About Us

Students exploring classroom activities and working on child-initiated projects.

About Us

We are a full day, full year school nestled in the Presidio of San Francisco, offering educational programs for children ages 2 - 5.

Our school supports the belief that children learn through play, exploration, and discovery within the context of nurturing and reciprocal influences of children, parents, and teachers.

SCHOOL HISTORY

Early Days of Cypress School (formerly known as Cow Hollow School)

Our school, founded in 2000 by a group of remarkable San Francisco women, was born out of the need for a creative, play-based program for young two-year-olds. The overflowing enrollments of other local preschools with programs for young two-year-olds, and the appeal of a parent participation format for very young children, convinced the founders that there was enough need and interest in San Francisco to create a new school. After much consideration and hard work, we opened with 12 children. A few years into it, the founding teachers and families came to the conclusion that our little school was important, was creating a unique experience for children and families, and needed to establish roots in the City.

Move to the Presidio

In 2002, in order to actualize and make evident our belief in children as active participating members of a rich and diverse society, we asked Darcy Campbell, a specialist, advocate and teacher educator at San Francisco State University to think strategically to create a long lasting vision for Cow Hollow School that would serve young children in our city. We started our search for a space that would reflect our values within and outside of its walls. With the financial support of our then 39 families, in 2005 Darcy and founding board members launched our first capital campaign and successfully set the foundation for the long life of our school and we secured a lease in the Presidio on Funston Avenue in a 1896 historic building. Our move to the Presidio meant that enrollment could increase and our new school nestled in the forest would become accessible to more Bay Area families, amplify our nature focused learning, and offer parent and teacher education programs. The CHS community thrived in our little house between the woods and the water for 18 years, and the Presidio became an integral and beloved part of what made our school so special.

Move to 387 Moraga Ave

As part of our Strategic Planning process in 2018, Darcy Campbell, then serving as the Executive Head of School, and the Board identified that our part-day/part-year program, our building and even our name were barriers to addressing a citywide challenge, meeting the needs of our school community, our city, and fully realizing our goals for inclusivity, accessibility, and advocacy. In 2023 we accomplished our five year plan and moved into our new, much larger, impressive home in the Presidio at 387 Moraga Ave, where we now offer a full-day, full-year program. This new space amplifies and brings the Cow Hollow School/Cypress School magic into the future and opens doors to more families.

Our school is surrounded by a grove of cypress trees and is full of large and airy rooms filled with natural light, and designed for seamless indoor-outdoor flow. Every class has independent access to the outside area and garden. Our large community meeting/assembly room that we call ‘The Meadow’ houses a think tank for world-renowned educators to connect, a place for children to assemble, and for parent-to-teacher collaboration and connections – invitations for dialogue for our entire community.

Cypress School of San Francisco

While we opened our doors to 387 Moraga as Cow Hollow School, the final piece to delivering on our strategic plan, and removing barriers to access, was to determine a new, and more representative name. Cow Hollow School, named for its earliest location, part day programming, and families served, no longer represented our Strategic Plan and DEI missions for the school. Returning to our (literal) roots, the symbolism of the Cypress tree — which has been part of our school’s visual mark since our move to the Presidio in 2005 — resonated strongly and emerged as the anchor point for our new name. We also aligned on the tagline “Growing in Wonder, Rooted in Community.” As of December 20, 2024, we are now Cypress School of San Francisco (CSSF).

Cypress School of San Francisco remains grateful to Darcy Campbell, our Executive Director from 2002 to 2025, for her unwavering vision to honor children and childhood, to create a school that thinks deeply about what it means to be in the presence of young children and to keep the rights of children at the forefront of education. Darcy’s thought leadership, vision and commitment built our school into what it is today and her work with parents, teachers, and children remains our inspirational lens for the school’s future.

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