About Hilltop Children's Center

We have served the Seattle community since 1971, offering full-day and half-day classrooms for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, after-school programs for children ages 6 years to 12 years, as well as summer camp programs for children 3 years to 12 years.

Our Mission

We are transforming early childhood education through play, collaboration, and reflection: in our classrooms with children, partnerships with families, and professional development with educators.

Our Vision

We honor and trust children, engage families, and inspire educators, to create a more just and joyful world.

Our Values

We cultivate meaningful relationships, inspire curiosity, empower courageous leaders, and nurture a thriving community where children, educators, and families grow together.

Learning in Relationship

We seek and cultivate a wide breadth of thought and ideas as the foundation for meaningful connections with and intentional commitments to each other, which promotes social responsibility, interest in the unfamiliar, and respect for nature.

We believe in reciprocal influence.

Emergent Curriculum

We evoke new perspective by noticing, inquiring about, and reflecting on moments of curiosity or passion and make that discovery visible through documentation and expressive media. 

We believe learning is constructed through experiences, inquiry, and reflection.

Leadership in Community

We foster courageous leadership and serve as a model of innovative, reflective early childhood education practices.

We believe that collective contributions lead to bold action.

Organizational Integrity

We commit to transparent and responsible organizational practices that uphold our mission, sustain Hilltop, and bring playful joy to our work.

We believe that root tending creates stability and intentional growth.

Learn How You Can Support

When you give to Hilltop Children’s Center, you’re helping create a place where children feel safe, valued, and inspired to learn. Your generosity helps us provide high-quality early learning experiences, support families through Tuition Assistance, invest in our dedicated educators, and offer engaging, inclusive programs that help every child thrive.

Donate Today