Our History, and Our Director
The Haight Ashbury Community Nursery School was founded in 1974 by a group of parents who were looking to establish a child-centered, parent-run school for their young children. While other community nursery schools existed in San Francisco at the time, none were in the Haight/Cole Valley neighborhoods.
With the help of Diane Feinstein (then City Supervisor) these active parents were able to secure Grattan Playground as the location for the new school. They obtained the required licensing materials and a lease for the site through the City's Recreation and Parks Department. Naomi White, a professional in early childhood education, was hired as our first director and school officially began on March 4, 1974.
Naomi worked as director for 12 years. During that time, she established the nuts and bolts of our routine and created its atmosphere-one in which every child is validated, respected, and loved. Cocoa Drake, our current director, took over for Naomi in 1986. Cocoa was a parent member in the early 1980s, and is also an early childhood education professional. Cocoa is the lifeblood of HACNS, and it is under her supervision that our children continue to grow and thrive.
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HACNS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our generous donors contribute a large part of the yearly operating budget. Please consider a fully tax deductible contribution to help the HACNS. Please buy Amazon items through our eStore program. All purchases will earn us 4% to 15% . |
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Money we raise allows us to: · Offer scholarships · Purchase supplies and equipment · Maintain the Grattan Playground |
Shopping with these online merchants also benifits us.
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