Welcome to Hilltop Christian Preschool & Day Camp! 

Our History

Hilltop Christian Preschool and Day Camp was opened in October 1992 to meet an immediate need for day care in the El Segundo community. Our school currently serves parents and children who live and/or work in El Segundo and the surrounding communities.

Creative Potential + Self-Esteem + Christian Principles 

The philosophy of Hilltop Christian Preschool and Day Camp is to promote the development of each child’s own unique creative potential and encourage self esteem and development of positive self concepts through Christian principles.

Our staff respects each child’s emotional behavior through love, guidance and acceptance of the individual needs of each child. We strive to always speak in positive terms and set forth positive expectations for each child, offering a variety of activities and materials to encourage each child to grow in his/her own way and learn at his/her own pace.

Our Purpose

The purpose of Hilltop Christian Preschool and Day Camp is to serve the children and the families in our community by offering a nurturing and stimulating Christian environment for young children.

Keeping the Children Safe

Parents can feel confident in the fact that our school is licensed, certified, and accredited to provide the best preschool and afterschool care experience. Our teachers are all educated in early childhood education and make safety a priority. Our teachers are CPR and first aid certified. Our facility has 24-hour surveillance cameras and a security system that requires parents to be buzzed in to enter the building.

After going to law school, I decided to pursue my real passion of working with children by pursuing an education in the Montessori Method of Teaching as well as Preschool. I have since then worked with children for the past 28 years and have been the director here at Hilltop for over 21 years. I received my education from the University of California, Los Angeles where I focused on the Administration of  Early Childhood Education.

I believe that every child deserves to have a safe and fun educational environment to learn and grow in. I believe that the foundation for a child’s education starts with preschool, so we strive every day to provide a lasting education in each child that comes through our doors.

While we focus a lot on educating and helping our children grow and develop, I also strive to balance this with making Hilltop a home-away-from-home for our kids by making sure we provide a loving and nurturing environment for them.

I have two children of my own that attended Hilltop since they were infants. Thus, the way I make sure Hilltop is up to par is by asking myself whether I would feel happy leaving my own children here.

I believe teaching is an incredibly important profession and I am glad to be a part of it. One of my favorite things to do with the children is reading stories and doing song and dance with them. My favorite thing about Hilltop is the families that we serve and the teachers who work so hard for them. I love the family that Hilltop has become and love the fact that we now have several second generation Hilltop kids. I truly love being a part of the childrens’ growth and development, and I make it my goal to make sure that Hilltop has a positive impact on them by making their environment safe, stable, and nurturing. 

Kind Regards,

 Eromie Kumarage 

We have a well-balanced preschool program for children two through five years of age. Included during the day are a morning and afternoon snack, naptime, and activities including: art, science, music, creative movement, dramatic play, Bible, field trips, kindergarten readiness, and literature.

Busy Bees

Our Busy Bee class is designed for two-year-olds. Our mission in this classroom is to take advantage of the teachable moments that happen every day, mostly through play.  For young children, play is serious learning and takes place in every activity. Whether we are singing a song, blowing bubbles, reading a book, or just being together, they are learning and growing into caring, curious, and joy-filled children!  Our classroom activities will provide a stimulating and secure environment that encourages children to be confident and competent lifelong learners. Christian character and Biblical values such as kindness, sharing, forgiveness, respect, and honesty will always be emphasized in our classroom.

The Busy Bee class works around monthly themes to introduce children to numbers, colors, shapes, seasons, and animals through circle time, art projects and other activities involving sensory, science, large and fine motor skills, and dramatic play.

As children transition from toddlerhood to becoming preschoolers, we work with their endless energy, curiosity and exploration to allow them to engage in their world with confidence. Our children are challenged with developmentally appropriate activities throughout the day such as sharing and interacting with friends, taking turns, cooperating, self-feeding, arts and crafts, song and dance, playing and caring for toys, and potty training all while we encourage them to use their words to express their feelings and needs.

We have a ratio of one teacher to ten children.

Playful Pandas

As our children move up from the Busy Bees to the Playful Pandas class, our curriculum advances to match their developmental progress. Through circle time, arts & crafts, science and cooking lessons, learning centers, and various other activities, we enhance our children’s knowledge base in areas such as numbers, letters, colors, shapes, and recognizing patterns, opposites, and rhymes, and being able to follow directions from a teacher while engaging in activities. Our panda class work around monthly themes to facilitate and engage the children in the learning process. We start each day with Fluency & Fitness where we learn our letters and numbers while being active.   

Delightful Dolphins

The Dolphin program is set up because we all know that today’s kindergarten classrooms are academically challenging. This class gives students a solid foundation needed to enter kindergarten confidently and successfully. My curriculum allows children to develop to their fullest potential through creative experiences that challenge them to grow.

The classroom is arranged to give the children easy access to toys and didactic equipment. The different centers play different roles and assist in cognitive development.

 The areas include:

• Dramatic play
• Manipulative center
• Quiet area (for the shy ones)
• Blocks and leggos,
• Art center
• Literacy and Language
• Math
• And much, much more!

Your child is here because he or she will go to Kindergarten or Teddes next fall. I am here to prepare him / her for that journey. Your child will encounter a few things this year as follows:

•          Concept of sharing and cooperative play
•          Clean up after themselves at school and home
•          Follow a two to three step directional
•          Practice listening skills during story / circle time.
•          Learn to verbalize loudly to be heard
•          Recognize and write their first and last names correctly
•          Practice taking off and putting on their clothes. (Please help me at home)
•          Practice good hygiene in the bathroom. (Go potty, flush the toilet and wash hands)
•          Identify letters Aa-Zz and numbers 1-10

Art is always child’s choice and without examples.

Arts and crafts benefit children through the process and not by the end product.

We have balanced indoor and outdoor playtime, and I constantly circulate the equipment for further growth development.

I will set clear limits about acceptable social behavior, but will understand that 4 and five year olds may be easily frustrated and are still learning to express their feelings.

I believe that all children are capable of learning. The room has a balance of teacher-guided experiences as well being student centered.

Daily Schedule:

9:00 – 9:30am~Fluency & Fitness

9:30 – 940am~get ready for snack

9:40-9:50am snack (this is a good time to be here)

9:50am~to whenever the children are done: Daily lesson

Since the children are working at their own pace, some of the children will be done before others. They can use this time for quiet free play, while they wait for their friends.

About 10:35-10:55am ~story time / music time /group games

11:00-11:45am ~outside free play

11:45-12:00pm ~go potty and wash our hands to prepare for lunch

12:00 -12:35pm ~ Lunch

12:35-1:00pm ~slow down, get ready for naptime. The children can use this quiet time for whispering and unwinding.

1:00- 3:00pm ~Nap time

3:00-3:20pm ~afternoon snack

3:20-4:00pm ~Art or Genius Hour

4:00 – 6:00pm ~Day care begins; wait for parent pick up, fellowship with friends.

Please be here by snack time, to ensure that the other children are not disturbed during lesson time.

*Schedule subject to change

Day Camp

Our Day Camp is a program for school age children, kindergarten through 5th grade, designed for before and after school care. We offer transportation to and from El Segundo School District. An afternoon snack is provided. This program provides all day care during winter and spring breaks, teacher conferences and teacher in-service days. Activities and instruction before and after school include: Bible study, music, physical activity, creative play, art, and supervision/time for homework.

Summer Day Camp

The summer full time program for school age children has a schedule of many special and exciting activities, field trips, and outings. This program is open to all children entering kindergarten through 5th grade. Included in this program are: Arts and crafts, cooking, Bible lessons, drama, field trips, hands-on activities, team and individual sports, morning and afternoon snacks, picnics, and swimming.

Weekly Activities that our kids participate in each week...

School of Dance

Stardreams School of Dance and Gymnastics has been coming to Hilltop on a weekly basis since we started in 1992. Stardreams teaches our children about the importance of fitness as they learn body awareness, control, timing, coordination, and the language of dance Our kids gain self-confidence through seeing, doing, and experimenting. Stardreams teaches social, physical, and mental strengths that our kids can carry on into other areas. While having fun through classes and performances, our Hilltop kids have eagerly entered into the world of dance and gymnastics through Stardreams.

Soccer Shots

Soccer Shots is a youth soccer development program that comes weekly to introduce our preschoolers to soccer. They use creative and imaginative games to help our children develop soccer skills such as dribbling, passing, shooting, team dynamics, and the basic rules of the game. By highlighting positive character traits through positive reinforcement, our kids develop great sportsmanship such as respect, teamwork, and appreciation. We have loved the character formation, active lifestyle habits, and individual skill development that Soccer Shots has brought to our school for years, all while our kids have a blast participating.

Merry-Go-Round Music Creative Classes for Kids

Merry-Go-Round Music is taught by Emily Keith, a Hilltop mom.  As a parent of three little ones, Emily has extensive experience encouraging creativity!  Emily is a former actor with a Theatre Education degree from Ohio Wesleyan University.  She knows first-hand the joy of acting, singing and dancing, and nurturing that same joy in the little ones she teaches. Each class combines singing, dancing and imaginative play-acting for a relaxed and fun atmosphere your child will love! 

• Songs with hand movements, dance steps and puppets
• Instruments to encourage rhythm and listening skills
•  Stories to act out with music and props

Enrollment information

• We offer full day programs

• We offer 2,3,4, and 5 day options

• Our hours are 7AM to 6PM

• Morning and afternoon snacks are provided

Parents are encouraged to call Eromie at (310) 322-4348 to inquire if you have any questions about current openings.

If you would like to schedule a tour of our school, meet the teachers, or observe daily activities in the classroom, you may also email:  eromie.hilltoppreschool@gmail.com

If you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) in our school, please fill out the form below, and click the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the page.  Applications may be submitted at any time and will be granted based upon availability. Given the typically long wait list, parents are encouraged to put their child on the waiting list far in advance. Thank you so much for your interest in our school. Someone will be in touch with you shortly! 

Waiting List form Hilltop Christian Preschool & Day Camp

Important Dates to Remember

• Teacher Appreciation Week – May 3-7

• Mother's Day Celebration – May 7

• Father’s Day Celebration – June 18

• Preschool Graduation – June 11

• Crazy Hair Day (preschool only) - October 15

• Harvest Party & Dress Parade – October 29

• Thanksgiving Feast – November 23

• Pajama Day (preschool only) — December 3

• Christmas Program – December 11

• Christmas Party – December 23

School Holidays

• New Year’s Day Holiday - January 1

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day – January 18

• Presidents’ Day – February 15

• Good Friday – April 2

• Memorial Day – May 31

• Independence Day (in lieu) – July 5

• Labor Day – September 6

• Veteran's Day - November 11

• Thanksgiving Day – November 25

• Day after Thanksgiving- November 26

• Christmas Break – December 23- December 31

  • Note, Hilltop will re-open on January 3, 2022

New School Year Begins August 25, 2021

Health and Safety

We are closely following guidance from the CDC, as well as state and local officials and health authorities, as we take extreme care to maintain our safe, healthy school environment.

Sleeping Safely

During naps, light is never completely blocked. To ensure nap time safety, children are always under visual contact and listened to. Children sleep on their backs with age-appropriate bedding.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit our website. If you have any additional questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to CONTACT US using the form below. Someone will be in touch with you shortly!