Hilltop's Blog
Building on the Wonders of Childhood
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...
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...
Unpacking anti-Asian rhetoric and Violence
Remember your hand placement. Remember to smile. Remember to ask permission to reach over. No sudden movements Mike, no sudden movements. My mind raced. My heart was beating twice as fast. The thought of “will I be another hashtag” floated in my mind. Last night, on...
Jewelry, Art and Social Justice
The pandemic exposed a lot things in our society. How little regard we have for educators especially early childhood educators and the childcare system. How we view, treat, and support or Black, Brown, Indigenous, brothers, sisters, and two-spirits. How White...
Seattle Preschool Program
Hilltop set to become a Seattle Preschool Provider Hilltop will join over 120 providers in providing high-quality, affordable preschool to children across the City of Seattle. Seattle, WA – Published on Mar 9th, 2021 - Hilltop Children’s Center and Educator...
Language is a Construct
It wasn't only until 1990 that the United States adopted the Native Americans Language Act. That means for the last 400+ years prior to that, not only did we try to eradicate Indigenous identity or culture, but we had policies and systems in place that was meant to...
Risk-taking and Social Activism (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this two-part series, Hilltop educator Lauren Mayo shared some of her own experiences learning about injustice and activism as a young child, and named how her own parents took important risks in exposing her to those learning moments. She then challenged...
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...