on are balanced by the support you get from each other and teacher Michele, who is incredible. on top of all that, the kids love it. our daughter is so excited for PJW days that she makes us sing the circle songs at bedtime!

Puddle Jumpers Workshop parent coop has been such an incredibly positive experience for our family! The coop--which is a small, very participatory organization--has been a true blessing during these odd times. We started with our 20 month old just as lockdown hit. Because of how small we are (just 8 kids a day, 16 families total when at full capacity), we were able to implement stringent safety protocols and reopen in June 2020 as soon as SFDPH allowed. Our daughter absolutely adores the wonderful coop experience, loving the time she spends with our incredibly creative teacher, the lively kids, and the loving papas and mamas who work on each shift. The coop is only for kids between 18 and 36 months, which makes for a really focused and rich experience in terms of developmental sharing. As parents, we really relish the chance to be directly involved in our daughter's growth along with the other kids', and have truly enjoyed the experience of running the organization. (The organization is all parent run, except for the work of our great teacher!) I love that the program is a full day, from 9 to 5, and flexible in terms of how many days a week you can attend. I cannot recommend the opportunity more. I feel that we have joined a lifelong community of supportive families. I'd be very happy to chat directly to answer any questions you may have.

Our son has been at Puddle Jumpers for more than a year now and it really is a special community. He loves the teachers, the music and art enrichment opportunities and the space to run around. He has really developed socially and talks about his friends regularly. Beyond that, us parents really love the co-op community. We've made great friends and it's reassuring to bounce ideas off other parents, to see the ways they work through challenges that we're also likely to face. And working alongside the teachers, we get to learn how they approach the same challenges, fueled by decades of experience across hundreds of kids.

Our son has attended Puddle Jumpers for more than a year and we love it. The teachers are caring and thoughtful, the community is loving and engaged. We are so happy we found this place. It means the world to us that our son is in a cooperative where he is able to interact with teachers, parents and children all driven by the mission to create a safe, fun and healthy space where children can thrive. We have loved Puddle Jumpers and consider it the perfect place in our child's transition from home to preparation for preschool.

My daughter absolutely loves Puddle Jumpers Workshop and talks about the kids there all the time. She also loves the other parents and runs up to them and gives them big hugs, which just makes me so happy. The space (located in the Polish Club) is charming and huge, and there are a bunch of local parks that the kids go to twice a day. There are music classes, garden days (where they play with water and mud in the local community garden), art classes and a variety of play-based sensory activities. Today, they learned how to bake toddler-friendly granola and banana bread! The two teachers are both incredibly talented, experienced and knowledgeable about how to work with children, keep activities varied and fun, empower the kids to resolve conflicts, foster autonomy and mutual aid. The teachers are also and great at communicating with parents. We're so lucky to have them! It's a parent-run co-op (the oldest in SF), so it does require a time commitment. My husband and I both work full time, but we're fortunate enough to have some flexibility and we each work shifts at the daycare depending on who is less busy. Kids grow up so damn fast and soon my baby will be off to school, so I'm really grateful to have this time where I can see what she gets up to all day and get to know her social life. It's also enriching to be part of a community of like-minded parents with kids the same age. We can exchange ideas, experiences and support each other inside and out of the co-op. It feels very old-school San Francisco, which I love, but is also very new-school in some practical ways (we all communicate together via Slack). The daycare is only from 18 months to 3 years old and stops admitting kids at 2 years old because it is a significant time commitment to be part of the co-op, both in terms of learning the ropes, and then training other new parents as kids age-out and are replaced by new families. Drop-off is from 9 to 9:30 and pickup is at 4:30 because parents need to clean up the space. Kids usually come back from the park after cleanup at 5. So it definitely doesn't give you a full 8 hour working day on days where you're not on shift. Parents shifts are usually half days. There are also administrative jobs that you have to do as part of running the coop as well as a monthly meeting. It's a time commitment, but if you're able to swing it, it's really incredible fun.

Our daughter has been at Puddle Jumpers a few months now and we all much love it! The co-op set up is something quite unique, and means that we all feel part of a warm community of parents and kids, and get to have a fuller role in her day to day (it's not the main motivation, but it also doesn't hurt it runs around half the cost of regular daycare). The teachers and space are great and they have constantly rich, stimulating, fun and varied days. Just spending consistent time around other kids and parents has also definitely taught us some parenting tips. The flip side is that ... we have a fuller role in her day to day care! So I would say it's probably tough if there isn't at least one parent with some flexibility in their weekly schedule to accommodate that... but if that can work for you, definitely recommend checking it out

My family has been a part of Puddle Jumpers’s Workshop twice. Our son went here a couple of years ago and now our daughter attends. It is a great way to get your kid started in preschool as it is geared toward younger kids and the parents are running the school. So it’s not like you are just dropping them off somewhere. You are involved in the whole program. It’s a great thing for first time parents especially to see and learn how your child and other kids play and learn together. Also a great way to be involved in a community and meet other parents. We have met so many families through PJW! Some have become great friends. It is a time commitment but well worth it to be involved in your child’s early development and be a part of a great community.

My daughter has been at Puddle Jumpers for seven months so far and loves it. I love that I get to be involved in her first school and see her begin to engage with all the other kiddos. They have music, garden and movement classes plus they get to go to local playgrounds twice a day in the little red carts. It is a co-op, so the parents have to do a lot, but it’s worth it for us to get to be so involved and get to know the other families so well.