Hill Top Preparatory School provides life-changing experiences for bright and creative neurodiverse students who struggle to achieve academic and social success due to performance-based learning differences including ADHD, Autism, specific learning disabilities, or anxiety. Through strong family-school collaboration Hill Top prepares students for future success in college, work, and life as independent adults.
Read below to learn about Hill Top’s admission process, summer programs, and neurodiversity center.
Admissions
The application process at Hill Top Prep is thorough, as they strive to make sure their program is the best match for your student’s needs.
Step 1: Request Information or Attend an Open House: This is an important step to get a general understanding of Hill Top and its programs.
Step 2: Schedule an Initial Interview: The student’s presence is required at this initial interview.
Step 3: Complete the Required Documents
Step 4: Shadow Day: After review of your student’s application, your child may spend one or two days at Hill Top Prep in order to get a feel for the classroom environment and the student population. This can be very beneficial for students anxious about attending a new school!
Step 5: Decision: The Admissions Committee will make a decision based on information compiled from the initial interview, the application, and feedback from the shadow day.
Summer Programs
Located on the beautiful 25-acre campus of Hill Top Preparatory School in Bryn Mawr, PA, Hill Top offers several programs that support social and life skills development for students entering grades 2–12. Hill Top is a small campus where everyone knows everyone else's name. Some campers have social and learning challenges, including Autism, ADHD, and other learning differences.
Three Main Programs: a traditional day camp for students entering grades 2 through 9 (Hill Top Summer Adventures); a program focused on independent living skills for students entering Grades 10 through post-graduate (Pathways to Independence); and an Esports program for students entering Grades 6 through 12 (Esports & Technology).
Summer Adventures: With three main areas – Outdoor Adventurers, Arts & Crafts, and STEM Scholars – families are welcome to choose any combination they would like. Each program will run every week of camp, allowing campers to focus on what they enjoy. You could choose one program for the full six weeks of camp or mix and match for variety! Certain activities, such as swimming and ESY Academic Support, will still be scheduled for all campers in all programs when necessary. This program focuses on social skills and relationship building.
Esports & Technology: Come enjoy gaming in the newly renovated ESports Lounge & Classroom! Hill Top's ESports Camp is a program designed for individuals who are interested in competitive video gaming. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from experienced players, coaches, and trainers in a variety of games such as Rocket League, Overwatch, Super Smash Bros., Splatoon 3, Minecraft, and many others. The Summer Adventure Camp Program focuses on improving skills such as teamwork, strategy, and communication. In addition to training sessions, there will also be opportunities for participants to compete against each other in organized tournaments. The camp may also include workshops on topics such as game design, streaming, good sportsmanship, and content creation. The camp typically takes place over the course of a four-day week, with field trips scheduled for Fridays. The program is open to participants entering grades 6-12 of all skill levels and interests. We focus specifically on games that are rated Teen or below. No Adult or Mature Content is included in this program. This program focuses on social skills and team building skills for neurodiverse youth.
Pathways to Independence: P2I is an experiential program that consists of five weeks of hands-on lessons on Hill Top’s campus and a one-week, in-resident program at a local university. The P2I summer program is for teens that are entering 10th grade through their Freshman year of college.
Curriculum introduces and provides opportunities for students to experience independent living skills. We focus on becoming more self-aware and learning how to communicate effectively. We also teach pre-employability skills and reinforce the importance of personal care. This program focuses on independent living, college, and workforce skills for neurodiverse youth.
PEERS® Bootcamp: This two-week bootcamp program runs from 4:00pm to 5:00pm Monday through Friday for 2 weeks, with multiple sessions throughout the summer that focus on social skills development. Bootcamp may be added on to any summer camp for an additional cost, or be taken as a standalone experience.
Hill Top’s staff is made up of social workers, teachers, and college students who have experience working with students with learning disabilities. With a high level of expertise, alongside their 5:1 camper-to-counselor ratio, Hill Top is prepared to support and encourage students.
A portion of Hill Top’s campers attend via funding through their school district as part of their Extended School Year Program (ESY). Hill Top is happy to work with your school district should your child qualify for ESY service.
Hill Top welcomes the opportunity to show your family around its campus, a place where friendships begin!
Neurodiveristy Success Center
Hill Top Preparatory School opened The Neurodiversity Success Center (NSC) in the fall of 2023! The center is open to anyone, including but not limited to students of Hill Top. For more than 50 years, Hill Top has focused on educating neurodiverse students in grades 5-12 through its day and boarding programs. Hill Top's curriculum is designed to build a quality of self that includes self-recognition, self-advocacy, self-reliance, and self-confidence through social skills development.
NSC supports adolescents and young adults as they prepare for success in school, college, life, and the world of work. By providing individually designed and small group learning experiences that maximize and harness unique learning styles, the NSC aids in developing and strengthening academic, executive function, social, and independent living skills. Parent and family resources play an integral role in the program to reinforce acquired skills and techniques. Programs offered through the NSC are available to Hill Top students and the greater community as well!
The NSC is broken into three components: PEERS® (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relationship Skills), Executive Function Coaching, and College Advising.
PEERS® is an evidence-based social skills intervention program for motivated young people who are interested in making and keeping friends and/or handling conflict and rejection (adapted from the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California-Los Angeles).
Executive Function Coaching helps people improve cognitive processes, including but not limited to focus, attention, organization, planning, and self-regulation.
College Advising assists students from the early stages of the college admissions process through the completion of the application.
Contact Mia Henry, NSC Coordinator, at mhenry@hilltopprep.org for more information.
Hill Top Preparatory School
737 S. Ithan Ave., Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Phone: 610.527.3230
