Empowering Educators in Building the Power of Early Childhood Education.

Hilltop Seeking Board Treasurer + Finance Committee Volunteers

Hilltop Seeking Board Treasurer + Finance Committee Volunteers

12/2/2025 — Hilltop Children’s Center is seeking a new Board Treasurer to join our volunteer Board of Directors. The Treasurer plays a vital leadership role in ensuring the financial health, transparency, and long-term sustainability of our organization. This position is ideal for someone with experience in accounting, finance, or nonprofit management who is passionate about equitable early learning and wants to […]

Leadership Transition at Hilltop Children’s Center

10/30/2025 — We are announcing an important leadership transition at Hilltop Children’s Center. After six years of dedicated service, Darline Guerrero will be stepping down from her role as Executive Director. Darline’s tenure has been marked by extraordinary vision, resilience, and a deep commitment to early childhood education and the families we serve. During her time at Hilltop, Darline led transformative changes […]

Aotearoa – A Learning Tapestry

Aotearoa – A Learning Tapestry

In this blog post, Paty Ruas (Mentor Educator at Hilltop) reflects on her powerful learning experience while recently attending the annual Early Childhood Study Tour in Aotearoa New Zealand. You can learn more about this Study Tour on our website and reach out to us at ANZTour@hilltopcc.org if you’d like to attend a future tour! Ah, Aotearoa New Zealand! I […]

Nature & Community: Portals of Connection

Nature & Community: Portals of Connection

By Lara McKaye – School Age Educator and Executive Assistant at Hilltop The natural world is like a vibrant classroom, offering us a chance to learn not only about the creatures and ecosystems around us, but also about ourselves. In July 2023, the children of Hilltop’s School Age Summer Camp enjoyed a special outing to Golden Gardens Park for a […]

A Filipinx Lens on ECE

A Filipinx Lens on ECE

“Being vulnerable and sharing a piece of yourself might be the hardest thing we do as humans. What if we are rejected? What if we aren’t liked? What if we are othered? Being part of a group that is often lumped in with others, the world often forgets just how brilliant and beautiful our people are. In this interview, Mike […]

Processing During Challenging Times

Processing During Challenging Times

I used to think that there were thoughts that needed to be filed under a mental cabinet called “the things I will never say or think about ever again”. I used to think that if I were to say some of my thoughts out loud, they would take their own form, create little legs, run away and cause chaos everywhere. […]

Starting an Infant Program – Part 1

Starting an Infant Program – Part 1

My palms were sweaty for the first time in a long time. I hadn’t figured out the bottle warmers yet. My co-teacher, Andrea (she/her), and I talked about the sensory experiences we wanted to bring in. We arranged our room to be cozy and homey. The familiar sight and scents of our rainbow room, a room I had just spent […]

We Are in Mourning

We Are in Mourning

Preface: This blog is a reflection of the conversation educators in River Room at Hilltop had with their 3-5 year olds when news broke that the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found.  Acknowledgements: I want to start by honoring and thanking Queen Anne’s Program Supervisor, Theresa (she/her), an Indigenous womxn from the Crow Nation, whom in a conversation last […]

Collaboration and Critique with an Anti-Bias Foundation: Designing Classroom Murals

Collaboration and Critique with an Anti-Bias Foundation: Designing Classroom Murals

“I’ve always wanted to have a classroom mural created by kids.”  I honestly cannot remember what my co-teachers and I were talking about before this came out of my mouth, but from that point on, it was inevitable – we would have a mural. We actually ended up with three, one of which was a mural installed at a bus stop shelter across the street from Hilltop at our […]