Hilltop Childrens Center is a learning community, built around the relationships among all the children, families, and teachers that make up our program. Our work together is shaped by our commitment to emergent curriculum and anti-bias practices, and by the ideas and experiences of the schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy.Their program is inspired by childrens curiosity and natural inclination to learn through play. Teachers observe childrens play and listen carefully to childrens questions so they may support emergent projects and creations that come directly from the children instead of the teachers. In small group work teams and large group free choice activities, teachers provide invitations to the children on topics they express interest in.Their approach to early childhood education is an interconnected web of practices anchored by our understanding of children as curious, eager to explore and learn, competent and resourceful, ready to collaborate, and full of wonder and delight.

At Hilltop, we view curriculum as everything that happens during our time together with the children.They believe that each moment offers an opportunity to explore relationships and to create a community that nurtures children, teachers, and families. Each moment holds a range of feelings and interests. There are always questions to pursue, hypotheses to investigate, and discoveries to celebrate. Curriculum happens all day, in every routine, action, interaction, and rearrangement of the room.Adults view children as competent, full of wonder, committed to relationships, willing to investigate, critique, reflect , and collaborate. This understanding of children shapes our decisions about how to arrange our classroom environment, schedule our days, and plan our curriculum

For more information, please visit http://www.hilltopcc.com