Get free or low-cost child care and preschool in San Francisco
Most families in San Francisco qualify for free or reduced tuition for child care and preschool through the Department of Early Childhood's (DEC) Early Learning For All initiative. Eligibility depends on income and family size.Check if you qualifyWays to apply for Early Learning For All
Use our online application tool
- You can check if your family is eligible for free or low-cost child care and preschool at any time using our online application tool.
- You will be asked verify your family size, income, and address.
- You can share your preferences for hours, location, and language.
- Our site will match you to programs that meet your criteria and currently have vacancies.
Get help from a Resource and Referral Agency
There are 3 community-based organizations that can help check if you are eligible for free or reduced tuition and apply.
1. Children’s Council of San Francisco Phone: 415-343-3300 Email: rr@childrenscouncil.org
2. Wu Yee Children’s Services Phone: 844-644-4300 Email: randr@wuyee.org
3. Compass Family Services Phone: 415-644-0504 (ext. 2330) Email: access@compass-sf.org
Contact a child care program or preschool directly
- You can choose from more than 500 programs in the Early Learning For All network.
- If you've already found a child care program or preschool you like, they can help you sign up.
- Program staff will verify your family size and income.
- They will work with the Department of Early Childhood (DEC) to enroll you in Early Learning For All and get financial aid.
About Early Learning For All
In San Francisco, we want every child to experience quality early care and education. Early Learning For All helps families enroll in great programs without cost as a barrier.
The Early Learning For All network includes more than 500 early care and education programs. These programs support children’s learning, physical development, and social skills. Four-year-olds can also attend Transitional Kindergarten (TK) for free through the school district. The result is lots of affordable options across the city where children can learn and grow.
Early learning program quality
Early learning programs in DEC’s Early Learning For All network provide children with safe, high-quality care. This care helps children grow and learn.
DEC helps programs improve over time. DEC offers clear standards, coaching, training, and other helpful tools. This support helps early educators keep learning and improving, so they can help build a strong future for our city.
Early learning facilities
Safe, beautiful, and inspiring buildings help every child have a great early learning experience. DEC invests to fix and update current child care sites and build new ones. This helps San Francisco:
- Add more licensed child care spaces
- Bring child care to neighborhoods that don’t have enough
- Ensure all families can use modern indoor and outdoor spaces that support children’s learning, creativity, and imagination
DEC is also a lead partner and funder of San Francisco’s Children & Nature Collaborative. This group works to ensure children and youth in the city can play, learn, and grow in nature every day. DEC helps by:
- Improving outdoor play areas at child care sites
- Training early educators to teach through nature
- Providing safe, age-appropriate nature learning tools and toys
Workforce Initiative
Early childhood educators are an important part of San Francisco. They help young children learn and grow. DEC knows that their work matters and wants to make sure they earn fair wages. DEC also wants to support educators' professional development and higher learning.
DEC's Workforce Initiative uses money from "Baby" Proposition C (2018), which voters approved. It pays educators working in Early Learning For All programs a living wage or higher. It also helps educators advance their own education. This supports strong, high-quality early care and education across the city for years.