At Hill & Dale we strongly believe in sharing our educational philosophy with the community at large. In that vein, we have frequent parent education evenings where families and educators discuss and help each other out on a wide range of childrearing issues. Some examples of previous Parenting: A Work in Progress topic evenings include:

• Toilet Learning Without Tears
• Preparing for a Second Child
• Positive Limit Setting
• Understanding Tantrums
• Why Are Limits Important? What Do They Provide Children?
• Discipline With Logic and Love
• Helping Children Develop Intrinsic Motivation
• Creating a Home That Supports Literacy
• Creating Healthy Eating Patterns for Young Children

Hill & Dale is also an active member of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, serving on the education and non-profit committees, as well as on the Santa Monica Early Childcare Task Force. We also lead workshops for early childhood educators and consult with local home daycares. Each year, staff from Hill & Dale attend both the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) and California Association for the Education of Young Children’s (CAEYC) conferences and often act as presenters. Some examples of NAEYC, CAEYC and community workshops presented by current and past Hill & Dale educators include:

NAEYC

Me Responsible? No way!
"Teen-mothers and their children in a residential setting learning and developing living skills together" presented by Judith Brunk & Marilyn Graves

Moving Beyond I Don’t Like That
"Creating A Rich Vocabulary for Expressing Emotions" presented by Judith Brunk & Marilyn Graves

Cooking with Children
presented by Angella Flannery

Animal Care in the Learning Environment
presented by Nina Moench

Building a Foundation for Later Learning
"Designing Creative Science Environments and Activities in the Preschool Environment"
presented by Lytha Roddy, Lovella Singer & Rebecca Waterstone

The Heart of Learning
"How to protect, support and facilitate play in early childhood learning environments"
presented by Judith Brunk & Lytha Roddy

CAEYC

Social Competence and its function in Brain Development
presented by Judith Brunk & Marilyn Graves

Building Social Competence while Enriching Brain Development
presented by Judith Brunk & Rebecca Thomson

The Endangered Garden
"Reconnecting to Nature in the Early Childhood Environment "
presented by Lytha Roddy

Protecting and Facilitating Play in Early Learning Environments
presented by Judith Brunk

Community Workshops

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
presented by Judith Brunk

The Role of Parents and Educators in Children's Play
presented by Hill & Dale staff

Achieving Early Learning Standards through Play
Hill & Dale families and staff participated