Gwiggles Preschool
Gwiggles was founded in 2017 and is located in San Francisco's Mission Bay. We are a family-run early childhood education program providing In-Home Preschool services for children 2.5 years and older.
Gwiggles offers part time enrollment as well as full time enrollment from 8:30am to 5:30pm with flexible drop off and pick up times. For more information about our curriculum, teaching philosophy, and what a typical day looks like at Gwiggles, please reach out to us to set up a tour. You can book a tour online or you can submit a free application and we'll get back to you to schedule your visit.
We are now enrolling for 2026. We are happy to answer any questions you have about our program. Please reach out to us by phone or email. We would love to hear from you!
About Gwiggles
Gwiggles is the only Reggio Emilia-inspired in-home program in Mission Bay. Our curriculum features a combination of structured and flexible lessons. Daily activities introduce children to art, music, Spanish, numbers, math, letters, phonics, patterns, tracing, writing, and much more.
The Reggio Emilia teaching philosophy is rooted in the understanding that all children are infinitely capable, creative and intelligent. Each child's opinion is greatly valued. Our curriculum is not predetermined for the month or the year. Curricular activities and themes are always changing and evolving. The learning themes are based on the group's current needs and their interests and curiosities as they emerge and develop. The Reggio approach allows children to have a say in what they are learning and the methods in which they learn. This approach helps keep the class excited about learning and engaged in the daily activities.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a place where all children feel safe and loved, and where they are able to learn by their own methods and at their own pace through play and exploration, as well as adult guidance. We strive to help build self awareness and confidence in all the children we work with by strengthening their self worth, their self regulation skills, and their ability to express themselves. We focus on helping our kids develop personal and social skills as learning opportunities present themselves throughout our daily activities. Children are encouraged to try new things, be bold, play, imagine, create, explore and discover. They are guided by teachers who love them and help them grow by engaging them and encouraging their independence.
Kindergarten Readiness!
We are proud that our families choose to stay with us until their children are ready to go to kindergarten. As a preschool, we know that it's our job to make sure that our little learners are well prepared to start kinder. Children leave Gwiggles set up for academic success, but academics are just one part of kindergarten readiness. We work hard to make sure that all of our kids’ personal and social skills are strong in order to support the smoothest possible transition to kindergarten. Being able to get dressed on their own, complete all bathroom tasks independently, work as part of a group, navigate challenging situations with peers, and regulate big emotions when they arise are all equally important when it comes to kindergarten readiness.
All staff are required by state licensing to be up to date on immunizationss such as the MMR and Tdap, become CPR certified, complete a Mandated Child Abuse Reporter Training course, and pass a live scan fingerprinting background check.
Tessa Williams
Owner of Gwiggles Preschool
Mother of two
Tessa was raised in the In-home Daycare that her mother ran for almost ten years in San Jose. She graduated from San Francisco State University in 2015. Before opening Gwiggles in 2017, Tessa had about ten years of experience working with children in various settings. She has worked as the Lead Instructor at a summer camp for kids where she developed the program's curriculum and led classes. From there she went on to work as part of a Head Start preschool learning program where she helped implement the program's curriculum. Tessa has also worked at an after-school program as a Kindergarten Co-Teacher. She has held multiple roles as a Special Educator for children including working as a Paraprofessional providing one on one in school assistance for children with learning differences. She has also worked as a Registered Senior Behavior Therapist providing therapy in ABA (applied behavior analysis) for children with special needs.