San Francisco / California / United States
In 1977, Buen Dia Family School was founded on the understanding that when young children learn to see themselves as competent individuals, they will be confident and better able to meet the challenges presented in everyday life. Through a developmental, learn-by-doing approach, the curriculum encourages self-expression and active exploration. The school strives to provide opportunities for positive interactions, discovery and learning. Through a wide variety of creative arts, block play, cooking, science, language development, music and outdoor play, young children learn about their world and discover its physical properties through their senses. They gain self confidence in their abilities, they learn to express their feelings and ideas, and are encouraged to consider events in different ways. They also learn to release energy in non-aggressive ways and follow directions to achieve a rewarding goal. Buen Dia offers a program for preschool children ages three to five. The teaching staff is culturally sensitive to the individual needs of the children and there is a Spanish-bilingual component to the program. In 2003, The National Endowment of the Arts funded Buen Dia to lead a two year long teacher training project in the visual and performing arts for educators from other preschools. In 1989, the founding director of Buen Dia, Yvonne Gavre, was awarded The Childcare Provider of the Year Award by the Ashbury Childrens Foundation in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeleys Department of Education. The California Arts Council funded visual and performing artists at Buen Dia for twelve years. Buen Dia Corporation is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization under the 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) guidelines.
