When we, the Potrero Residents Education Fund (PREFund), first envisioned our first program, Potrero Kids at Daniel Webster (PKDW), we imagined not only a respected preschool providing the highest quality care and learning environment for children, but also a neighborhood hub, where families could make new friends, find a supportive community and bring new vitality to the campus of Daniel Webster Elementary School (DW). We believe vibrant, local schools are essential for building and maintaining diverse, stable communities with deep roots.
PKDW was established in 2008 through the joint efforts of PREFund and Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. (MNC). As part of its long-term plan to help revitalize DW, PREFund proposed creating a preschool onsite to both inspire community involvement at DW and increase preschool availability in an underserved area. MNC, with its 40 year commitment to serving San Francisco and extensive experience operating nine other city preschools, was the ideal launch partner to get our community school up and running. PREFund holds a five year lease with a five year option to renew from the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) to operate PKDW. As of July 2009, PREFund is the sole operator of PKDW.
PREFund secured funding to build PKDW from the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), the Eastern Neighborhoods Public Benefit Fund (ENPBF) and The San Francisco Foundation (TSFF), in addition to private donors.
"Rebecca has been Head of School since 2019 after being a PK parent since 2016. Educator by day, obsessive chocolate-eater by night."
"Mari joined Potrero Kids in 2017 as the Admissions Coordinator and later got promoted to Admissions Manager in early 2019. When not working you can find her on family outdoor adventures."
"Beatriz was born in Mexico and has been working at Potrero Kids since 2009. She loves to travel to other countries and knows about their history and culture. She also loves to eat meat."
"Dracy joined Potrero Kids in 2019 as the Site Supervisor of our PK3 location. Her personal philosophy is "if you are not having fun you are not learning"!"
"Erica is from Berkeley and has been working at Potrero Kids since April 2021. She enjoys drawing, traveling, and hanging out with her adorable dogs."
We are proud to have teachers who stay with us at Potrero Kids for many years! More than half of our teachers have been with us for more than 3 years, and more than a quarter of them have been here for 5 years and more. In 2022 we celebrated four teachers reaching their 10 year anniversaries at Potrero Kids, a testament to the strength of our community and our belief that if we treat our teachers with the same care that we hope they'll provide to our children, they will love working here!
