about
history | programs: little fishes & big fishes | teacher | cooperative responsibilities
Slippery Fish is a cooperative pre-preschool, run by parents and guided by a teacher, that serves children aged approximately 12 months to 3 1/2 years. For our Littlest Fishes, aged 12 to 20 months, we offer a chance to begin to socialize with other children, to explore independent play with and without a parent, and to encounter new activities and challenges in art, movement, and music. For our Big Fishes who, at 18 to 32 months, are too young for most San Francisco preschools, we facilitate the deepening of social relationships, further acculturation to classroom cooperation, longer days full of joyful, enriching activities, and more independence due to a lower work commitment for the parent. All our fishes are free to experiment and follow their natural curiosity within our flexible, play-based structure.
Founded by four Potrero Hill families, Slippery Fish evolved from an Axis baby group in 2005 into a babysitting exchange playgroup in September of 2006. A First Five grant facilitated the move to a larger donated play space in Axis Cafe and inspired the group to formalize their structure so they could expand and share this resource with other neighbors in January of 2008. In May of 2009, Slippery Fish moved into its current home inside the Recess Urban Recreation space.
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Year One of our program, "Little Fishes," runs for four hours a week--3:30-5:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays or Wednesdays and Fridays--in our play space at Recess. This introductory year allows parents to gradually acculturate to coop participation with the support of our teacher. Parents supervise one out of every three meetings (generally working the same day each week two out of three weeks) and leave their child the other days with the teacher and other parents. For each meeting, the adult:child ratio is 1:2. Siblings may accompany a parent who is supervising that day. Little Fishes is a year-long program and graduates of the program get priority in registering for the following year as Big Fishes; however, we sometimes have openings during the year in the Big Fishes program. When that occurs, we offer those spots to Little Fishes who meet the minimum age requirements and are the right demographic fit for the opening before we move to our public wait list.
Dues are $150/month but paid quarterly (at $450/quarter) in September, December, March, and June.
3:25 p.m.: Working parents arrive and set up under guidance of teacher
3:30 p.m.: Departing parents arrive with children. Free play and the "hello" song. Non-working parents depart.
3:45 p.m.: Snack
4:30 p.m.: Featured Activity (art, movement, dance)
5:15 p.m.: Story time
5:25 p.m.: Bye-Bye song
5:30 p.m.: Hand off to non-working parents
The Little Fishes program runs as two overlapping sessions: Children entering at 12-15 months attend Mondays and Wednesdays while children entering at 16-20 months attend Wednesdays and Fridays. The Monday and Friday meetings are held in the Slippery Fish classroom, offering a chance for developmentally and age-appropriate activities for each age group, while the Wednesday meeting, which all little fishes attend together, is held in the larger Recess play space (Recess is closed to the public on Wednesdays). This large group meeting provides a chance every week for mixed socialization and greater exploration.
Our teacher provides curricular and operational guidance and is an important presence in the classroom; however, significant parent participation is required. Snack, supervisory, and other duties are rotated and each parent performs a co-op job. Parents work one in four days and the adult:child ratio is almost always 1:3 but never lower than 1:4. Big Fish AM first year participants enroll two days per week from 9-12; one day will always be Wednesday when we come together for special events and mixed socialization. Our PM Big Fish meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 - 5:30. AM Fishes entering their second year may add one extra day with the approval of our teacher and the board. Siblings may accompany a parent who is supervising that day.
Dues are $180/month for two days or $270/month for three days, but are paid quarterly ($540 and $810, respectively) in September, December, March, and June.
AM Big Fish
8:50 Working parents arrive and complete assigned set up tasks
8:55 Working parents meet with Teacher to go over the plan for the day
9:00 Non-working families arrive, “hello” song and non-working parents depart; Free play in main Recess play area
9:30 Free Play in studio space and/or story time
9:45 Tidy Up, Songs & Dance
10:00 Snack Time
10:30 Free Play
11:15 Featured Activity and/or Art Time
11:45 Tidy Up, Story time, 2nd Snack
11:55 Bye-Bye song
12:00 Hand off to non-working parents. Working parents stay to finish cleaning and debrief with Teacher
*All children must be picked-up no later than 12 noon
PM Big Fish
2:50 Working parents arrive and complete assigned set up tasks
2:55 Working parents meet with Teacher to go over the plan for the day
3:00 Non-working families arrive, “hello” song and non-working parents depart, Free play
3:30 Tidy Up, Songs & Dance
3:45 Snack Time
4:15 Featured Activity and/or Art Time
4:50 Music time
5:15 Story time
5:25 Bye-Bye song
5:30 Hand off to non-working parents. Working parents stay to finish cleaning and debrief with Teacher of the day
*All children must be picked-up no later than 5:30
The AM Big Fish
group meets Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in the Slippery Fish classroom and Wednesdays in the larger Recess playspace (Recess is closed to the public on Wednesdays), and the PM Big Fish group meets Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays in the Slippery Fish classroom.
Nicki McGrath
Slippery Fish teacher Nicki McGrath has been working with children of
all ages for the last fifteen years in San Francisco and upstate New
York. She comes to Slippery Fish from Rocky Mountain Cooperative
Preschool. Nicki sees teaching children as a great match for her
talent and energy and draws from her experience in the arts to design
creative projects as well as activities that keep children jumping,
dancing, moving and learning about their capabilities. Nicki loves the
idea of a cooperative program and feels it is beneficial in creating
a large family-like environment for both parents and children. She
looks forward to learning and growing with Slippery Fish.
Allison Brinkley
Allison Brinkley, our PM Big Fish teacher, a native of San Francisco, has been professionally working with children for five years, from infants to middle school youth. Allison has long been immersed in an early childhood environment, as both her mother and grandmother were preschool teachers. She puts an emphasis on developmentally appropriate practices in the classroom. She is a graduate of CCA, with a BFA in photography. Her creative background combined with her knowledge of youth education helps her create a fun and exciting environment for the children.
Cooperatives require significant participation from parents. Parents work one in three days (for Little Fishes) or one in four days (for Big Fishes unless they "buy out" some shifts through the Work Less, Pay More program), provide snack, activities, or stories as scheduled, perform a co-op job, attend general and parent education meetings, contribute one and a half hours per quarter to outreach or maintenance activities (can be performed as three hours every other quarter) and support other parents by subbing or assisting with special projects.
©2010 Slippery Fish San Francisco