A small, diverse, community-based preschool that provides a safe and welcoming space for children to be children. Although we are housed on a church campus, this is a non-religious program.
Join us for our upcoming Open House! Saturday, February 28 from 10:00 a.m. am to 12 noon. Stop by anytime!
We are a play-based emergent curriculum program that encourages personal autonomy and outside-the-box exploration.
Our mixed-age classroom supports peer learning and organic mentoring, helping build children’s social skills, empathy and confidence. Children are invited to choose what they will explore in either the indoor or outdoor classroom. Contact us for a tour.
Schedule & Tuition
St. Timothy’s is a year-round program, running August to July.
Monthly tuition costs for the 2026-2027 school year are:
Preschool
Early Program M-F, 8:30am – 1:00pm: $1486
Extended Day M-F, 8:30am – 5:30pm: $2595
Two Year Olds
Early Program M-F, 8:30am – 1pm: $1636
Extended Day M-F, 8:30am – 5:30pm: $2745
Scholarships and financial aid are available. Learn how to apply here. We want to make our wonderful program as accessible as possible to all families. Please don’t hesitate to reach out for more information on tuition assistance!
About Our School
Our Vision
Creating learning opportunities that are both creative and organic, we let curiosity drive the process of learning. Through intentional, play-based experiences we provide the tools for lifelong learning.
We envision and foster thriving relationships between educators, families, and students. We seek to honor individual uniqueness and help everyone reach their potential. From the relationships we build, we create a community of respect, kindness, and the desire for mutual growth.
Our play areas include the classroom spaces, plus the outside playground adjacent to these classrooms. Our garden area is fenced in with large planter beds for children to explore, maintain, and harvest.
Inclusion and Values
St. Timothy’s Preschool is open to families from all faiths, nationalities, and backgrounds. Acknowledging, celebrating, and respecting every family, we consider diversity and cultural awareness to be crucial in fostering empathy, open-mindedness, and helping all students feel more safe and confident.
We embrace and model values, such as kindness, generosity, good deeds, compassion, respect for others, and care for the creatures and world around us.
Each Child is Unique
We recognize that each young child has their own special ways of learning. Each child is a unique person with an individual pattern and timing for growth and development. The love of learning is best accomplished through active exploration, experience, and interaction. Our many activities provide endless possibilities for creativity and discovery. We strive to enhance each child’s natural curiosity and love of learning. Our programs provide opportunities for each child to joyfully master tasks that are appropriate to their individual level of development.
Professional Staff
The professional staff encourage exploration and individual growth in a well- equipped environment that is stimulating, safe, consistent, and nurturing. St. Timothy’s Preschool faculty is made up of teachers who have education and experience in the field of Early Childhood. Each of our teachers is certified in Early Childhood Education (ECE) by meeting or exceeding California State ECE requirements. All teachers participate in ongoing professional development and continuing education courses. Our faculty is sensitive to the needs of children and families and committed to quality education rooted in developmentally appropriate practices.
Helping Families Grow Together
We are committed to working closely with parents toward the welfare of the whole family. Parents are invited to visit the school, both before enrolling their child and during the child’s time at school. The Director and teachers communicate with parents regularly, and are available as resources to talk through any challenges families are facing, whether at school or at home.
History
The Preschool was established at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in 1961. Since that time, hundreds of young children have passed through our doors as an entry point to their educational journey. It has gone through many iterations, growing from a parents-day-out program to a science-focused curriculum, to the play-based and child-led philosophy we now embrace. There is no underestimating the impact of a solid early educational experience. The early childhood educational environment has an enormous impact on linguistic, conceptual, and social growth.
We are proud to have a beautiful classroom and professional teachers to care for and educate your children. We are also fortunate to have parents actively involved in school. We hope your whole family will enjoy the experience at St. Timothy’s Preschool and make lasting friendships.
Reviews
St. Tim’s is a small (non-religious, play based) MAGICAL preschool and a true hidden gem in the Cuesta Park neighborhood. A stellar child-to-teacher ratio (the place we were coming from – a corporate daycare – had fewer teachers and twice as many students per class!), with truly loving and supportive staff. Looking at the daily (extensive) footage of the happenings of each day is a highlight for our family each night – and really gives me a sense of what my kiddo’s day was like. I’m always charmed by how much fun it looks like all the kids are having as well as the thoughtfully curated weekly books and activities. All the teachers are so kind and caring.
I appreciate the school’s conscientiousness regarding student health protocol (e.g., immediate notification if a student has a communicable illness, reasonable Covid measures). My child adores going to school each morning and drop off is a breeze. For anyone looking for an incredible play-based preschool, I definitely recommend (what my preschooler calls) “St. Tim Tim Timmy’s”!
—Yale L. (2024)
This is such a wonderful “hidden gem” preschool. Play-based curriculum with a very low teacher-to-student ratio, an extremely loving staff, and an engaged parent community. They have recently expanded their hours and are offering a full-day program starting in fall 2023. Highly recommended! (Note: the preschool is affiliated with the attached church, but it is not a religious school.)
—Vance W. (2023)
If you are reading this review, I am so excited for you because you are exploring a very special preschool! We have researched many preschools since moving to the Bay Area 6 years ago and we have found the best preschools to be ones that don’t have lots of students or big name recognition. St. Timothy’s Preschool is perfect for our youngest child for so many reasons – there is a consistent group of mixed age kids (2.9 – 5.11 years old) that attend every day (Monday-Friday) so the kids form relationships with each other and look out for each other, the school environment is spacious and includes two classrooms and a large outdoor space with a play structure and lots of materials for the kids to explore plus an adjacent garden, and the teachers are incredibly nurturing and have a tremendous respect for children and knowledge of child development and are committed to honoring each child and following his/her lead.
Our child is 3 and he absolutely loves going to school and he relishes reviewing the photos and videos shared with the parents by the school director each day. He is allowed to observe and dip his toe into various activities at his own pace and he has explored just about everything over the past few weeks. The St. Timothy’s Preschool community is warm and welcoming to all children and families and it is a place where children thrive. Consistent with their child-respecting philosophy, there is no pressure to potty train before readiness so kids who are of age but still in diapers or pull-ups are accepted equally. Please meet the director, and take a tour of the school. You will not regret it! Being part of the St. Timothy’s Preschool community has even made me a better, more responsive parent from observing how the teachers interact with the children at school.
—Heather O. (2022)
Both my children have attended St Tim’s, one is there currently, and their experiences have been absolutely wonderful. The staff are dedicated, thoughtful and kind. I feel grateful every day I drop my daughter off because I know she will be nurtured and cared for in a way that is invaluable. She looks forward to school every day. This is truly a special place and the school director goes above and beyond to make early childhood education at St Tim’s the absolute best.
—Anna W. (2021)
Our daughter has been attending St.Tim’s preschool. We are very happy here. The school is small (great for covid!), with teachers dedicated to a child-focused development & education model. We particularly enjoy reviewing pictures and videos at the end of the day, which show lots of laughter, friends and learning.
—Fern J. (2021)
If I had to dream up a perfect preschool for my children it would be St. Timothy’s. This school is completely secular. The director and teachers are highly skilled, caring, and know so much about child development. I’ve learned so much about my son through them this year. Their conference notes were incredible! I feel like they know my son better than I do in some ways.
Every student/family that is there currently loves this school because the teachers make it about the kids. They have a gentle way of encouraging each child to develop their true self, and my son’s confidence in social situations has greatly improved. It is a wonderful student to teacher ratio with only 12 children! Also, the mixed age environment is very natural and appropriate for the children. They all seem to enjoy learning and teaching opportunities.
If you are looking for a creative, modern curriculum where children are allowed to be children, this is a school for you. Students are encouraged to explore their interests. The director is an extremely hard worker and arranges an evolving environment that encourages innovation and learning through play. I have been an elementary school teacher for years, and I wish that all elementary schools embraced the style of this preschool. There are no major behavioral problems because of the way students are engaged and allowed to explore, collaborate, and be themselves. The teachers are so good at working with them in a constructive manner, and the students truly love each other and their teachers.
—Andrea P. (2021)
I’ve never encountered a more loving, joyful, and nurturing preschool than St. Tim’s. We joined in Fall 2020 because our almost-5-year-old son’s previous childcare never reopened after closing for COVID. St. Tim’s has been a wonderful experience and our son has grown so much just in the past six months. I am especially impressed with the director, who keeps everything running efficiently with great compassion and remarkably open communication. The teachers are also lovely and kind, and my son likes all of them.
St. Tim’s is a play-based school with an enticing variety of activities that vary from day to day. They do a lot of open-ended building and arts and crafts. They also play and work in the school garden, listen to and act out stories, explore musical instruments, and do many sensory activities such as play-dough and sandboxes. Academics are not pushed, but kids who are interested have ample opportunity to build their reading, writing, and math skills (my son’s skills have definitely improved in the few months that he’s been there). The teachers also pay close attention to gently nurturing social skills, and they have been able to report on my son’s progress in initiating group play, resolving conflicts, and so on. I can’t recommend St. Tim’s highly enough.
—Amber K. (2021)
Frequently Asked Questions
General
Age Requirements
Potty Training
Napping
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Teachers clean and sanitize our classroom and materials at the end of each day and have completed Integrated Germ Management training to do so safely and effectively. A professional cleaning crew also arrives each day after we close to clean bathrooms, carpets and floors.
Drop-Off and Pick-Up Routines
We ask that parents do drop-off and pick-up outside the classroom at our sign-in station, as opposed to entering the classroom. We’ve seen an increase in children having an successful transition into the classroom each morning using this approach.
Parent Calendar for the 2025-2026 School Year
2025:
Aug. 9 (Sat): Ice Cream Social-11:00 to 1:00
Aug. 4-8 (Mon-Fri): Staff Development
Aug. 11 (Mon): FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Sep. 1 (Mon): No School/ Labor Day
Sep. 15 (Mon): Back to School Night 6-7:30pm
Oct. 10 (Fri): No School/ In Service Day
Oct. 31 (Fri): Annual Trick or Treat event
Nov. 11 (Tues): No School/ Veterans
Nov. 21 (Fri): International Feast
Nov. 24-28 (Mon-Fri): No School/Holiday Break
Dec. 19 (Fri): Holiday sing along (5:00 to 6:00)
Dec. 22-31 (Mon-Wed): No School/ Holiday Break
2026:
Jan. 1-2 (Thurs-Fri): No School/ Holiday Break
Jan. 5 (Mon): Students Back to School
Jan. 19 (Mon): No School/ MLK Day
Feb. 16 (Mon): No School/ Presidents Days
March 20 (Fri): No school/In Service Day
Mar. 30-April 3 (Mon-Fri): Parent/TeacherConferences – School is open
Apr. 6-10 (Mon-Fri): No School/ Spring Recess
May 8 (Fri): Spring Art Reception and Sing
May 25 (Mon): No School/ Memorial Day
June 5 (Fri): Circle of friends ceremony/Last day of spring session
June 19 (Fri): No school/Juneteenth
July 3 (Fri): No school/Holiday
July 6 (Mon): No school/In Service Day
July 31 (Fri): Last day of summer
Scholarships & Financial Aid
We recognize that affording tuition at a private, small-class size, preschool can be difficult. St. Timothy’s values diversity and inclusion, and we hope to make our Preschool accessible to families from a wide range of economic circumstances. As such, we are reaching to offer more financial aid scholarships, as funding is available.
If the cost of full tuition presents an obstacle, we encourage you to apply for a scholarship. We would love to have your student as part of our community!
St. Timothy’s Preschool reviews data submitted by families to School and Student Services (SSS) to evaluate requests and to offer scholarships based on financial circumstances. A number of factors are taken into consideration in the allocation of funds, including, but not limited to, family size, income and assets, total tuition and childcare costs, cost of living and other extraordinary circumstances. Your application will be kept confidential and in no way impacts admission decisions.
To apply, please go to the SSS website here. St. Timothy’s school code is 201211.
On the SSS website, complete the Parent Financial Statement (PFS) online and upload the required documents. SSS charges a fee of $60 per household (for any number of children, any number of schools) — the system automatically calculates a waiver for those who qualify.
Applications are currently being accepted on a rolling basis.
If you would like to contribute to our Scholarship Fund to help us make the Preschool accessible to more families, please be in touch with our Rector, the Rev. Nikky Wood: nikky@sttims.org.
