Our School
In the Heart of Cole Valley
Co-op Director
Michele Menard
We are extremely excited to introduce Michele Menard as our director for 2026-2027. Michele comes from Puddle Jumpers, where she recently earned Best Co-op Director in 2023.
Michele is an interdisciplinary working and teaching artist with over 25 years of experience as a child educator. She has worked throughout the Bay Area teaching mime, clowning, improv, visual arts and crafts, puppetry, creative writing, and directing theater. Other programs she has worked in include American Conservatory Youth Conservatory, New Conservatory Theater, Park and Rec, the Richmond District Neighborhood Center, and SF School House. She displays her visual art locally and often creates all-ages clown and puppet shows while participating in collaborative theatre groups in the city. She completed a Graduate Puppetry program at UConn in 2023, and received recognition from the California Council of Parent Participation Schools for excellence in directorial leadership in 2023.
Community is a core value for Michele. That is why she is drawn to cooperative environments and has spent the past 16 years working within them. For over 16 years she led the co-op Puddle Jumpers Workshop, helping build a thriving community. That work later extended to Monkey Bird, another co-op school serving children ages 3 to 5. She remains connected with many families from each program.
Michele's creativity aligns well with Reggio Emilia's play-based learning. In her classroom she nurtures a living community where children, families, and teachers learn together. Curiosity keeps her engaged as both educator and individual, and she is a lifelong learner who loves fostering children's wonder.
Michele loves the outdoors. She is an avid camper and hiker, a certified yoga teacher, and is studying to become an Accessible Yoga instructor. She enjoys gardening, making art, cooking, spending time with friends and community, and exploring the Bay Area's cultural arts. She is thrilled to transition into her new role, and aims to support the school in cultivating the next generation of creative, compassionate, and resilient thinkers.
What families say about Michele
Michele is a child whisperer. She is such a special and gentle soul, and she is the heart of the school. Under her loving guidance, the children become creative explorers of their world. She teaches them to appreciate people from all walks of life, to respect flowers and wildlife, to expand their minds through art, dance parties, and pretend play, and to notice the beauty in our urban environment. She meets them on their level, exactly where they are, every day.
Erin D.San Francisco, CA I cannot say enough good things about Teacher Michele. She is incredible at her job and all the kids simply adore her.
Lindsay A.San Francisco, CA Teacher Michele is beyond amazing. She puts so much thought and love into how she cares for and teaches each child. She is an artist, child development expert, decades-long preschool teacher, and a person full of play, creativity, and wonder.
Anastasia H.Berkeley, CA
Our Story
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 then, none were in the Haight or Cole Valley neighborhoods.
With the help of Dianne 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 an atmosphere in which every child is validated, respected, and loved. Cocoa Drake took over for Naomi in 1986 and is retiring after running this program for 40 years. We are excited to welcome Michele Menard, who takes over as director for the 2026-2027 school year.
Our Philosophy
Children are innately curious. They want to touch, smell, taste, see, and listen to everything. They want to talk, they want to imitate, they want to explore. And the more they learn, the more they want to know. Because young children are so open to environmental influences, it is essential to encourage this exploration so that they become active, rather than passive, learners.
At Haight Ashbury Community Nursery School, children are free to choose from a variety of creative projects indoors, or they may play outdoors riding, climbing, digging, picking, splashing, and swinging. We believe that child-directed play, supported by a variety of interesting materials and obliging teachers, best fulfills the preschool-age child's developmental requirements: mental, emotional, physical, and social.
We are also committed to diversity, which encourages learning. From snacks to songs, projects to stories, our children learn about their world from member families with wildly different cultural backgrounds and common goals throughout the day.
