Our Vision & Mission
Our collective work is to uplift our profession and the field of Early Childhood Education, expanding into the community our practices of nurturing the heart and mind of every child and teacher, Reggio Emilia-inspired teaching, social justice, and green living.
Our mission is to provide the highest quality Early Childhood Education for the children in our care in a safe, loving, respectful environment so children can freely explore their world.
We believe that children learn through play and in relationship. We learn from our inquiries and explorations; from our mistakes and the problems we encounter; from each other and the different perspectives we each bring. Learning happens in relationships, community, and with joy and love.
Our Commitments
Community & Social Justice
We are committed to a diverse school population. We are diverse ethnically, culturally, and socioeconomically. Our community comprises different family structures, experiences, and backgrounds. We have a commitment to LGBTQ+ teachers, families, and children. Each person and family brings a unique and valued presence to our community. At All People’s School we do everything we can to represent the colorfulness of the Bay Area, and we are committed to a school community that reflects the beauty of our differences and the strength of our alliances to one other.
Professional Development
We are committed to the professional development of All People’s School teachers, teachers in the broader community, and students of Early Childhood Education. Our mission is to continue to grow and evolve in the field of Early Childhood Education. We are committed to the cultivation of our school as a place of research, with a community of learners, and for active global citizens to engage in democratic practice.
Our Story
The story of our school is a story of revolution and evolution.
The journey of All People’s School as we know it today began in 2004, after the previous Aquatic Park School owner decided to sell the school unbeknownst to the staff and families. A grassroots uprising began, and a series of generous loans, secret planning meetings, and incredible community mobilization enabled Susan Stevenson to purchase the school. At one of these planning meetings, a teacher proposed an evolution of the Aquatic Park School Name: All People’s School! This allowed the community continuity in their identity as APS, and it affirms our commitment that our school will be a place for anyone and everyone: children, teachers, and families. Our school today continues on in that legacy of continuity and familiarity, a foundation of hope and survival.
Today, Aquatic Park School officially becomes All People’s School. This name carries the history of how the school evolved and how it continues to evolve. Even now, after surviving the COVID-19 pandemic, social uprising, staffing upheaval, ECE crisis throughout our society – our community is going through another time of change.
The pandemic shed this bright light on so many systems in our country that are clearly broken or poorly built, and childcare is just one of them. In all the ups and downs, our work is constant: to highlight the field of ECE, and to recognize the incredible value of ECE teachers.
We added Pixar Child Development Center to the family in 2018, and our official name change is long overdue. This is a small change considering all we’ve already been through. This name change is a clear commemoration of our victory, a reward for our effort, and a celebration of our evolution.
It is here and now that All People’s School will begin.
- Susan Stevenson, June 2022