Wind in the Willows was founded in 1973 in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood, in a small storefront on the corner of Church and Cesar Chavez streets. For 27 years, it was a fixture of the neighborhood. Children paraded down Church Street on Halloween, stopping at the fire station, the flower shop, and every merchant with a bowl of candy. Families knew each other. Parents became advocates. The school became a second home.
In 2000, rising rents forced Wind in the Willows out of Noe Valley. Rather than close, the community came together. Grandparents, parents, and alumni raised funds and renovated an old building on Monterey Boulevard in the Sunnyside neighborhood, turning it into a permanent home the school would own outright. Most of the school’s families made the move.
More than 50 years later, Wind in the Willows is still here. Still small. Still community-owned. Still the kind of place where teachers know every child by name and families stay connected long after graduation.
Our Philosophy
We believe young children learn best when they are doing, not sitting. Our play-based curriculum is built around exploration, creativity, and the kind of hands-on experiences that develop real skills: problem solving, empathy, cooperation, and confidence.
That does not mean we leave learning to chance. Our teachers design each day with intention, weaving early literacy, pre-math, science, art, and music into activities children actually want to do. The difference is that children lead the way. They choose, they experiment, they ask questions, and they figure things out, with teachers right beside them to guide, encourage, and challenge.
We follow a developmentally appropriate approach, which means we meet every child where they are. A two-year-old exploring paint for the first time and a five-year-old sounding out letters are both doing exactly what they should be doing. Our job is to make sure the environment supports both.
