2023 Enrollment Update

We appreciate your interest in Hillcrest. We are happy to announce that we have restarted our enrollment process for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.

Currently, tuition for Hillcrest is

  • Infant/Toddler (6wks-36m) Full-time $1,700; Part-time $1,360
  • Preschool (37m and older) Full-time $1,540; Part-time $1,170

At this time, we have the following openings beginning October 1, 2023.

  • Birthdate 9/2/2022-9/1/2023
  • Birthdate 9/2/2021-9/1/2022
  • Birthdate 9/2/2020-9/1/2021
  • Birthdate 9/2/2019-9/1/2020

Please email the office at hillcrestak@gmail.com with your child’s birth date and desired start date to schedule a tour to see if Hillcrest is a match for your family.

We are also beginning our guaranteed spot enrollment for September 1, 2024. We have the following openings

  • Birthday between 2/2/2024-9/1/2024, 4 openings
  • Birthday betweeen 9/2/2023-2/1/2024, 4 openings

If you are connected to Hillcrest, especially an alumnus, please add that information.

Last updated 9/27/2023

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PayPal Link

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Need Immunization Records? State recommends Docket App

The State of Alaska Department of Health Immunization program is encouraging families to use the Docket App for easy access to immunization records.

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COVID Protocol

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2023 Parent Handbook

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Why We Give

The Kelly Family

Dear families and friends of Hillcrest Children’s Center:

When thinking of what makes a daycare and preschool ideal for your child, you think of a place where every child feels loved and safe, where their creativity is nurtured, and where parents feel confident in and trust the caregivers and staff. That is what our family thinks of when we think of Hillcrest Children’s Center.

Our daughter Nora has been attending Hillcrest Children’s Center since March 2021, and ever since, we have seen her continue to grow and thrive in a welcoming and healthy environment. Nora began her time at Hillcrest in the Older Toddlers room and recently moved up to the Preschool room. Her teachers have been integral in her development, and we look forward to watching her continue to excel and grow.

The kiddos at Hillcrest are encouraged to express themselves, which is such an important and vital component to their growth. The staff and teachers provide warmth, acceptance and encourage each child’s independence. They are also so responsive to each child’s needs. Every day, our daughter comes home with so many stories of what she did that day – from arts and crafts to “show and tell” to spending much of the day playing outside. We couldn’t ask for a better place for our daughter to grow and learn! We just welcomed our second daughter in October, and look forward to having her join the Hillcrest family soon.

There are so many reasons why we love Hillcrest, and we want to ensure that the center is able to continue to provide the programming that our family has come to know and love for years and years to come. Please consider giving to this very special place that I know has enriched so many children’s lives over the past 40 years.

You can make a tax-deductible donation via credit card, Paypal, or by dropping a check at Hillcrest Children’s Center. You can also become a Sustaining Family monthly donor through your monthly tuition. Thank you for your time and consideration as Hillcrest continues to provide a quality, play-based early childhood education program.

Bri, Karrick, Nora and Sloane Kelly

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Why we give….

Growing up, my mom told us how hard it was to find good childcare in Anchorage in the 1970s. And the 1980s. And the 1990s. She told us, “When the doctor confirmed you were pregnant, the first person you called was your husband. The second person was Mrs. Mounts, the director of Hillcrest.” I was the third person in my family to be a Hillcrest Kid in 1983 (I still have my button!), and in 2017 I followed mom’s advice when we started our family. The first person I told was my husband. My second call was to Christina Eubanks-Ohana, and Henry started Hillcrest in May of 2018.

50 years after my mom had difficulty finding good childcare in Anchorage, that task is still nearly impossible. Parents are left with few choices and finding something that’s “good enough” will have to do. But tucked away on a hill is an enclave of love, support, encouragement, resilience, and community, teaching those humane fundamentals to the thousands of kids who have walked through its doors. 

Hillcrest isn’t “good enough”. Hillcrest is great. In Anchorage, Hillcrest is the Gold Standard.

The teachers and staff at Hillcrest don’t just teach. They love. And they don’t just love the kids in their classroom, but the entire family. In the spring of 2020 when COVID-19 shut down our entire city and things were, at best, uncertain, Hillcrest remained open and managed to maintain continuity and routine in the lives of our kids. They opened their doors to kids in older grades as a place to still go to school when ASD moved to online learning. They provided then and continue now to provide what we all so desperately craved in those early and scary days of 2020: an extraordinary act of love. 

Hillcrest has managed to weather literal and figurative storms for 50 years but cannot do it alone. This little brown building holds greatness within its walls but needs help to grow, improve, and honor its staff and teachers for their relentless pursuit of kindness, goodness, and, most of all, love.

This campaign provides for:

Please consider generously participating in Hillcrest’s Annual Giving Campaign. 

  • staff end-of-year bonuses
  • improvements to the classrooms and building
  • a building maintenance reserve fund

Thank you for your generosity. The next generation of Hillcrest kids will be so grateful for your own extraordinary act of love. 

Thank you,
Catherine A. Sullivan
(Hillcrest alumnus, 1983)

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Why We Give….

Our son, Cole, began attending Hillcrest at 3 months old and is now in the Older Toddler classroom. Our first year at Hillcrest really opened our hearts to why it is such a special place with very special people.
When I would come to pick Cole up during the first year, I would spend a few extra minutes talking to Ms. Renae because her slow, calm demeanor just drew you in. Every day some older children would come and ring the windchime at her door as a ritual of saying hello as they passed or goodbye as they left for the day. Even school-age kids that were volunteering their time at the center would pop in to say hi, and she’d look at me and wink, “that’s one of my babies!” she’d proudly say.
One day I brought in my 1986 school picture from when I was attending Hillcrest to show Ms. Renae. Even though she wasn’t working there at that time, she called me one of her Hillcrest babies, and I felt the love that all those windchime ringers were feeling. In one of our talks, I shared two memories that had stuck with me that I never saw as significant until my family was part of the Hillcrest family.


In 1986 I was in preschool at Hillcrest. My dad had just arrived to pick me up, and we were outside as he recapped the day with one of my teachers. I can see the Hillcrest building in my mind, the same sun shining through the same tall trees that are there now. As we were walking and talking, my teacher told my dad that I was “bright.” My four-year-old mind assumed it was a sunny day reference. As I got older, this specific memory would pop up from time to time until one day I understood.
My son’s teachers at Hillcrest take the time to connect with me or my husband almost every day when we pick our son up to recap his day. When our son’s teachers share positive affirmations about him as he stands there listening, I can see him beaming when he understands. I know this will positively impact his development and self-confidence throughout his life, just as it did mine.
Another memory I have at Hillcrest was on my birthday in the early ’80s. It was St. Patrick’s Day, and little green feet were going up the sides of the walls because little leprechauns came in the middle of the night! Oh how it held magic to our little imaginations! Fast forward to 2021, when I came to Hillcrest last week to pick up our son. All the children were sitting in their tiny chairs celebrating a birthday with cupcakes. The birthday child was centered at the table wearing a construction paper crown on his head- What a little prince he was! This may be a memory that he carries throughout his lifetime that fills his heart with love.
Each year, Hillcrest has an annual campaign to benefit the center. Tuition covers basic supplies and repairs that our center needs but not larger projects, including necessary things like a fire alarm system upgrade, siding/paint for the center, as well as a newly designed preschool play yard. The annual fund has replaced flooring, a boiler and even helped build a bathroom in the last few years.
In addition to the physical property, we all know the heart of Hillcrest is the staff. Many of the staff put in more than is expected and it is so much more than just a job to them. Childcare in Anchorage, especially now, is becoming increasingly harder to find due to the pandemic. We are more than blessed to have committed teachers and staff that show up every day and pour their love out to help raise our children. As a thank you, the annual campaign also benefits them with a yearly bonus. This bonus is more than a gesture of gratitude- it helps them get the necessary things they need to continue to provide the level of care that we receive for our children, whether it is much-needed vehicle repairs to get them to and from work, or even winter gear so that they can play outside with our children.
As we step into this season of giving, I want you to think about what Hillcrest means to you and your family. For our family, we see tiny hands building kingdoms with wood blocks and playgrounds turned into mud pie kitchens. We see imaginations growing and huge, little hearts overflowing as they nurture their baby dolls during circle time. And if I’m being completely transparent, we look inward and see two parents inspired every day by Hillcrest’s values and philosophy.
If you grew up in Anchorage, you know how much it has changed, yet Hollywood Drive still looks very similar as it did then. Our son today plays within the same walls of that old brown building that I played in almost 40 years ago (and even Mr. Jim is still there!). I know this kind of longevity and care wouldn’t be possible without contributions during the annual campaign. Please consider contributing because your donation truly makes a difference.
You can make a tax-deductible donation via credit card, Paypal, or by dropping a check at Hillcrest. You can also become a Sustaining Family monthly donor through your monthly tuition. Thank you for your time and consideration.

The Medina Family

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Enrollment Update November 2021

We want to thank all families for their interest in Hillcrest. Our classrooms are currently full for the Fall of 2021. We are building an active waitlist for families who would like to be considered for an unexpected opening. It is our practice to only have two families on any classrooms waitlist. This lets us know who is really interested in joining the Hillcrest family while saving families the time and cost of being on waitlists with little hope of getting in.

As explained under the Enrollment section of the website, Hillcrest uses a Guaranteed Start admission process. We do have the following spaces available in the future for a Guaranteed Start:
September 2022 start date for two children born after September 2021.

If you believe Hillcrest may be the right match for your children please email us at hillcrestak@gmail.com with your child’s birthdate/due date to schedule a tour.



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COVID Vaccine Household Requirement

Dear Current and Potential Hillcrest Families,
I have completed the vaccine survey discussed at last week’s board meeting, and I am writing to share the good news that we currently have more than 95 percent vaccination rate among eligible household members. After careful consideration of parents’ comments, the Board has approved a requirement that all vaccine-eligible household members of Hillcrest children be vaccinated. I will follow up individually with the few parents who have lingering concerns about vaccines. The board hopes these families will choose to be vaccinated and remain in the Hillcrest family.
The board’s two goals in reaching this decision are (1) to protect our children, who cannot be vaccinated and (2) to give us all as a community the best chance of keeping the delta variant out of Hillcrest this winter and remaining open. Last year, our children were much less likely to be exposed at home because of the level of masking and social distancing happening in Anchorage. This year with so many of us required to return to work in person and no mask mandates, the best available protection for kids is parents’ vaccines.
We appreciate the thoughtful feedback about children and covid vaccines. It will be many months before a vaccine is approved for children under 5, so the Board will consider the issue of vaccines for children whenever they are finally approved.
Thank you all for your efforts to look out for each other by vaccinating, getting kids tested when they have symptoms, and making careful choices about indoor activities as case counts come up again.

Hillcrest Children’s Center

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June 2021-July 2022 Closures

Hillcrest will be closed for the following dates for Holidays and In-Service Training. Please look under the Hours page for further details.

Monday, July 5th, 2021
Friday and Monday, September 3 and 6th, 2021
Monday, October 18th, 2021
Thursday, November 11th, 2021
Thursday and Friday, November 25th and 26th, 2021
Friday, December 24th and 31st, 2021
Monday, January 17th, 2022
Monday, February 21, 2022
Monday, March 28th, 2022
Friday and Monday, May 27th and 30th, 2022

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