Chartered in 1963 as San Diego's only parent-run cooperative preschool, San Diego Cooperative Preschool operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving children from six weeks through kindergarten age on Front Street. The program leases its campus from First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego - Hillcrest, and enrolled families commit to four classroom hours per month plus a school-year work party. The Reggio-inspired, play-based model emphasizes uninterrupted free play, sensory work, imagination, and collaborative problem-solving, with a parent-elected board of directors setting school policy alongside staff. Classroom music and movement enrichment runs through partnerships with nonprofits including Guitars in the Classroom, bringing guitar-led song circles into the weekly schedule. The most demanding commitment is the parent-guardian board role, which governs the preschool through bylaws, fundraising, and committee work that has sustained the cooperative model for six decades.