Hillside Early Childhood Center

Hillside ECC sits on a hill with views of downtown, shaded with trees and plenty of outdoor space. My husband and I learned about this school while taking neighborhood walks long before we were parents. The school looked so charming, with vegetable gardens, chickens, and very happy-sounding children always at play. We now send our 15-month-old daughter there, and it still feels like a dream. The classrooms are child-centered, clean, spacious, and neatly organized. All include child-size furniture, thoughtful decorations, cozy corners for reading (or taking deep breaths), and materials that encourage movement and open-ended play. The children go outdoors daily, which is core to our family values (there's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing). And outside, the children explore nature, ride bikes, play in mud kitchens, and make art. The school teachers are gentle and caring, and the school leaders are incredibly committed to the school's mission. Everyone works hard to create a sense of belonging and honor the children as whole humans. For example, one day, I was fortunate enough to walk into snack time after taking my daughter to a wellness check. When we entered the classroom, every child in the room sat quietly (and unrestrained) around the table while the lead teacher sang. My 15-month-old toddler ran straight for the books; the teacher paused singing and kindly asked if she would like to join everyone at the table. My daughter, focused and calmly, walked over to the table and took the last empty seat. The teacher continued to sing. The scene moved me! It felt like a movie! Lastly, there's the school community, which also feels like a movie. My husband and I do not have family in the area, and once we started attending Hillside, it felt like we gained more than friends. In addition to the teachers and school leaders, the parents at Hillside are kind and involved in the school culture, and community events abound. For example, the school hosted an Art Gallery and Silent Auction at the beginning of the school year, a Pride Parade in September, a fall festival (Hillside Sunday) in October, and stewardship events like meals on wheels and a coat drive at the end of the year. We also meet every third Thursday for happy hour at Meanwhile brewery. The school holds a short child-friendly chapel service for the children (parents welcomed) once a month. We are not religious (Buddhist-leaning, if anything), but I have attended the chapel services to discuss them with my daughter. Once again, Hillside blew me away. The religious/spiritual component of the school community was incredibly open, inclusive, and positive, and the children looked happy participating! In a word, yet another opportunity for learning through music, poetry, and being together. I could continue boasting about Hillside because there is much more to say. We are beyond proud to be sending our daughter there!

Hillside Early Childhood Center has only been open for a few weeks, but it only takes a few minutes to see the immense care and love they have for the children who attend there. The children have been known to squeal with excitement when they pull into the parking lots. The teachers are extremely wonderful, and really love the kids, and the heads of school are friendly, personable, and a pleasure to work with. With outdoor time, music class, raised bed gardens, and plenty of age appropriate toys and activities, Hillside is poised to be one of the top early childhood centers not only in Travis Heights, but in all of Austin.

We are so lucky to have Hillside ECC in our neighborhood. They go above and beyond to provide an experience that fun, nurturing, and educational. It's obvious that the teachers truly love what they do. They are more than just teachers, they are friends of our child and our family. They have created a well thought out curriculum and give me daily updates on my child's development and interests. I feel like I get a wonderful glimpse into his day when I can't be there. As an added bonus, they have an amazing music program filled with singing, dancing and learning about instruments. There is no greater testimonial to a school than when your child is excited to go.

Really can't say enough good things about Hillside. We've had our 5 month old daughter there (our first kiddo) for a little over 2 months now and it's been just the best experience for both her and us. It's incredibly obvious how much everyone there cares and beyond that they are all extremely kind, professional and everything you'd want out of people looking after your little guy or girl. We had to wait a little bit before she could get in but even that process was fair and communicative throughout. We're excited for her to grow and learn with everyone there for these years to come. While my experience with this is limited, I truly feel like we got lucky finding Hillside.

My son attended Pre-K here and I'm so glad that he did. He looked forward to going to school every day and didn't want to leave when it was time to go home. I appreciate that his teachers made a very thought out age appropriate curriculum and also worked with the students in small groups as well. This year he started Kindergarten and had his assessment yesterday and let me say his teacher was AMAZED at how much he already knew! I thank Ms. Zutella, Ms. Nicole, and Ms. Deborah for doing a phenomenal job in making sure he was well prepared for Kindergarten. We are truly appreciative of Hillside and only wish they had a kindergarten class as well.