Frequently Asked Questions

1. How often are spaces available at the centers?
2. Does my child have to be potty-trained to attend?
3. When can I put my child on the waiting list?
4. Are students given priority? Can I apply if I don't work at UCSF?
5. Do you teach the children?
6. Are you a lab school?

1. How often are spaces available at the centers? Though we have long waiting lists for the infants and younger children, we often have openings for children ages three-and-a-half through five years. We may also have part-time openings on particular weekdays.
2. Does my child have to be potty-trained to attend? No, we are fully equipped to change diapers and assist in toilet training.
3. When can I put my child on the waiting list? For the Laurel Heights location, you can be placed on the waiting list during pregnancy. For the Parnassus Campus location, children 18 months and older may be placed on the waiting list.
4. Are students given priority? Can I apply if I don't work at UCSF? Students, faculty, and staff are drawn from the same waiting list. Families from the general community are called only after the UC lists are exhausted.
5. Do you teach the children? We feel preschool is a time for children to learn through playing and exploring and that social skills are the most important lessons. Letters and numbers are integrated into children's activities, but these skills do not receive special emphasis.
6. Are you a lab school? No. Occasionally, students and faculty will observe the children in their environment but this does not occur on a daily basis. Observation is conducted in an unobtrusive manner. The welfare and comfort of the children is always our top priority. In addition, we periodically host on-site research that must first pass rigorous protocols and receive parental consent before it is conducted.