TelHi Co-op

TelHi Co-op offers play and play-based educational activities, including Storytime and a fun craft. Children take part in projects that encourage problem solving, along with activities that assist their optimal sensory and physical development.

• Ages: 2–5 years old
• Schedule: Swing Into Stories every third Tuesday, 9:30–11am

TelHi Co-op is a parent participation preschool to TK for children ages two to five years old. It is a community-based school owned and run by the families of attending children, where parents work in the classroom once every week as support staff for trained professional teachers. Parents also handle administrative, maintenance, and fundraising duties to keep costs below those of a regular preschool. The school uses low adult-to-child ratios and small class sizes, and it operates as a nonprofit, non-sectarian, democratic organization.

The mission of TelHi Co-op is to develop creative kids with the skills to succeed in kindergarten and beyond, with an emphasis on projects that encourage problem solving and activities that assist optimal sensory and physical development during rapid brain growth. The program creates a nurturing and fun environment for children to gain self-confidence and respect for others through play, and it educates parents on child development while demonstrating positive and respectful techniques for working with children. Children feel their family's support and learn by participating in play-based educational activities, and the co-op model allows parents to learn about child development and gain parenting skills.

TelHi Co-op values the diversity of the community and encourages families to share their individual cultures. The school welcomes all families, including children and families with varied abilities and disabilities and medical conditions, and who are English-speaking and non-English speaking. Inclusion is a top priority for the school, with measures such as translating workday tags for working parents, working with speech therapists or developmental psychologists, having parents bring in projects to celebrate a holiday, and keeping classroom books and toys as diverse as the membership. TelHi Co-op does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, special needs, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

TelHi Co-op has been in operation since 1954 and has been located at Helen Wills Playground in Russian Hill since 2017, after operating for many years out of the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center on Chestnut Street. Staff, children, and families are all part of a supportive community, and co-op preschools benefit the greater community by building strong, connected communities and allowing more families to give their children an early education because it is more affordable. TelHi Co-op is part of the California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools and is supervised by the Department of Social Services Childcare Licensing.

The school director and teacher, Ellen Turpin, earned her BA in English with a minor in Education, specializing in Early Childhood Development. Ellen believes in play-based, child-led learning and the co-op model’s ability to foster connection, and she recently authored her first children’s book. TelHi Co-op hosts Swing Into Stories every third Tuesday with the SFPL Bookmobile, and the program has limited openings and is accepting applications for the 2025–2026 school year.

Last updated March 7, 2026.