HomeHow To Apply

How To Apply

Each September Stretch welcomes a number of new families into our program. Their children range from young 2s just starting their school experience to our oldest 5 year olds, entering our TK program. We strive to admit like-minded families who join our program looking for the values and approach to early childhood education that we uphold. Stretch is a school of inquiry, curiosity, and love. We nurture children’s innate ability to wonder, explore, and investigate all the magic that defines this unique time in their lives. Our educators approach each day with thought and intention, facilitating discovery and learning alongside the child.

Please see application steps 1-3 below and for Frequently Asked Questions, please check out our FAQ Section.

Step One: Visit Us

We encourage all families who have a child of the appropriate age (must be 2 by August 31 of the upcoming school year) to join us for a tour. We host all our tours between October and January of the admissions season. A tour is not required in order to fill out a written application.

If you are learning about our program after the regular admissions season and are interested in a tour, please contact us at (415) 922-0104 or email info@stretchtheimagination.com.

Step Two: Apply

All applications are submitted through our admissions partner, Brightwheel.

Step 1 of the process is to fill out an application which can be accessed from this link:

STRETCH THE IMAGINATION APPLICATION

Our application includes questions that help us to get to know your child and family.

Step 2 of the process is to submit a family photo.
Step 3 of the process is the pay the $60 application fee.

We will email you directly with a link to submit a photo and pay the application fee once we have received your application.

Once all three steps are completed your application will be submitted for review. Applications are due by February 1st. of each admissions year. Applications submitted after February 1 will be considered based on class availability.

Step Three: Acceptance

We read applications in February. Each year we join a number of other preschools in San Francisco and send out our acceptance letters on the same date in March. This helps us support families to find the best fit for their child when choosing an early childhood program.

For the 2025/2026 school year, we will email acceptance and waitlist letters on March 12th, 2025. Families have until 10 a.m. on March 17th to accept their offer. Throughout this week and after the first letters are sent on March 12th, we may have the opportunity to offer families from our wait pool a spot in our program. When a family is offered a spot from our wait pool, they are given 24 hours to respond.

If you do not receive an acceptance letter, we will retain your application in our wait pool for the weeks, months, and years to come. We welcome families to continue to reach out and inquire about their child’s application if they are still interested in joining our program. We will also accept students outside of the regular admissions season if a spot becomes available.

Sending our daughter to Stretch was one of
the best decisions we've ever made as parents. -Stretch Parent