Colores y Emociones
August 24, 2020

Colores y Emociones

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″] Looking to introduce a new language during your home days? Or perhaps you’re looking for ways to support your child’s language development skills? Here’s one way Jill, Spanish Teacher at Hilltop, uses colors and emotions to support children’s language acquisition in the classroom and everyday life! The language […]

Institute Blog 0 3 min read
SEL Ideas for Home
June 29, 2020

SEL Ideas for Home

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ use_border_color=”off”] The most important skills we teach in the early years aren’t academic. Skills such as self-regulation, sharing, kindness, and social justice are the life-long skills crucial to the overall success of our children, however you define success.   […]

Institute Blog 0 6 min read
Talking to Toddlers During a Time of Crisis
May 18, 2020

Talking to Toddlers During a Time of Crisis

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″] Covid-19 descended upon Seattle, seeping in like a fog first in small ways, then eventually in signals we couldn’t ignore. Stores were empty, hours at our center were limited. A constant state of interruption became the norm. Children were being told constantly to get up and wash their hands, cover […]

Institute Blog 0 7 min read
Creating Community Remotely
April 1, 2020

Creating Community Remotely

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″]Here in Seattle, where all public and private K-12 schools are currently closed or practicing “remote learning” for the foreseeable future, some preschools have also closed temporarily, in accordance with statewide advisories for social distancing. At Hilltop, which serves 120 children starting as young as age 2, our building […]

Institute Blog 0 4 min read
“Do you believe in Black Lives Matter?”
July 21, 2017

“Do you believe in Black Lives Matter?”

Students in Hilltop’s after-school program asked this question – of their teachers and their friends –  repeatedly this year. Mostly those inquiring were black students. They had heard about Black Lives Matter on the news, and noticed how educators and students in our local Seattle Public Schools were supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. The kids wanted to support the movement too, and wanted to know how Black Lives Matter was supported at Hilltop. They took action one afternoon by making their own Black Lives Matter signs.

Institute Blog 0 7 min read