When Julie Panebianco began scouting for preschools in San Francisco three years ago, the choices were tantalizing: Mandarin immersion programs. Big outdoor play areas. Organic snacks. Montessori or Waldorf philosophies.
But all of them were far too expensive for Panebianco, a high school teacher and mother of two whose husband designs characters for video games. She counted herself lucky to find a school in the Sunset that charged less than $1,300 a month — below average for the city — because it had just opened for business.