Preschool Program
The Stretch preschool program is for children age 2 years to 5 years 9 months. We are a half day program with all of our classes ranging between 3-4 hours/day. Children must be 2 years old by August 31st in order to be eligible to start in the fall and we do not make exceptions to this cut off. Children can stay at Stretch until they move on to Kindergarten and we do offer a TK year for older students. If your child misses the cut off and is between the ages of 18-24 months please visit the section that explains our toddler program.
When families apply to Stretch their child is placed in the appropriate program based on the child’s age. Parents do not choose the specific program but rather the Stretch administration offers enrollment based on where your child fits into our program. All of our classes are named after indigenous trees found in California. Please see all class options listed below. Also please note that these are general descriptions and individual children may fall outside of these descriptions for a variety of reasons.
Ages 2 through 3
Willow
Willow children are our youngest students here at Stretch. They have just turned two in the late spring or summer and they attend preschool 2 mornings/week on Tuesday and Thursday. Each class is 3 hours in length. The Willow children participate in Natural Classroom every other week.
Magnolia
Magnolia children typically turn three between January-April after they start school. These students attend school 3 mornings/week on Monday, Wednesday, & Friday. Each class is 3 hours in length. The Magnolia students participate in our Natural Classroom program starting in the late fall and once they are settled into their classroom here at School.
Juniper
Juniper children turn 3 years old between the summer and December. These children spend 5 days a week at Stretch. Each class is 4 hours in length and they spend one day a week in the Presidio forest starting their second week of school.
Maple
Maple children typically turn three the summer before their second year in preschool. Our Willow students move into our Maple program their second year in preschool. This class attends school 5 mornings/week for 4 hours each day. Maple students participate in our Natural Classroom starting the second week of the school year.
self-portraits at our “museum opening”
a trip to the beach
Ages 4 through 5
Cypress
Cypress children turn 4 years old by late fall or early spring. Typically our current Magnolia students move into our Cypress class their second year at Stretch. This class attends school 5 mornings/week for 4 hours each day. Cypress students participate in our Natural Classroom starting the second week of the school year.
Laurel
Laurel children typically turn 4 years old in the summer through December. Our Juniper students typically become our Laurel students their second year at Stretch. This class attends school 5 afternoons/week for 4 hours each day. Laurel students participate in our Natural Classroom starting the first week of the school year.
Oak
Oak children turn 5 years old during the year. This class attends school 5 afternoons/week for 4 hours each day. Typically our Maple students become our Oak students their third year at Stretch. Oak students participate in our Natural Classroom starting the first week of the school year.
Redwood
The Redwood class is one of our oldest programs. Redwood children turn 5 years old during the late fall or early Spring of their final year in preschool. This class attends school 5 afternoons/week for 4 hours each day. Redwood students participate in our Natural Classroom starting the first week of the school year.
Sequoia
The Sequoia class is our oldest program and these children turn 5 years old during the summer through December of their final year in preschool. Our Laurel students along with any students needing an additional TK year become our Sequoia class for their final year in preschool. This class attends school 5 afternoons/week for 4 hours each day. Sequoia students participate in our Natural Classroom starting the first week of the school year.
Stretch is a sweet and warm place. We cannot
imagine our daughter going to any other preschool.