The Little School

The Little School offers a Traditional Track for children who are two years old by September 1st, a 5-Day Track for children who are two years old by September 1st, a 3-day-a-week cohort for children in their second year at The Little School, 4-5 year old programs, Transitional Kindergarten (TK), and a seven-week summer program. Care is available from 8am-5:30pm for all programs, and the school year begins after Labor Day and ends typically in early June.

Programs

• Traditional Track — Children who are two years old by September 1st · Tuesdays and Thursdays
• 5-Day Track — Children who are two years old by September 1st · Monday-Friday
• 3-day-a-week cohort — Second year at The Little School · Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
• 4-5 year old programs — 4-5 years old · Monday-Friday
• Transitional Kindergarten (TK) — Children who have completed preschool and are ready for a challenging and engaging curriculum before beginning elementary school
• Summer program — Seven-week summer program

At a glance

• Ages: 2–5 years old
• General schedule: Regular school year begins after Labor Day and ends typically in early June. Closed for two weeks in December, one week in February, one week in April, and for the month of August.

About the provider

The Little School was founded in 1984 by Leslie Roffman and Tim Treadway. Its mission is to be a relationship-based, inclusive preschool in San Francisco, with core pillars of high quality early childhood education, inclusion, and diversity. Kaile Thomas is the Executive Director. Parents can volunteer, and the school offers parent education evenings, joint parent-staff explorations, and forums for parents.

Children must be two years old by September 1st to begin. The school accepts children with special needs/medical needs/severe dietary restrictions. Toilet training is not required. Children move through their time at the school as a cohort. New children join existing cohorts at all age levels.

Last updated October 14, 2026.