Language in Action

After a marathon hearing at City Hall, the Parks Commission approved our leases at Cow Hollow and Laurel Hill Playground!  We owe an enormous thanks first to all of the parents, teachers and friends who attended the meeting, many with their children as well.  Many of our supporters spoke before the Commission, and all of us who work at Language in Action were touched by their eloquence and their enthusiasm for what we have created in the last seven years.  Even our opponents were moved by their testimony, so much so that they approached us afterwards with newfound support for our leasing of these public facilities.


It has always been clear that we must be good stewards of these clubhouses and parks.  For our part, we will be moving quickly to brighten the sites with new paint, furnishings, flowers and decorations.  Our first and most important focus will be on the children in our care, but we will also be keeping our eyes and minds open to ways that we can make the park experience special for all families who visit, perhaps sharing some of our cultural celebrations with the wider community.  We welcome the engagement of our parent community in making this public-private partnership successful.


For the record, your support made a difference.  Although the Rec & Park Department decided to displace a City College program at Laurel Hill, the only people who spoke on behalf of that program were City College representatives or people from neighborhood groups who also opposed our lease at Cow Hollow.  By contrast, we had parents, teachers and children speak, with additional support in your emails and letters.  We support trying to think of ways that the City College program can continue elsewhere, and early indications are that this could be possible at Julius Kahn playground.  We hope that you will share our interest in seeing this program continue elsewhere, and that you will consider lending support to their efforts.


In the meantime, we are excited about our move.  Yesterday was one of the most exciting and rewarding in Language in Action's eight years' of language instruction.  Thank you all for supporting us through this transition - we look forward to a wonderful year as a language immersion preschool.

After two consecutive delays, the Parks Commission will vote on our leases of the Cow Hollow and Laurel Hill clubhouse leases on Thursday, July 15 at 2 pm at City Hall.
  This is an important meeting, not least because the Cow Hollow Association and Laurel Hill Association oppose the leasing of city clubhouses.  If you are able to attend in person it will help us, but if you are not able to attend we would be grateful if you would either write directly to the Commission  and copy us at admin@langugageinaction.com or comment on this post with your full name and the neighborhood where you live - we will submit the record of your support at the hearing.
  The Recreation and Park Department faces a $12M deficit this year, and they are strongly inclined to enter into  leases for programs that enrich the lives of children and which will be respectful stewards of park facilities.  We hope you will let your voice be heard as strongly as the voices of opposition, which at present are offering no alternative other than empty buildings next to our playgrounds and fields.

We are in the final stages of securing our new sites at Laurel Hill Playground and Cow Hollow Playground.  The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department has been very supportive of our outreach to convert these underutilized facilities into safe, fun learning centers for preschool age children.
  Perhaps the most significant challenge for preschools in San Francisco is securing facilities that comply with state requirements for childcare facilities.  While we have found many suitable sites for classroom space, the single greatest hurdle is a requirement for conforming outdoor space.  These new sites are special among preschools in the city for their expansive access to outdoor space.
  The final stage of the lease approval process is a hearing before the Parks Commissioners on June 17, 2010.  We would greatly appreciate attendance at that hearing, or written letters of support for approval of these leases.  You may write directly to the Parks Commissioners, or if you want to take immediate action, simply comment by clicking the "Comments" link at the top of this entry, including your full name and address.  We will submit comments in support of our lease to the Commissioners on June 17.