Raising kids in the AI era

Bay Area schools, camps and AI apps, checked by parents

We find out what they really cost, and say when something isn't worth it.

Tanya Cheng
Maya Chaudhry
Calvin Shih
Jane McAllan
Written by four Bay Area parents
Tanya, Maya, Calvin and Jane →
✓ Independant Verdicts
How we choose →

Checked on official sites · Oct 13

Bay Area kids’ dates this month

The dates worth knowing now. Past ones drop off on their own.

See the full calendar →

School

Camps & events

Teens

Free & perks

Oct 17

Free

Free science festival for kids

Bay Area Science Festival · UCSF Mission Bay · All ages

Oct 18

Open house

Marin Catholic high school open house

Kentfield · No sign-up needed

Oct 23

Teen deadline

Teen holiday job at The Tech closes

High school · San Jose

Oct 24

Open houses

6 private school open houses

SF Day, Peninsula, Athenian + 3 more

Oct 25

Free

Free family day at SFMOMA

Reserve ahead · Under 18 always free

Oct 28

Deadline

BASIS TK and K applications due

Early round · Sunnyvale campus

Oct 29

Event

Trunk-or-treat at Hiller Aviation Museum

San Carlos · 5–7pm · All ages

Oct 31

Event

Halloween at 3 kids' museums

Chabot, The Tech, Hiller · Pumpkin drop 10am

Nov 1

Free

Free museum Sunday

Oakland Museum of California and Asian Art Museum

Nov 3

Deadline

Nueva deadline to guarantee a testing slot

Fills fast

K and grades 5–10 · Helios (K–4): Nov 5

Nov 3

Free

Free museum Tuesday in SF

de Young, Legion of Honor, Conservatory of Flowers

Nov 7

Open houses

3 bilingual school open houses

French, German and Chinese immersion schools

Nov 14

Open houses

4 private school open houses

Peninsula, Hiba, Brave + 1 more

Now

Charter lottery

Yu Ming charter school lottery is open

Mandarin immersion · Oakland · Apply by Feb 12

Soon

Free & perks

New dates land Wednesday

Get the Fetch below

Every date comes from the school, venue or program's own site. Dates move, so confirm before you go or apply.

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Questions about AIfunLab

Who writes AIfunLab?

I'm Tanya Cheng, a Bay Area parent and the founder of AIfunLab. I started it because the information I needed for my own family's school and program decisions was scattered, out of date, or written by the schools themselves. With our writers, all Bay Area parents, I cover what parents actually ask: what things really cost, what a normal day looks like, and which kids a program suits. We visit campuses when we can and talk to parents whose kids are enrolled.

How do you decide what to cover?

We start with what Bay Area parents are trying to figure out: private schools, after-school programs and camps, AI tools for kids, and the research behind screen-time rules. We focus on what's new, expensive, debated, or poorly covered elsewhere, and we skip what's already well explained. When something is hard to verify or may have changed, we say so. Our full standards, including how we check prices, are on our How We Choose page.

How is AIfunLab different from GreatSchools or Niche?

Ratings only tell part of the story. Parents also want to know what tuition really costs, what a school day looks like, and which children thrive there. We answer those questions, including for newer schools the big sites barely cover. When we looked at Alpha School's Palo Alto campus, it had no Niche entry and an unclaimed Yelp listing, so we went and found out ourselves.

How does AIfunLab make money?

Schools, camps and app companies can pay for sponsored profiles, sidebar boxes and featured event listings. They're clearly labelled and sit outside our ranked guides, so payment buys visibility, not a better review or a higher ranking. Our editorial decisions are kept separate from those deals. The full policy is on our How We Choose page.

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