WELCOME TO TELHI
OUR COMMUNITY
WHAT'S A CO-OP?
A co-operative parent participation nursery school is a community-based school owned and run by families of attending children. Parents work in the classroom once every week, as support staff for our trained professional teachers, and also perform administrative, maintenance, and fundraising duties, which keeps our costs well below those of a regular preschool. This parental involvement allows parents to learn about child development, and gain parenting skills which help our children learn and develop. The children feel their family's support and learn by participating in play-based educational activities. Staff, children, and families are all part of a supportive community, leading in many cases to lifelong friendships.
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WHY JOIN A CO-OP
Co-op preschools benefit children, parents and the community.
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Children:
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Benefit from low adult:child ratios and small class size, which means they receive more individual attention.
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Gain confidence and social skills by communicating with other children and adults of diverse ethnicities, abilities, backgrounds, ages, and genders.
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Parents:
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Get insight into child behavior by observing other children and by attending parent education talks.
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Observe how other parents and the professional teachers handle various situations, learning useful parenting strategies that will improve your family life.
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More time to bond with your child and create memories together!
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Greater community:
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Build strong, connected communities as you and your child build life-long friendships.
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Enjoy the help and support of our community when faced with day-to-day problems and crises.
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Allow more families in the community to give their children an early education because it’s more affordable—leading to better prepared kindergarteners and better performing students long-term.
ABOUT TELHI
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Founded in 1954, TelHi Co-op provides a healthy, safe, and stimulating environment in which children can develop socially, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. We are part of the California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools, and are supervised by the Department of Social Services Childcare Licensing.
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TelHi Co-op operated for many years out of the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center on Chestnut St, (which is now occupied by the unrelated Telegraph Hill Nursery School, which is a completely different entity.) We have been located at Helen Wills Playground in Russian Hill since 2017.
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TelHi Co-op is a nonprofit, non-sectarian, democratic organization. We value the diversity of our community and encourage families to share their individual cultures with our students. We welcome all families, and include children and families with varied abilities and disabilities and medical conditions, and who are English-speaking and non-English speaking. Inclusion is a top priority for the school. Some of the measures we have taken include: translating workday tags for working parents; working with speech therapists or developmental psychologists to help individuals achieve their goals; having parents bring in projects to celebrate a holiday; or by keeping our classroom books and toys as diverse as our membership.
MEET OUR TEACHER
Andi Allen
School Director
Andi got her start at TelHi Co-op Nursery School as a parent in 2018, when her daughter, Greta, was just a two year-old. Andi loved the community and parent -teaching so much that she began taking child development courses. She accepted the position of lead teacher in 2020. In 2024, she was chosen as the new director of TelHi, succeeding Margaret Thrupp, who served as TelHi's director for nine years.
Andi believes that the parent-participation preschool model fosters a strong bond for the family and the community. By sharing their first school experience, children gain invaluable insights, while parents have the unique chance to build lasting friendships. Andi greatly values being part of this enriching environment, where children and parents learn from diverse perspectives, creating a nurturing and stimulating atmosphere for growth.
Andi is originally from Tucson, Arizona (the kingdom of the cacti) where she studied Fine Art and Costume Design at the University of Arizona. She received her BFA in Combined Media Sculpture. She studied abroad in Aix-En-Provence, France where she learned about 19th century Impressionist and Post Impressionist painters while painting in the same famous landscapes. Travel and learning about different cultures has been a passion ever since. She has collaborated on many public art and museum fabrication projects, including building underwater exhibits for California Academy of Sciences. Her fine artwork has been exhibited at City Art gallery in the Mission. After moving to San Francisco in 2009, she taught a unique multi generational art class with seniors and sixth graders, through a special program with The Institute on Aging and Creative Arts Charter School.
Andi loves going on fun adventures with her family, making sculpture, traveling, and yoga. She is certified in Laughter Yoga and studied at Yoga Tree in San Francisco. Her classroom will practice mindfulness, creativity, kindness and a love of learning through play. Andi enjoys being imaginative with children and encouraging them to ask questions. She is impressed with preschool children's amazing ability to teach adults patience, flexibility and letting go. Most of all, she feels that it is a privilege to work with young children and take part in their growth during these formative years!