Young Explorers Preschool

Our Teachers

Rachele Long is the Director of Young Explorers Preschool. Her love of learning inspired her to start her own in-home school.

Rachele loves working with and teaching children and has experience instructing infants through school-aged children in various settings. Prior to starting Young Explorers Preschool, Rachele worked at a Reggio-inspired preschool in San Francisco. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Arizona, as well as a Child Development Permit through units taken at Diablo Valley College. She is certified in Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE).

Some of Rachele’s favorite hobbies are cooking, hiking, and taking day trips to explore what the Bay Area has to offer. She also loves listening to music and trying new restaurants. Rachele is very excited to offer Young Explorers to her community.

Philosophy

Young Explorers Preschool is a child-centered learning space dedicated to fostering the physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and creative growth of young learners. We follow a progressive, holistic approach to education based upon the teachings and research of John Dewey, a pioneer in pragmatism, and Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of Reggio Emilia’s educational philosophy.

We take time and pride in a thoughtful curriculum of integrated academics that inspires curiosity, critical thinking, and cooperative learning. At Young Explorers Preschool, learning is viewed as an organic experience, and together students and teachers enjoy the natural flow of its process. We provide scaffolded opportunities for cross-age interactions that honor each child’s developmental needs, skill level, and personal interests through perceptive observation.

Our school gives the students time and space to learn at their own pace and in the best way suited for their own learning style and interests.

Young Explorers Preschool values strong home-school connections. The parents and staff of our school see each other as partners in our goal to develop a community of lifelong learners. This is truly a place where children will fall in love with learning.

Location

Young Explorers Preschool is based in a single-family home in the Cow Hollow district of San Francisco. Young Explorers uses the entire main floor for organic explorations. We maximize the use of natural light and space to provide two large playrooms, an eat-in kitchen, and a bathroom.

Rain or shine, we love fresh air and getting outside. We have a giant yard and a garden. In fact, one of our favorite features is our secret garden - a beautiful open space for children to develop their creative and social developmental skills. In nice weather, we open up windows and welcome the beauty of the outdoors in!

All of the children – even the youngest – will access the outdoor classroom (aka “backyard”) everyday, rain or shine!

We are located near the Marina Branch Library and Moscone’s Recreation Center, among other San Francisco treasures, as well as the friendly businesses of Union Street. Older children venture out at least once a month to explore the beauty and community of our neighborhood.

About our program

The child-centered program at Young Explorers is inspired by the constructivist, social-constructivist, and systems thinking theories of John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Howard Gardner, and Loris Malaguzzi. We draw inspiration from the renowned educators and preprimary schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and from others who are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to create an Early Childhood Education program philosophy that is authentic, intentional, and evolving.

Your child and family will benefit from this varied exposure by seeing which aspects resonate with your own values and beliefs about education and how your child responds to them. This will give you a better frame of reference when deciding where you will apply to kindergarten and ease some of the stress of that process. We welcome questions and discussions about the how and why of our philosophy and curriculum throughout your time with Young Explorers Preschool.

Parent Involvement

When you and your family is involved, our program runs better: it is more responsive to all families and the learning and development of your child and other children is greatly enhanced.

We know that most families these days have busy lives and deal with a variety of demands on their time and other resources. Your participation helps you and your family to be more aware of how the program functions and where your child can benefit from your support. Any contributions that you make will greatly increase the quality of the program for your child and for others.

Our Approach to Discipline

We believe in using techniques to foster healthy behaviors and a healthy learning environment. Our goals include teaching children self-regulation and respect for themselves and others. Our constructive techniques include redirection, modeling, elimination of potential problems, and teaching children to resolve conflicts on their own.

Outdoor Play

Outdoor education is a large component of our philosophy at Young Explorers Preschool. We have a backyard that children use daily to develop their physical, social, and creative development skills.

Admissions

Join the Young Explorers Preschool community in four easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour our program

Come see what makes Young Explorers Preschool unique. Please schedule a tour or attend an Open House event.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application. Please note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation you’ll pay your enrollment fee, fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.