Sarah Felstiner and Joel Metschke from Hilltop Children’s Centre in Seattle, Washington

Though we don’t usually think of “planning” something “emergent,” educators at Hilltop Children’s Center in Seattle have found that it takes a great deal of intention to facilitate a curriculum that is truly responsive to children’s own questions and pursuits. These stories from Hilltop Children’s Center illustrate the structures and dispositions that can support a dynamic, responsive, customized curriculum for young children. We’ll examine Hilltop’s practices of In-Depth Investigation and Pedagogical Documentation, and explore strategies for facilitating an emergent curriculum in your own programs. Stories from preschool and school age contexts will be shared.