San Francisco Dogpatch (Preschool)
La Scuola is the only IB-PYP Preschool in San Francisco!
La Scuola’s journey begins in Preschool, at our Dogpatch campus, located on the corner of 20th and Tennessee Streets, just minutes away from downtown San Francisco and Potrero Hill in the ever-growing Dogpatch neighborhood.
The San Francisco campus was designed very intentionally by renowned architect Michele Zini of ZPZ Partners, in Modena, Italy, who is recognized globally for creating Reggio-inspired schools and ateliers. Each space on campus sparks interest by intentionally igniting the senses with color, texture, movement, beauty and joy.
Our Preschool Environment
At La Scuola, our teachers pair a positive everyday learning environment with academic rigor.
The Reggio Emilia Approach is based on the belief that children have a right to beauty and joy throughout their academic experience. The classrooms reflect La Scuola's commitment to this principle.
Our classrooms are filled with natural light and "documentazione" tracking the learning process.
Teachers foster close and joyful relationships with their students.
Local, natural materials are part of the classroom.
In the Reggio Emilia curriculum, the environment is referred to as a "third teacher," particularly as young students learn about their surroundings. Our Garden Atelier reflects this pedagogy.
From the moment they step on campus, students are immersed in a bilingual learning environment.
The playground provides plenty of fun opportunities for play and bonding among peers!
The playground is a place for creativity to flourish among students and teachers alike!
And no matter the weather, it's also a great place for hands-on learning.
And of course, there is always time for hugs!
In the Music Atelier with Maestro Vincenzo, students learn Italian and American songs and instruments.
In the Art Atelier, students get to draw and experiment with different media.
Students explore a variety of different materials in the classroom each day.
There are also plenty of tools and toys to play with...
Our preschool students have close and positive relationships with their teachers and peers.
La Scuola students embody the school motto, "Niente senza gioia," or, "Nothing without joy."
Meet the Early Childhood Director
Michele Scarani
Biography:
With over two decades of experience in international and bilingual education, Michelle brings a deep passion for early childhood learning, admissions, and school leadership.
Before joining La Scuola, Michelle served as Head of Admissions and Marketing at the Bilingual European School in Milan, where she worked for 5 years successfully building an extensive program based on a full immersion yearly years program and a completely bilingual primary and secondary school. Her desire for creating a welcoming all inclusive environment at the Bilingual European School led her to create a language support program, a seamless admissions process that enabled families to feel part of a larger family.
Michelle’s expertise in early childhood education extends beyond administration—she founded and directed her own bilingual preschool DoReMi Baby in Milan Italy. Here she was able to develop an innovative program that included a Reggio approach to bilingualism as well as teaching art and music. Her ability to design engaging, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate learning environments has been a hallmark of her career.
Michelle is eager to bring her experience, creativity, and leadership to La Scuola’s vibrant community. She looks forward to working closely with teachers, students, and families to further enrich our Reggio Emilia-inspired early years program.
Meet Our Preschool Parents!
Meet Caitlyn
Meet Tess and Beth
Land Acknowledgement for the Dogpatch Campus
We acknowledge that the land our Dogpatch Campus stands on is the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone people. As educators and life-long learners, we recognize that as uninvited guests, we all need to affirm their sovereign rights as first peoples. We pay our respects to their ancestors, elders and relatives of the Ramaytush community.