Business Details
50+ Years
experience
Welcome to Hilltop Preschool: Learning With Love in Fountain Valley
Hilltop Preschool has been nurturing young minds in Fountain Valley, California since 1957. As a non-profit parent participation cooperative, we combine professional early childhood education with active family engagement to create a unique learning environment. Our Reggio-inspired curriculum emphasizes play-based learning, fostering social-emotional development alongside cognitive growth. With six experienced educators and a supportive parent community, we maintain low student-teacher ratios to ensure personalized attention. Our expansive outdoor play area and garden provide hands-on opportunities for exploration and discovery. Over six decades of operation demonstrate our commitment to quality early childhood education that prepares children for future academic and personal success.We believe in learning through active engagement with the environment, peer collaboration, and creative expression. Our structured yet flexible approach accommodates children aged 2.9 to 6 years through multiple program options. The involvement of parents in classroom activities and school governance strengthens our educational mission while building lasting community connections. This combination of professional expertise, family participation, and child-centered philosophy makes Hilltop Preschool a distinctive educational choice in Orange County.
Services
Developmental Preschool
Pre-K Programs
Transitional Kindergarten
Parent Participation
Summer Program
Reggio-Inspired Curriculum
Social-Emotional Development
Outdoor Learning
Community Events
Parent Education
Details
- Year established: 1957
Highlights and features
- We offer a Reggio-inspired curriculum emphasizing child-led exploration and discovery
- Our parent participation model creates unique learning opportunities for families
- Six experienced early childhood educators maintain low student-teacher ratios
- We provide age-appropriate programs for children aged 2.9 through 6 years
- Our beautiful outdoor play environment includes a dedicated learning garden
What people say
Wonderful teachers
Supportive community
Play-based learning
Nurturing approach
Beautiful play yard
Services
Developmental Preschool
Our developmental preschool programs provide age-appropriate educational experiences for children aged 2.9-6 years. Through structured play and guided exploration, we nurture cognitive, social, and emotional growth while preparing children for future academic success. Our curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning and peer interaction.
Reggio-Inspired Curriculum
This educational approach emphasizes child-initiated exploration and discovery. Teachers facilitate learning through project-based activities that emerge from children's interests, fostering creativity and critical thinking. The environment serves as a 'third teacher' with carefully designed indoor and outdoor learning spaces that encourage investigation and collaboration.
Parent Participation
Our cooperative model actively engages parents in classroom activities and school governance. Parents contribute to daily operations, attend educational workshops, and serve on committees. This partnership between families and educators creates a supportive community that enhances children's learning experiences and strengthens family connections.
Outdoor Learning
The expansive outdoor play environment features gardens, natural play areas, and discovery spaces. Children engage in sensory exploration, gardening activities, and unstructured play that promotes physical development and environmental awareness. The outdoor classroom extends learning beyond traditional settings through nature-based experiences.
Summer Program
Our summer program provides continued learning and social development during July. The curriculum maintains our educational philosophy while incorporating seasonal activities. This optional program offers structured care and enrichment opportunities for families needing summer childcare solutions while maintaining our commitment to quality early education.
Questions
What age groups do you serve?
We accept children aged 2 years 9 months through 6 years. Specific programs have additional age requirements for optimal developmental appropriateness.
Is parent participation required?
Active parent involvement is central to our cooperative model, though we offer limited non-co-op options in some programs.
What educational approach do you use?
Our Reggio-inspired curriculum emphasizes child-led exploration, play-based learning, and project-based activities that follow children's interests.
Do you offer full-day programs?
We offer morning programs with optional extended care. The standard school day runs from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM with parent classroom hours from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM.
Are you licensed and accredited?
We hold California childcare license #304370345 and operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, though we are not currently accredited by external agencies.
What is your summer program like?
Our July summer program maintains our educational philosophy with seasonal activities while providing childcare for working families during summer months.
Videos
Reviews (4)
Jamie Green
Feb 20, 2015
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I can honestly say that Hilltop Preschool has changed my life and that of my family's in so many incredibly positive ways. Hilltop is so much more than a preschool that it's hard to put into words the value of this truly invaluable program. It is a place where children and parents learn about eachother together. A place where each child thrives and… each family is supported through a philosophy that reaches far beyond that of a typical preschool. It is a community of teachers, children and parents that work together to provide a rich learning, developmental environment, all the while honoring
Tami N. Antonio Meade
Feb 06, 2015
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Hilltop is an amazing environment for children and parents alike.
Children get to explore and learn in a safe, thriving space. Parents have the opportunity to be working parents to learn positive tools to gain a stronger bond of respect, communication, and love for the individual child and the family as a whole. If Hilltop could deepen their roots… into society, the world would have so much more love in it. I recommend Hilltop to all my friends with small children. It's the best choice we made for our eldest first year of school. We love you Hilltop.
Children get to explore and learn in a safe, thriving space. Parents have the opportunity to be working parents to learn positive tools to gain a stronger bond of respect, communication, and love for the individual child and the family as a whole. If Hilltop could deepen their roots… into society, the world would have so much more love in it. I recommend Hilltop to all my friends with small children. It's the best choice we made for our eldest first year of school. We love you Hilltop.
Shannon Hendriks
Jun 13, 2014
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Our family has thrived at Hilltop for the past five years. Beyond being a place my children felt free to explore and express themselves, Hilltop has given me the skills to parent in a way I once thought was unreachable. Thank you Hilltop for supporting us (all of us!) in our growth.
Tanya Charfauros
Jun 08, 2014
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Hilltop is a safe place for your child to explore, experiment, learn and grow with confidence. It's a place for them to be who they are the learn new skills. The teachers are experts in child development and truly love the children individually for who they are and what THEY bring to the classroom. The teachers are vested in helping nurture each… child's growth through problem solving by respecting each other AND themselves. Because Hilltop is a parent cooperative school, I've been able to stay connected to my children's learning AND play a role in the growth of the Hilltop community. It
