Little Bee Preschool offers a year-round Mandarin Immersion or English language program for children ages 18 months to 5 years. Through a unique blend of Reggio-Emilia, Montessori, project-based and play-based learning, children are encouraged to make discoveries through curiosity, experimentation, and free play.
We are raising global citizens through our inclusive curriculum, local community presence, nature outings, and rich cultural heritage of our school community. Our beautiful locations are situated inside and next to Park Presidio to provide nature-based, child-centered early, childhood education.
We are raising global citizens through our inclusive curriculum, local community presence, nature outings, and rich cultural heritage of our school community. Our beautiful locations are situated inside and next to Park Presidio to provide nature-based, child-centered early, childhood education.
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Little Bee has two campuses located INSIDE and NEXT TO Park Presidio. Both sites host daily outings to explore nature, breathe fresh air, and learn through natural curiosity! So many learning opportunities await us in both in nature and in the classroom! Little Bee was established in 2010 to instill a love for learning in young children.
Little Bee Preschool offers a year-round Mandarin Immersion or English language program for children ages 18 months to 5 years. Our nature-based curriculum is a unique blend of Reggio-Emilia and Montessori. Presidio Park is just a few steps away from our school, and we use the natural landscape as our classroom during the daily outing.
Little Bee is a bilingual English-Mandarin Immersion preschool with Chinese and English classrooms in both our Presidio and Lombard locations. Children will learn to speak Mandarin and learn Simplified Chinese Characters. In our Chinese program, children are surrounded by Chinese in a Mandarin rich environment where they learn through stories, poetry, music, and cultural activities.
Enroll your child with Little Bee Daycare and Preschool by completing this online admissions form. Little Bee Preschool offers two year-round Mandarin Immersion or English language programs. Our director will review your application and contact you to confirm program details and availability for your child, schedule a virtual tour, and a 1-hour drop-off assessment playdate.
Please label your child's name on all his/her belongings, especially their coats and jackets. Please check your child's bags to make sure there is one extra set of clothing (tops, pants, underwear, and socks) for changing. Please take your child's nap mat home weekly on his/her last day of school (Thursday/Friday) for laundry and bring it back to school on her first day of school (Monday/Tuesday).
Reviews (19)
Adi P.
Aug 03, 2021
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We had a wonderful experience at Little Bee in the Presidio. My child attended there for a year, 1.5-2.5 years old and I highly recommend this preschool. I loved that the kids got to spend time in nature every day, exploring the wonderful Presidio national park. I was lucky enough to visit the facility in person (before they opened), and it looks amazing! No big mess of broken toys and old games (which I have seen in other places), it was all beautiful, new, and well organized. I felt confident and safe to send my child there - I felt she was treated with love and patience. Her needs were well
Jamie W.
Jul 30, 2021
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Little Bee has been an amazing experience for our two boys! After a 6 month hiatus from in person schooling due to the pandemic, we enrolled our 2 and 4 year old into Little Bee. Little Bee helped them regain their confidence and encouraged them to further improve their social skills. We especially love that Little Bee spends most of the mornings outside exploring the Presidio vs. the standard 30 mins/day of outdoor time that most preschools offer. Sarra and Carmen are both wonderful directors and are incredibly easy to communicate with. They've recently worked well with us in regards
Yan K.
Jul 24, 2021
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We've been happy and grateful for our experience with Little Bee. This was our daughter's first experience with daycare (she was there at 2.5 years old) after a year of being cooped up mostly indoors. Even though we live a 25 min drive away, we thought it was absolutely worth it to shepherd our daughter there every day with the commute.
A few specific comments:
1) We are at the Lombard location. The teachers are very kind, particularly when our daughter took a few days to get used to the daycare. Carmen sent us photos and info on how she was settling in. I still ask the teachers once
A few specific comments:
1) We are at the Lombard location. The teachers are very kind, particularly when our daughter took a few days to get used to the daycare. Carmen sent us photos and info on how she was settling in. I still ask the teachers once
Marisa B.
Jan 05, 2021
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Our 22-month old toddler is enjoying his time at Little Bee Presidio. Little Bee made the transition to daycare easy for both my child and us (the parents). The communication has been great from the start - with speedy responses when I had questions and detailed information to get us prepared for our child's first day. Also, in the current environment with COVID, the Little Bee team provided a thoughtful and thorough process to ensure safety and cleanliness every day at every hour. I really appreciate how proactive they have been in these uncertain times!
The two other wonderful things
The two other wonderful things
David H.
Dec 17, 2020
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Little Bee was a sensational school for our family. Both of our daughters attended for several years, and we were incredibly happy. The teachers are excellent - caring, safe, attentive. They do a great job of teaching an incredibly difficult language, particularly for families like ours with no at-home Mandarin. The school is very diverse - may families that speak Mandarin at home and many that don't, and they do a great job of creating community among the parents. They were incredibly thoughtful about health and safety - both pre-pandemic and from its earliest arrival, including by
Tientien W.
Oct 22, 2020
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We LOVE Little Bees. My daughter started out there when she turned 2 years old. Initially she was quite shy but over the years, the teachers at Little Bees have really helped her to blossom. The teachers are all so warm and caring. They are also very attentive to all the children. All the arts and crafts they learn have been so fun.
Minh Thu N.
Aug 26, 2020
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We have two little ones at Little Bee and can't say enough good things about the daycare and preschool. The teachers are caring, kind, and patient. The boys have each grown to also be caring, kind, and patient (at least most of the time!) because of the influence of their teachers. You can rest assured that your kids are in good hands at Little Bee. Learning mandarin was an added bonus of being a Little Bee. Choosing Little Bee as our daycare and preschool is one of the best decisions we've made.
T. W.
Jul 20, 2020
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Little Bee's is amazing. We trek all the way from SOMA to send our twins here since last August. I initially wasn't sure because it was so far but was completely enamored after our tour. The teachers are amazing and very caring. There is even a curriculum for the daycare part. When we started potty training, the teachers were very helpful with the process and were actually the ones to test out going diaper free during nap time. There was of course an adjustment period for the twins but the school preps you for that with two half day drop offs. It took about a week for us and then I was
Elizabeth D.
Jul 19, 2020
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Our son started at the Pink School around 21 months in December 2018. The first time we went for the playdate when we were on our way out the door to leave, he actually ran back to the teachers because he enjoyed the class so much. We knew if we got in, we had to go. We were on the waitlist for a couple months after the playdate before we were able to officially attend.
Our son enjoyed every moment at the Pink School not only because the teachers are so encouraging and loving, but the activities are so mentally and physically stimulating. The kids are even shown how to mix pancake batter! We
Our son enjoyed every moment at the Pink School not only because the teachers are so encouraging and loving, but the activities are so mentally and physically stimulating. The kids are even shown how to mix pancake batter! We
Joey L.
Jul 11, 2020
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We were so glad that our kid got to start her school life with Little Bee. It was a good start and she was the youngest kid of her class. Not long after we moved from 3 days per week to 5 days since she enjoyed school so much.
We love Little Bee's teachers. They are the key reason why our kid adapted to school so fast and is happy everyday.
Though our kid loves food, she's a picky eater. We were glad to learn that our kid started to eat certain food in school (healthy food that parents always want kids to have) that she didn't at home. Little Bee provides variety of food selection
We love Little Bee's teachers. They are the key reason why our kid adapted to school so fast and is happy everyday.
Though our kid loves food, she's a picky eater. We were glad to learn that our kid started to eat certain food in school (healthy food that parents always want kids to have) that she didn't at home. Little Bee provides variety of food selection
Kris L.
Jul 04, 2020
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We had been with the school since my son turned 2. It has one of the best locations in close proximity to great outdoor spaces, offers the full Mandarin-immersion environment that I want, and it also provides such a fun and nurturing environment- not just to the kid but also to the parents. From day one, Sarra the owner coached us on how to say bye-bye, how to work with my boy to do things he would typically said no to, ease my anxiety along the way including how to navigate the independent school applications. Their fabulous director Caroline is always full of energy and ideas, and the kids love
Illeana F.
Jun 28, 2020
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Loved, loved the daycare. Sarra (owner) does a great job running the daycare and has a great sense of humor and personality. Her communication was always straight forward and clear, making sure to let you know immediately if something unusual happened. (E.g. my son lost a shoe on their way back from the park, or if he had a fever, etc)
From day one until our last day (We moved out of town) I felt always very comfortable leaving my son. All teachers are/were amazing, caring and loving.
Of course the mandarin immersion program was great. We were at their old location on Lombard St, and I'm
From day one until our last day (We moved out of town) I felt always very comfortable leaving my son. All teachers are/were amazing, caring and loving.
Of course the mandarin immersion program was great. We were at their old location on Lombard St, and I'm
Jessye H.
Jun 14, 2020
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I really like Little Bee Preschool. My son graduated this year 2020 and will be attending kindergarten in the fall. The founder, director, and teachers are very nice and careful with children. My son likes all the teachers and say that they are like his friends. Little Bee is different than other preschools because of their daily curriculum and teaching styles. Every day, the teachers bring the children to the park, playground, and library. The children get to go outdoors to explore around, play together, touch the flowers, grass and trees, and just enjoy the outdoor environment. You will also
Mellie D.
Jun 12, 2020
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I wrote this review back in July 2019 before we moved out of San Francisco (SF) but forgot to post it.
Overall I am extremely happy with our experience at this school. I toured Little Bee (LB) with the former co-owner (Miranda) and I didn't even meet Sarra until months later when my daughter (DD) got in and started. Sarra is a gem! One of the hardest things about moving out of San Francisco was leaving such a wonderful daycare that my DD loved. Some parents drive their kids from much further parts of the city or even outside of the city to come too LB. It's worth the drive.
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Overall I am extremely happy with our experience at this school. I toured Little Bee (LB) with the former co-owner (Miranda) and I didn't even meet Sarra until months later when my daughter (DD) got in and started. Sarra is a gem! One of the hardest things about moving out of San Francisco was leaving such a wonderful daycare that my DD loved. Some parents drive their kids from much further parts of the city or even outside of the city to come too LB. It's worth the drive.
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Arthur N.
Jun 10, 2020
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This is my 2nd review about Little Bee. More than three years into Little Bee, my little one (now an older brother) has transferred to the preschool program (white house) for about 18 months. The white house has more activities and provides more structured learning than the Pink house does. Other than their routine learning sessions with a different focus very week, Little Bee provides yoga, music, and other special programs by teachers/guest speakers from outside. In this exciting learning environment, my little one has progressed beyond our expectations. He is always curious about different things
Vikki T.
Jun 06, 2020
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We sent our son to Little Bee when he was 21 months old. We chose Little Bee because of their Mandarin-immersion program, good student-teacher ratio, and strong reputation. It also helps so much that lunch and snacks are provided.
When we went in for an initial playdate, Sarra (the owner) made our son feel at ease. On his first day, Sarra went out of her way to make me feel comfortable (it's always harder on the moms!). At the end of his first day, he cried because he didn't want to leave. He was having so much fun! I cannot say enough good things about the teachers at Little Bee. They
When we went in for an initial playdate, Sarra (the owner) made our son feel at ease. On his first day, Sarra went out of her way to make me feel comfortable (it's always harder on the moms!). At the end of his first day, he cried because he didn't want to leave. He was having so much fun! I cannot say enough good things about the teachers at Little Bee. They
Sandy K.
Aug 25, 2019
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We have had our son at Little Bee for over two years, since he was 18 months. It has been fantastic. We have been very happy with his experience both at the Pink School and the White School. In particular, we have been thrilled with the care and enthusiasm the teachers bring to school every day.
We had some concerns about Mandarin immersion but it's worked out wonderfully. Our son has enjoyed it and he's gotten exposed to an entirely different language (we speak English at home).
We have been delighted to find a warm and caring community of parents and teachers at Little Bee
We had some concerns about Mandarin immersion but it's worked out wonderfully. Our son has enjoyed it and he's gotten exposed to an entirely different language (we speak English at home).
We have been delighted to find a warm and caring community of parents and teachers at Little Bee
Christine S.
Aug 08, 2019
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Whittie A.
Aug 02, 2019
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This review is long overdue. We have been involved with Little Bee for nearly 8 years! The fabulous teachers and directors nurtured and fostered both of my children from the time that they were two to the time they were ready to start kindergarten. My youngest just graduated and we will miss this amazing school. Both of my children emerged from preschool confident, curious, and academically and emotionally prepared for "big" school. And they had fun and made friends good friends along the way.
What sets Little Bee apart is that the staff takes the time to get to know the whole child
What sets Little Bee apart is that the staff takes the time to get to know the whole child
