Building Bright Futures
Our Mission:
Empowering the Future
At San Diego Cooperative Preschool, we believe play is the foundation for happiness, development, and growth. We provide the highest quality care while creating a nurturing and supportive community of children, parents, and highly skilled teachers and staff. Our model of community sustains and enriches our children throughout their lives. We seek to enrich every child’s experience and to empower each child to joyfully develop at their own rate.
Co-op is Our Jam
Our Community:
A whole family approach: A community of learners, a lifetime of connections
As San Diego’s only cooperative preschool, we deeply value the unique relationship between parents/legal guardians, teachers, and children. Parents and guardians play an essential role by volunteering in their child's classroom each month. Through this cooperative model and regular community-building events, families stay closely engaged in their child’s early years. We also maintain an open-door policy, welcoming families to come and go as they wish.
One of the many special qualities of our preschool community is the shared belief that it truly takes a village to support and nurture young children. Together, we strive to create an environment where every child can grow, thrive, and build strong social and emotional foundations that will benefit them well beyond their time with us.
Building and sustaining this kind of supportive community requires dedication from everyone involved. Family involvement plays a vital role in this effort, and we are grateful for the commitment our families make each year. As part of the SDCP preschool community, each family is asked to participate in the following ways:
Attend Back to School Night/Fall Orientation
Attend three classroom meetings throughout the school year
Complete one school job per family, per year
Participate in the annual Work Party (a four-hour commitment per family)
Volunteer in your child’s classroom, also known as "co-oping"
A Message from our community:
A Piece of Our History
Our Beginning:
A Legacy of Community and Care Since 1964
UCP San Diego, doing business as San Diego Cooperative Preschool (SDCP), is a nonprofit preschool licensed by the State of California. Founded by a group of dedicated parents in 1963, the school remains guided by a parent-elected Board of Directors, composed of parents and guardians of currently enrolled children.
For over six decades, SDCP has been committed to supporting early childhood development and family education. Our experienced staff model developmentally appropriate practices while nurturing and guiding children through the foundational years of their learning journey.
SDCP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and operates within rented space at the First Unitarian Universalist Church. While our program is entirely secular and does not incorporate religious doctrine, SDCP and the Church are united by shared humanistic values that emphasize respect for and understanding of each individual child.
Our Teaching Team:
Nurturing Every Child with Knowledge and Love
At SDCP, our dedicated team of educators brings a high level of professionalism, care, and expertise to the classroom each day. All staff members are CPR/First Aid and mandated reporter certified and continuously engage in professional development to stay informed and inspired.
Rooted in the philosophies of RIE, Reggio Emilia, and play-based learning, we embrace an emergent curriculum that honors the child’s voice, interests, and pace. As co-learners with the children, we strive to see the world through their eyes— curious, capable, and full of potential. through thoughtful observation, photo documentation, and written reflections, we capture the richness of each child’s learning journey and growth.
Administration
Stephanie Larson, Director
Sandra Hernandez Aguirre, Office Administrator
Support Team
Jodie Falcon
Nina Glans
Dorian Daniel
Tessa Shoneman
Infant Team
Erica Martinez, Lead
Alyssa Nickerson, Assistant
Toddler Team
Ljiljana Jotanovic, Lead
Emma Munoz McCue, Assistant
Preschool 1 Team
Jazmin Segovia Montoya, Lead
Kai Villanueva, Assistant
Preschool 2 Team
Kat Bachert, Lead
Stacy Marin, Assistant
Preschool 3 Team
Kaeley Kaufold, Lead
Antonina Palestini, Assistant
“Play is the work of the child.”