Welcome to Children’s Day School, a thriving, inclusive, and progressive preschool through eighth grade community located in the vibrant Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. It is an incredible privilege to represent this community as the Head of School, and I am proud to work with the students, parents, educators, and community members who make up the CDS family.

When I arrived at CDS in 2018, my family and I had just returned to the Bay Area after seven years out of the country. This provided a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on growth, change, and tradition. We embraced our memories and also went on new adventures exploring how San Francisco has changed while still remaining the city we love. We came to CDS because of the way the school lives up to its ideals of inclusion and social justice, as well as its deep commitment to valuing children on their individual journey.

Beginning in my second year at CDS, we faced the unexpected challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the following months, I was proud to see how our school community came together in support of each other as we navigated our full return to in-person learning.  We strive to provide a safe and supportive environment for all of our students, and this holds true for keeping them healthy as much as for building our curriculum. 

I’ll always remember seeing our families back together for Friday assemblies on the yard, seeing our eighth graders as they enthusiastically helped administer COVID tests outside our campus, and seeing the smiles of our students when their masks were lowered. These moments truly represent our value of sharing kindness and joy, and they were tremendously inspirational to me. Even though we have been experiencing a difficult and uncertain time, they make me more optimistic than ever as CDS moves into the future.

Whether you are a parent looking at CDS as a fit for your child, a neighborhood business which shares our values, or a fellow educator with an interest in our program, we welcome your inquiries because we know that partnerships and connections are part of what make a wonderful community.

Fondly,
Shelly Luke Wille
Head of School