What is cooperative education? 

Cooperative Education refers to a school organized and run by a parent body. At HACNS all the jobs at the school are fulfilled by parents. 

What are parents required to do? 

Every family is required to work 1 work shift a week. Working day parents arrive at 8:45 am to set up the school and finish up around 1:15 pm, after clean up. Your work day will be the same day of the week, every week. Once a month, you'll be responsible for bringing snacks for the children and working parents, as well as doing a project once a month with the children. Projects are fun and easy and there are always lots of supplies to help you in our crafts storage area.

​In addition, every family at our school has a job. There is everything from big jobs like President or Treasurer to smaller jobs like doing the laundry or keeping everyone on track during maintenance days. Maintenance Days are every couple of months, on the weekend, when we all come together to keep our school functional and safe. 

What happens if I can't make my workday? 

We have a strong parent community and there is almost always someone who will quickly snap up your work day if you have an appointment or a sick child at home. If you can't find anyone directly through our online group, we also maintain a list of alumni families who are happy to help out. Don't worry, you'll be more than covered. 

Your location is at a playground, how does that work? 

HACNS has a long-term lease with San Francisco Rec and Park for the Grattan Clubhouse and Playground. During school hours we open our doors to the neighborhood children and their caregivers who enjoy our toys and fun activities right along with us. Many children attend the playground fun long before they are old enough to be a part of the school, which is a great way to learn about the school and have your child become comfortable staying when they get close to being 2 years old. 

​To keep our children safe, we have latched gates and those famous signs to remind friends to shut the gates as they go in and out. We also have systems in place for when we use the upper tennis court area or go down to the lower yard for time on the big swings or onto the grassy field. 

​Our playground is so well-loved, it even has a fan club! The Friends of the Grattan Playground are doing some great work to help renovate and innovate a future playground space. 

How is your school run? 

HACNS is a 501c3 non profit organization. As such, we have a Board of Directors that runs our school, as well as an active parent membership. The board holds regular meetings that are open to all families. Every month, we also have a parent membership meeting. We meet at a family's house and discuss topics about running the school, hear a report from our director, and share yummy food and drinks together. Our monthly meetings are a great way to stay connected to all the families and build community. 

What are the hours of school? 

We are open Monday - Friday, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, and we follow the SFUSD school calendar. The school year runs from mid-August to early June.

NOTE: For the upcoming school year (‘26-’27), we will be extending hours and offering a full-day option! While hours are not finalized yet, it will look something like this. Please reach out to us when you apply and let us know your preferred hours. We will try to accommodate your schedule!

Half day: 8:30 am to 12 noon. Full day: 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Aftercare nanny share: 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm.

How early do I need to apply? 

Apply at any time! We have openings throughout the year.

What age do children attend your school? 

Children must be 2 years old at the start of school (mid-August) to begin the school year with us. Children usually attend HACNS until they are ready to go on to TK or Kindergarten at age 4 or 5. 

NOTE: While this age range is the current requirement for this school year, we are also considering extending the program to accommodate younger-aged children for next year. Please don’t hesitate to apply if your child is a bit younger!

What about diversity? 

We enjoy a rich diversity at our preschool. Often you'll hear many different languages spoken by families and children, you'll be exposed to important cultural activities and foods from your community members and you'll often hear the mantra, "Everyone is a friend at our school." Our school represents a wide variety of San Francisco families and the demographics change along with the changes in the city. Many families live right in Cole Valley, but we also have families from all over San Francisco who attend our little school.