BART from Orinda or Lafayette to SF?

Hello!  I'm hoping there are some people on here either in Orinda or Lafayette or for some reason have good knowledge of the ins and outs of commuting from there... My family is entertaining the idea of moving to Orinda or Lafayette. We both work in SF. It seems like getting a parking permit for either the Orinda or Lafayette BART parking lot is not going to happen anytime soon. So for someone who has to commute in at high commute times (i.e. after the non-permit parts of those BART parking lots are probably filled up) and does not live walking distance to the BART station, what does one do? (One of us would need to drop kids off at schools, so both of us going in excessively early would not be an option). I'm sure there must be a bunch of answers (??), but would love to hear what the various options/experiences are. I know you can buy those daily parking passes in advance, but is that reliable/exhausting to have to keep doing?

Thanks!