About Us

Lakeside Presbyterian Center for Children is a beloved neighborhood preschool in San Francisco. Since 1961, generations of native San Franciscans have attended and sent their children to Lakeside for their first years of school. Our school community consists of dedicated staff, involved parents, and a caring church – all of whom work together to support our nurturing learning environments. The school offers a transitional kindergarten class, a pre-k class, two preschool classes, enrichment programs, and summer camps.  In 2020, Lakeside was awarded the Best of the Best Gold Medal for the Best Preschool or Childcare Center in San Francisco.

At Lakeside, our school culture is safe, nurturing, and fun in every way for our children, families, and teachers. There is a hum of learning, an openness to individual differences, and mutual respect between children, teachers, and their corresponding peers in all facets throughout the center. We engage in play and exploration and value individual interests.  We create an engaging and caring atmosphere that addresses the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual needs of the whole child. We are lifelong learners and are motivated to apply the latest developmentally appropriate practices. We encourage our families to partner with us in this learning.

At Lakeside, just as we address the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual needs of the whole child, we recognize and value the whole identity of the child.   We believe each child, family member, and staff are deserving of respect. We welcome families and staff of different races, religions, nationalities, family arrangements, sexual orientations, genders, ages, income levels, and children with special abilities or needs or who learn differently. We strive to build an inclusive community in which our children can celebrate the diversity among human beings so that they will not perceive differences as barriers to friendship.

Diversity is central to the mission of Lakeside. As educators, we have seen firsthand the ways in which a diverse classroom environment enriches education and social development. At Lakeside, we are committed to making sure every child, family, and staff feels the sense of welcome and joy in our community. We believe that this philosophy is not only the proper way to treat families, but it also helps nurture the hearts, minds, and bodies of our students.

Diversity is reflected in our environments through classroom celebrations, books, photographs, toys, and materials that celebrate different communities.  We welcome all of our families to share their family traditions.  We know with diversity, we can always do better and we strive to do so.

From time to time, Lakeside brings in early childhood education specialists to support our teaching practice. These specialists include speech therapists, behavior specialists and occupational therapists. Enrollment at Lakeside means that your child will be observed within the classroom and school environment by these trained and accredited educators. Observations and recommendations will be shared with parents if they directly benefit the child(ren)’s growth.

The Parent Volunteer Organization (PVO) works hand-in-hand with our exceptional educators to provide children with the most rewarding preschool experience possible. Through the PVO, parents participate in all aspects of the school, from spending time in the children’s classrooms to participating in enrichment activities and fundraisers. In addition to providing a warm, welcoming environment for children, the PVO focuses on building a strong community benefiting the entire family.

Lakeside Presbyterian Church embraces the Children Center as one of its most important ministries. As such, the center’s governing body, The Children’s Center Committee is comprised of staff, parents, and church members. The committee meets monthly and oversees the budget as well as other governance issues. Committee activities are reported to the church as well as to the PVO.  Additionally, the pastoral staff of Lakeside Church offers personal or family counseling to all of the families of Lakeside Children’s Center.

For 60 years, Lakeside Presbyterian Center for Children has been educating young children and serving families in San Francisco. Our school is made up of teachers of many different backgrounds, including some who have served as long as 30 years, as well as others staff who were former students at Lakeside.  Just as play, exploration, and fun are important for our students, we encourage and invite our staff to model this in the classrooms and in their own professional development.  At Lakeside, the staff is considered extended family, and we strive to take care of one another.  We are committed to working and growing together.

If you are passionate about working with young children and families, we want you on our team.  Please complete an online application and we’ll be in touch soon. Please click here to view the online application.

We offer a family-friendly workplace plus a comprehensive health and benefits package for full-time employees that includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 403(B) retirement plan with up to 3% match
• Paid sick leave
• 10 paid holidays
• 2 weeks paid vacation
• Ongoing training and professional development for all staff
• Tuition reimbursement
• Discounted tuition for children of employees