One of PREFund’s primary contributions to the community has been the founding and operation of Potrero Kids (PK), a Spanish bilingual preschool serving roughly 100 students per year.  

 

Open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. and serving three meals a day, PK provides high-quality preschool services to the working families of Potrero and the Eastern Neighborhoods. PK's first campus is a unique concept -- a private preschool located on a public elementary school campus – that emerged as part of PREFund’s plan to raise enrollment and community support for Daniel Webster Elementary.

 

After securing a favorable long-term lease from the San Francisco Unified School District, PREFund raised nearly $500,000 in grants and donations to retrofit three unused portables on the DW site. Doors opened for PK’s inaugural class in September of 2008, providing a much-needed preschool option in the neighborhood.

 

In 2011, PK was selected from among 15 top-tier applicants to operate a new childcare center on Illinois street with a $1.9M investment from Martin Building Company. Doors opened at PKs expanded campus in October 2012. This second location serves children ages 2 and up.

 

PREFunds sets aside a small amount of its yearly income from operating PK to fund a portion of its tuition assistance program and to invest back into the community.  Approximately 40% of PK students receive some sort of tuition assistance either directly from the school or from government grants.