C5 Services & Tuition

C5 operates two child development and learning centers in the Civic Center area of San Francisco. The Infant-Toddler Center is located at 505 Van Ness Avenue, and the Preschool Center is located at 455 Golden Gate Avenue. Both of our centers’ buildings look onto City Hall. The centers are within easy walking distance of each other and of San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza. Both sites are accessible to Muni light rail on Market Street, BART at the Civic Center Station, and city buses 47, 49, 31, 5, and 19.

We provide developmentally appropriate learning environments and a professional staff in a continuous learning and development program for children who are two months old to five years old.

The Infant-Toddler Center has the capacity to serve approximately 36 children, and the Preschool Center has the capacity to serve approximately 85 children. Each center is equipped with ample indoor and outdoor space and facilities, including a kitchen and areas for dining, naps, toilets, storing clothing and individual supplies, changing, and a wide range of learning areas for individuals and small and large groups.

Learning areas include: stories and reading, dramatic play, drawing and painting, water and sand tables, sounds and music, live animals, household, blocks, clay and dough, computers, group meeting, light and shadows, live plants, projections, sculpture, sensory, movement and dance, outdoor play yards, and spaces for dramatic play and role-playing, such as a store, hospital, zoo, kitchen, planetarium, under the sea, etc.

Preference is given to California State employees; children of families who already have a child enrolled; and, then, all others on a first-come, first-served basis who have made the earliest applications.

We offer and accept only applications and enrollments for a full-day, full-week, full-year program.

The monthly tuition schedule is based on the child’s age.
All fees and tuition are based on the full-time, full-year program.

Our tuition rates for the 2011-2012 School year are:

Infant-Toddler Center
for ages 2 months old to 2 years old
$2,005.00

Preschool Center
for ages 1.5 years old to 5.9 years old
$1,714.00

C5 also participates in the City of San Francisco’s Preschool for All Program that provides a 25% tuition offset to families who are residents of the city and have a child who is or will be four years-old on or before December 2nd.

The Infant-Toddler Center is open Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Preschool Center is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Both sites are closed: for Winter Break, which includes the last two weeks of December; for State holidays; for a week in the summer, usually the week of the fourth of July; for one 90 minute late opening morning each month for staff meetings; and, for four full-day professional development days, scheduled approximately quarterly during the year. Please see the calendar.

Morning and afternoon snacks are provided at both sites for children over one year of age. For example, at the Preschool Center, these snacks usually consist of healthy, mostly organic foods, including crackers; breads; fresh and dried fruits or vegetables; assorted cheeses; water; milk; and, fruit smoothies in the summer. The kitchen bakes, cooks, and otherwise prepares all of the snacks.

Children older toddlers at the Infant-Toddler Center and all of the children at the Preschool Center participate in a mostly organic catered family-style lunch program provided by C5. They also learn about food preparation, table setting, passing and serving foods, reviewing the morning’s activities, and other socializing at meal times. There are table cloths and fresh cut flowers in vases at lunch. These elements and activities help support greater independence, language development, and social skills. Family-style meals also encourage children to try new foods that they may not eat at home and develop a variety of mealtime skills. At the Infant-Toddler Center, parents provide food for their infant child and C5 provides lunches and snacks for the toddlers.

A child who is at the Infant-Toddler Center will move to the Preschool Center at a developmentally appropriate time, when and if there is an opening. Children typically move in order by birth date. The transition usually occurs when the child reaches 18-24 months of age. The precise time of the child’s transition to the Preschool Center will be determined by the C5 staff after consultation with the child’s parents. We try to accommodate all enrolled families by scheduling a continuous program for children who are old enough and ready to transfer to the Preschool Center. However, such transfers are not guaranteed.