FAQ

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.

Every family works one shift a week, on the same day every week. The shift includes setting up the school and cleaning up afterward. The two shift options are listed on the Family Responsibilities page.

Every family also has a job. There is everything from big jobs like President or Treasurer to smaller ones 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.

We have a strong parent community and there is almost always someone who will quickly snap up your shift 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. You'll be more than covered.

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 neighborhood children and their caregivers, who enjoy our toys and activities right along with us. Many children come to the playground long before they are old enough to be part of the school, which is a good way to learn about us and for your child to become comfortable here.

To keep our children safe we have latched gates and those famous signs reminding 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 the big swings or the grassy field.

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

HACNS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We have a Board of Directors that runs the school, as well as an active parent membership. The board holds regular meetings that are open to all families, and every month we hold a parent membership meeting.

We are open Monday to Friday and follow the SFUSD school calendar. The school year runs from mid-August to early June. Current hours are listed on the Our Program page.

Yes, there is a $50 fee, paid after you submit the application form. If the fee is a barrier for your family, email us and we will waive it. No explanation needed.

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

Children can start as soon as they turn 2, whenever in the year that happens. There is no need to wait for the start of the school year. Children usually stay with us until they are ready to go on to TK or Kindergarten.

We enjoy a rich diversity at our preschool. You'll often hear many different languages spoken by families and children, you'll be exposed to 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 city. Many families live right in Cole Valley, but we also have families from all over San Francisco who attend our little school.