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.