WELCOME TO TELHI
OUR COMMUNITY
WHAT'S A CO-OP?
A co-operative parent participation nursery school is a community-based school owned and run by families of attending children. Parents work in the classroom once every week, as support staff for our trained professional teachers, and also perform administrative, maintenance, and fundraising duties, which keeps our costs well below those of a regular preschool. This parental involvement allows parents to learn about child development, and gain parenting skills which help our children learn and develop. The children feel their family's support and learn by participating in play-based educational activities. Staff, children, and families are all part of a supportive community, leading in many cases to lifelong friendships.
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WHY JOIN A CO-OP
Co-op preschools benefit children, parents and the community.
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Children:
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Benefit from low adult:child ratios and small class size, which means they receive more individual attention.
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Gain confidence and social skills by communicating with other children and adults of diverse ethnicities, abilities, backgrounds, ages, and genders.
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Parents:
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Get insight into child behavior by observing other children and by attending parent education talks.
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Observe how other parents and the professional teachers handle various situations, learning useful parenting strategies that will improve your family life.
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More time to bond with your child and create memories together!
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Greater community:
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Build strong, connected communities as you and your child build life-long friendships.
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Enjoy the help and support of our community when faced with day-to-day problems and crises.
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Allow more families in the community to give their children an early education because it’s more affordable—leading to better prepared kindergarteners and better performing students long-term.
ABOUT TELHI
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Founded in 1954, TelHi Co-op provides a healthy, safe, and stimulating environment in which children can develop socially, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. We are part of the California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools, and are supervised by the Department of Social Services Childcare Licensing.
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TelHi Co-op operated for many years out of the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center on Chestnut St, (which is now occupied by the unrelated Telegraph Hill Nursery School, which is a completely different entity.) We have been located at Helen Wills Playground in Russian Hill since 2017.
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TelHi Co-op is a nonprofit, non-sectarian, democratic organization. We value the diversity of our community and encourage families to share their individual cultures with our students. We welcome all families, and include children and families with varied abilities and disabilities and medical conditions, and who are English-speaking and non-English speaking. Inclusion is a top priority for the school. Some of the measures we have taken include: translating workday tags for working parents; working with speech therapists or developmental psychologists to help individuals achieve their goals; having parents bring in projects to celebrate a holiday; or by keeping our classroom books and toys as diverse as our membership.
MEET OUR TEACHER
Ellen Turpin
School Director and Teacher
Ellen first fell in love with early childhood education while studying at Skidmore College, where she earned her BA in English with a minor in Education, specializing in Early Childhood Development. Her work at the Skidmore Early Childhood Center confirmed that the preschool classroom was where she felt most inspired and most at home.
Originally from New York City, Ellen has worked with children in a variety of settings, from the inclusive programs at the 92nd Street YMCA to literacy-focused youth work with 826NYC. Since moving to San Francisco, she has taught in many mixed-age classrooms, bringing her warm and responsive teaching style to students in the Bay Area.
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Ellen believes deeply in the power of play-based, child-led learning and the co-op model’s unique ability to foster genuine connection between children, families, and educators. She is committed to creating a classroom where every child feels safe, seen, and celebrated—and where all learning styles are welcomed and supported.
As a lifelong reader and creative writer, Ellen especially delights in early literacy development and storytelling with her students. She recently authored her first children’s book and is always on the lookout for a great read-aloud. Outside of the classroom, she can be found exploring the Bay Area’s many hikes, parks, and hidden outdoor gems. She is thrilled to be teaching in a city she loves, alongside a vibrant, engaged school community.