Earned the highest management score in San Francisco. This dimension reflects director responsiveness, communication, operational consistency, and the overall tone families experience from leadership.
Full Ranking Detail
childcarepreschoolnaturearts
Wind in the Willows at 713 Monterey Blvd in San Francisco's Bernal/Glen Park neighborhood is a deeply established, play-based preschool serving children ages 2.5 to 5, operating as a community non-profit since the mid-1970s with over 50 years of community trust. Parents consistently rate the program highly on Yelp (5 stars across 27 reviews), praising its intentionally small design with a 1:6 teacher-to-student ratio, strong bonds, and attentive care that emphasizes creative expression, outdoor exploration, music, and unstructured play. The center maintains a strong compliance record with only one Type B citation across recent inspections and is a nut-free facility. The program is part-day only (8:30 AM–5:00 PM), does not serve infants or toddlers, and with a capacity of just 22 children, waitlists are likely; private tuition ranges from $975–$1,872 per month with no subsidized care listed.
Safety5.0
Curriculum7.0
Art / Music7.0
Infant care4.0
Kindergarten readiness5.0
Teacher quality7.0
Compassion7.0
Management7.0
Culture7.0
Extracurriculars6.0
Programs & curriculum
Curriculum & approach: Play-based learning approach where children learn through hands-on activities like building, painting, and exploring. The curriculum develops social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills through creative expression, outdoor exploration, music, movement, and unstructured play.
Programs & activities: Programs include creative expression, outdoor exploration, music and movement, pre-reading and pre-math activities, and unstructured play. Extended care available until 5:00 PM, summer camp in June, and parents are invited to participate in story time and art projects.
What sets it apart: Small class sizes with 1:6 teacher-to-student ratio; nut-free facility; operating since 1973 as a community non-profit with accessible tuition. Serves ages 2.5 to 5 with preschool (2-5 days/week, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM) and Transitional Kindergarten (Mon-Fri until 1:00 PM, ten children or fewer); rolling admissions year-round.
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
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Best Management
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<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Management</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest management score in San Francisco. This dimension reflects director responsiveness, communication, operational consistency, and the overall tone families experience from leadership.</span>
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This recognition is awarded independently by Creative Minds Montessori based on publicly available parent reviews and public records. Centers do not pay for or request these rankings. Scores reflect editorial synthesis of verified parent experience — not center marketing materials. Rankings are updated periodically as new reviews are analyzed.
