Business Profile: Buen Dia Family School

From the outside, Buen Dia Family School, located at 589 Guerrero and 18th St., looks just like every other house on the block: Wood paneling, quaint stairs leading to a welcoming green door, large windows above the street –level, one car garage. Inside however, is every child’s fantasy.
When you first enter Buen Dia, a privately owned, non-profit preschool, you see 30 cubbyholes filled with the tiny jackets and Disney lunchboxes of 3, 4, and 5-year-olds. To the right you see two rooms: the “front/book room”, and the “dress up room”. In the front room you’ll find kids diligently working on puzzles, or reading stories with their parents before saying goodbye. The dress-up room is less-civilized in comparison, with children laughing and yelling as they play dress-up, pretend to cook breakfast, and climb up into the “soft loft” that offers a overlooking get-away with comfy bean-bag chairs for the kids. The toys and activities are all complimented by round, smiling faces with chubby cheeks. The delight and joy is evident within those shiny smiles.
As you venture further into the school, the fact that the school is inside an actual house is apparent with the cozy, homey feeling you experience. Parents and teachers are talking all around, and you can tell Buen Dia is a small community within itself. The small kitchen is to the left, with one teacher busily preparing morning snack. The block area is to the right, with three boys intently focused on building a large castle. Close by is the art table, collages slowly being produced by busy little hands. Just past the art table lays the backyard, complete with a large, wooden play structure, two tire swings, and monkey bars.
It’s painfully obvious as you walk through the school and observe, that the kids love where they are, and the teachers deeply care about the children and their work. The school is all about “hands-on” learning, according to owner Yvonne Gavre. “A place where children can be themselves, where they would be respected.”
Being a multi-cultural preschool, Buen Dia parallels the diversity present in its Mission community. “Buen Dia definitely reflects the diversity in the surrounding community,” says Yvonne. The surrounding community also seems to greatly support this local school, as it received $40,000 from local contributions, and $57,000 in community grants in 2008.
As I exit Buen Dia, I’m truly inspired by the amount of love and respect that is consciously felt within every nook and crevice of the school, a school that is much more like a home.

To visit Buen Dia Family School's website, click here!
http://bdfs.org/