Noe Valley Voice February 1998
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Kids Picks: A Preschool Fair To Remember

By Michele Lynn

Only yesterday, it seems, you were 18 years old and trying to decide which college to attend. Now here you are trying to pick out one preschool from among dozens for your toddler to attend.

The process can be daunting, which is why you may want to check out the Sixth Annual Preschool Preview Night, to be held at the San Francisco County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park on Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 6 to 9 p.m. (The building is located near the park entrance at Ninth and Lincoln avenues.)

The free event will offer parents one-stop shopping for information and literature on more than 70 San Francisco preschools. Wind in the Willows, Timothy Mouse Preschool, and Children's Day School are among the Noe Valley schools expected to be on hand.

Preschool Preview Night is hosted by San Francisco ­ Peninsula Parent Magazine and Parents Place, a family resource center directed by Castro Street resident Laurel Kloomok. The Gap clothing store also helps put on the event.

Kloomok calls the evening "a fantastic and festive event. Each booth is decorated better than the other," she says. And the various concessions will have lots of candy and balloons and other freebies.

Representatives from the San Francisco Public Library, Parent Advocates for Youth, and the California Health and Disability Prevention program will be there, along with a bevy of child-centered businesses, such as nanny services, play programs, and health food purveyors.

The schools will be organized by zip code, so parents who have a certain neighborhood in mind can narrow their search. They can wander among the booths, collect pictures and brochures, and chat with members of the schools' staff, usually the preschool director or head teacher. At 7:30 p.m., they can hear a talk on "How to Choose a Preschool," given by school expert Lee Ann Slaton.

All in all, it should be a "great chance for parents to match who their child is with the preschool that will best meet the child's needs," says Kloomok.

For information, contact Preview Night coordinator Dana Katz at 563-0335.

If you know about an event, program, or activity for children that you would like to see featured in Kids' Picks, send a note to Kids' Picks, Noe Valley Voice, 1021 Sanchez St., San Francisco, CA 94114. Please include a telephone number.