Hilltop's Blog
Building on the Wonders of Childhood
Risk-taking and Social Activism (Part 1)
This is a two-part series about fostering social activism in young children. In Part 1, Hilltop educator Lauren Mayo (she/her) shares some of her own experiences learning about injustice and activism as a young child. She challenges readers to reflect on the ways that...
White America (Almost) Stole My Soul
“Which part of you do you leave at the door in order to survive?” - Michael Browne (he/him), Community Engagement Manager at Hilltop This question has made an impact in the way I think about my own identity. The first time I heard it out loud was on Episode Two...
Colores y Emociones
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...
Can Kids Go to Jail?
Children are naturally curious about things that we adults sometimes have a challenging time wrapping our minds around. And children sometimes feel even more curious as our own discomfort grows. Recently, despite my own discomfort, I decided to engage with a subject...
Literacy Ideas for Home
Literacy is more than just learning how to read. It consist of reading, writing, creating, and other forms of emergent markings that represents their thoughts and ideas. Children as young as 2 years old begin to imitate the act of writing and if we build on children's...
Learning Stories Conference 2021
SALSA TAPS HILLTOP AS NEXT CONFERENCE HOST Seattle, WA has been selected to welcome the 3rd annual Learning Stories Conference in June 2021 Seattle, WA – Published on July 21st, 2020 - Hilltop Children’s Center and Educator Institute has been named the host of the 3rd...
Zoom University
My mother used to always say "When I was younger, we never had to be on iPads, laptops, and video games." And if you're reading this mom, I can't believe I'm saying this but... you're right! At Hilltop, we believe that the less screen time a child gets, the better. We...
SEL Ideas for Home
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. "We have to be...