Learning Through Play, Rooted in Care — where children grow through exploration, creativity, and connection.
Guided by the Creative Curriculum
We thoughtfully inspire confidence, build curiosity, and nurture a lifelong love of learning.
Fostered by Intentional, Nurturing Teachers
We create meaningful learning experiences through guidance, care, and purposeful play.
School Readiness, Every Step
From infants to Pre-K, every classroom prepares your child to confidently take on what comes next.
6:30 AM – 6 PM
Mon–Fri hours
6 wks – Pre-K
Ages served
State licensed
Licensed program
Subsidy accepted
State subsidy accepted
Why Hillside?
Founded by Kymille Hill — educator, director, and mother of four — with 14+ years in Early Childhood Education. Every decision at Hillside is rooted in what's best for children and families.
Safe & nurturing
Every child feels secure, valued, and celebrated every single day.
Creative Curriculum
Research-based framework that builds curiosity and hands-on learning.
Family partnership
Weekly newsletters and daily updates keep your family connected.
School readiness
Building every skill needed to confidently enter kindergarten.
8 named classrooms
Each room designed for a specific developmental stage.
Community first
More than childcare — a warm, welcoming home away from home.
SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
Take a virtual tour
Walk through our classrooms, hallways, and play spaces in this video tour of Hillside Early Learning Center.
Ready to find the right fit for your child?
Come see our classrooms in person. Director Kymille Hill would love to meet your family.
Dedicated to providing families with quality childcare in a safe and nurturing environment where every child grows and thrives.
The owners
Family owned & operated
Dalano & Kymille Hill
Owners — Hillside Early Learning Center
Hi, we are the Hill Family! I'm Kymille Hill, owner and director of Hillside Early Learning Center. With over 14 years of experience in Early Childhood Education — including 10 years teaching and several years in administration — my passion has always been creating safe, nurturing environments where children can learn, grow, and thrive.
As both an educator and a mother of four, I understand how important it is for families to feel connected and confident in their childcare experience. At Hillside, our classrooms are guided by Creative Curriculum and intentionally designed to encourage hands-on learning, independence, creativity, and meaningful relationships through purposeful play.
Our goal is to create more than just a childcare center — we strive to build a warm, welcoming community where children feel supported, families feel valued, and learning is rooted in care.
Meet our admin team
Kymille Hill
Owner & Director
14+ years in Early Childhood Education. Mother of four and passionate advocate for every child's development.
Kendra Martinez
Assistant Director
Brings warmth, organization, and deep commitment to supporting both families and the Hillside team every day.
Our mission & values
Learning
We understand that children learn in different ways and honor each child's unique path.
Self-esteem
We encourage every child to recognize their strengths and feel confident entering kindergarten.
Respect
We value respect for every child, family, and staff member — building trust at every level.
Growth
We nurture the whole child — social, emotional, and academic growth at every stage.
Family partnership
Parent involvement is critical. We stay connected through newsletters and daily updates.
Community
More than a childcare center — a warm, welcoming community where everyone belongs.
Our classrooms
Eight intentionally named classrooms, each designed for a specific developmental stage and guided by the Creative Curriculum.
🌻 Guided by the Creative Curriculum
🌱 Sweet Peas6 weeks – 6 months
Our youngest infant classroom is thoughtfully designed to provide a warm, nurturing, comforting environment. Teachers work closely with each family to maintain your child's individual schedule, encouraging milestones through tummy time, sensory exploration, and meaningful interactions.
We support growing communication, independence, and curiosity through color recognition, body part activities, and familiar objects. Children are introduced to basic sign language to express their needs. Sensory play and hands-on experiences encourage daily exploration.
Encouraging growing independence while supporting developmental milestones. Activities enhance gross motor skills — walking, self-feeding — while enriching sensory experiences let children safely discover the world through play and movement.
Gross motor skillsSelf-feedingSensory discoveryMovement
🌸 Lillies18 months – 24 months
We encourage independence through daily self-help skills — using utensils, helping clean the classroom, putting shoes on. Through engaging activities and repetition, children build confidence in everyday routines and essential life skills.
Self-help skillsDaily routinesLife skillsConfidence building
🌾 Wildflowers2 – 2½ years
Developing strong social-emotional skills, encouraging children to use their words, build friendships, and gain confidence through the potty-training process. Early kindergarten readiness skills like counting and color recognition are introduced through hands-on learning.
Social-emotional skillsFriendship buildingPotty training supportCounting & colors
🌻 Sunflowers2½ – 3 years
Building on growing independence with more structured learning — colors, shapes, counting, and early letter recognition — through hands-on activities and guided play. Children continue developing social skills, following classroom routines, and growing confidence as they prepare for the next stage of preschool.
Early lettersShapes & countingGuided playGrowing independence
🪷 Magnolias3 – 4 years
Engaging activities and hands-on experiences that strengthen early writing, phonics, and beginning math skills. Children build confidence in communication, practice self-regulation, and develop problem-solving skills through meaningful interactions, structured learning opportunities, and play-based exploration each day.
Early writingPhonicsBeginning mathSelf-regulation
💮 Blossoms4 – 5 years
Building strong kindergarten readiness skills through engaging, hands-on activities. Children grow socially and emotionally while developing confidence, independence, communication, early literacy, math, and problem-solving skills — through purposeful play, structured learning, and nurturing guidance as they prepare for their next big step into kindergarten.
Kindergarten prepEarly literacyMathIndependence
Ready to see the classrooms in person?
Schedule a tour with Director Kymille Hill — we'd love to welcome your family to Hillside.
I can’t say enough good things about Hillside. My daughter has attended since she was 1 year old. She learns so many things I can hardly keep track. She can sign 10 words in sign language and knows all of her animals and their sounds. She can even say her ABC’s up to the letter J and she’s only a little over 1.5 years old. Mrs. Kymille Hill (owner and director) is amazing at her job and running a smooth ship with the help of Mrs. Kendra (Assistant Director). I have never felt so secure in leaving my child before. I would recommend 1000x over.
We enjoy Hillside Early Learning Center. Sending a baby to daycare and going back to work is tough to do, but fortunately, we have had some amazing teachers that have made that transition a little easier.
At Hillside Early Learning Center, we're always looking for caring, dependable people who love helping children learn and grow. If that sounds like you, we'd love to meet you.
We're a small, close-knit center in the heart of Smithville — and we care for our team the same way we care for our families.
A supportive team
Our directors work right alongside you every day, so you're never on your own.
Purposeful work
Help children reach real milestones through our nurturing, play-based approach.
Room to grow
Gain hands-on experience across our infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms.
How to apply
Applying takes just a few minutes — here's what to expect.
1
Complete the online application. Tell us about yourself, your experience, and the role you're interested in.
2
We review and reach out. If it looks like a good fit, we'll contact you to talk more about the opportunity.
3
Come meet the team. Visit Hillside, see our classrooms, and get to know the people you'd be working with.
We accept applications year-round and keep them on file as positions open across our infant, toddler, and preschool rooms. Questions about a role? Email info@hillsideelckc.org or call 816-873-1718.
Hillside Early Learning Center is an equal opportunity employer.
Ready to join Hillside?
We'd love to learn more about you. Complete our quick online application to get started.
Our commitment to transparency and the trust of every family in our community.
Privacy policy
Last updated: June 2026. Hillside Early Learning Center is committed to protecting the privacy of the families and children in our care.
Information we collect
We collect information you provide directly — parent/guardian names, contact details, child's name and age, and health or emergency information necessary for enrollment and care. We also collect information submitted through our website contact form.
How we use your information
To communicate with families about enrollment, scheduling, and center updates
To maintain required licensing and state records
To respond to website inquiries
To send newsletters and family communications (you may opt out at any time)
We do not sell your information
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Information is shared only as required by law or with authorized service providers such as state licensing agencies.
Contact us
Questions? Contact us at info@hillsideelckc.org or 816-873-1718.
Accessibility statement
Hillside Early Learning Center is committed to ensuring our website and communications are accessible to all families, including those with disabilities.
Our commitment
We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA and are continually working to improve accessibility.
What we're doing
Providing text alternatives for non-text content
Ensuring sufficient color contrast throughout our site
Making all functionality available via keyboard navigation
Providing captions or transcripts for multimedia content where applicable
Need assistance?
Contact us at info@hillsideelckc.org or 816-873-1718. We will respond within 2 business days.
Terms & conditions
Last updated: June 2026. By enrolling your child at Hillside ELC or using our website, you agree to the following terms.
Enrollment
Enrollment is subject to availability and completion of all required documents before a child's first day, including the enrollment packet, service agreement, media release form, and immunization records. A non-refundable $250 registration fee holds your child's spot; it does not cover tuition and cannot be applied toward disenrollment.
Tuition & payment
Tuition is due every Monday for the current week. A $25 late fee applies to any balance unpaid after Tuesday at 6:30 PM, and accounts unpaid by Friday will result in suspension of care until the balance is paid. Hillside ELC accepts state subsidy — families are responsible for any charges not covered by their assistance agency.
Hours & attendance
Hillside ELC operates Monday through Friday, 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Children are signed in and out digitally through Brightwheel by an authorized adult. Our center closes promptly at 6:00 PM; a late pickup fee of $10 applies for the first five minutes after 6:05 PM, then $1 per minute per child thereafter.
Health & safety
Children who are ill must be kept home per our illness policy provided at enrollment. Hillside ELC follows all applicable Missouri state childcare licensing regulations.
Contact
Questions? Reach us at info@hillsideelckc.org or 816-873-1718.
Refund policy
Last updated: June 2026. Our refund policy is designed to be fair to families while supporting the operational needs of the center.
Registration fee
The $250 registration fee is non-refundable. It holds your child's spot but does not cover tuition and cannot be applied toward disenrollment.
Tuition payments
Tuition is non-refundable and is not reduced for absences due to illness, vacation, personal choice, holidays, or center closures, except where a reduction qualifies under our vacation policy (earned after six months of attendance). Tuition already paid for a scheduled week of care is not refunded.
Withdrawal
A completed withdrawal form and at least fourteen (14) days' written notice are required to withdraw a child. Tuition is collected throughout the 14-day notice period regardless of attendance.
Questions
Please contact Kymille Hill directly at info@hillsideelckc.org or 816-873-1718 with any billing or refund questions.
