“How do you know when the excavator is tired and needs to rest?” That was one of several probing questions asked by a group of 50 preschool children from the University Childcare Center at Mission Bay as they toured Mission Bay Parcel 14, the future home of a new school site for the San Francisco Unified School District.
The construction site is a short walk from the childcare center located on Nelson Rising Lane and provided an excellent learning opportunity for the three to four-year-old children.
“Allowing children to experience seeing real-life tools in action supports their brains to connect what they learn in the classroom to a larger scope,” said Bright Horizons Childcare Director, Megan Cahill. UCSF Director of Family Services, Nathalie Larsen and her team helped organize the excursion.
The new Mission Bay School is funded through a bond measure and will include a pre-kinder program, elementary school, a linked learning hub for high school students to connect their learning with career experiences and workforce readiness, along with a training space for teachers and staff.
While some of the pre-school children may eventually be learners in the building, their immediate focus was on the heavy equipment.
“The children were most excited to see the real-life excavator,” Cahill said. “They were able to see real construction tools being used to build and a real excavator digging dirt and moving it around.”
The children listened intently as Project Superintendent James Rice of McCarthy Building Companies talked about the heavy equipment. They practiced waiting their turn to ask questions and to remain in the outlined safe spaces.
“Our children did a wonderful job listening to James and following instructions which kept the whole group safe,” Cahill said. “Following directions is a learned skill that develops over time.”
The children were at the construction site approximately 20 minutes and in the process also learned how to safely cross the street. “To safely arrive at the site, the children had to cross the street twice,” Cahill said. “They were able to practice walking safely while learning about street safety.”
Larsen said the University Childcare Center at Mission Bay wants to work closely with the community in 2024 to schedule similar excursions at least every other month.
A group of 50 preschool children from the University Childcare Center at Mission Bay recently toured the construction site at Mission Bay Parcel 14, the future home of a new school site for the San Francisco Unified School District.
