Kathy Hilton has been with the Sherman Oaks Nursery School program for over  fifty years. Her story begins at the Sherman Oaks Presbyterian Nursery School where, armed with her degree in Early Childhood Education, she began student-teaching at the nursery school in 1972 under founding Director Wendy Cummings. 

Kathy joined the teaching staff in 1974 and taught in all of the classrooms, for every age level, and in all of the enrichment programs offered. Kathy and her husband Gary became parents along the way to two sons.  She has found that the dual role of parent and teacher has been invaluable in her understanding of and caring about all that parents face in raising their children.

In June 1990, after teaching at the school for seventeen years, Kathy was named Co-Director with Wendy Cummings. Over the next decade, under Kathy’s leadership, the school continued to evolve and grow. The core strengths of the program remained the same with the focus on an age appropriate, whole-child curriculum and an emphasis on the importance of building a sense of school community. The biggest changes could be seen in the physical campus that blossomed due to the fundraising and generosity of so many individuals who believed that this school was a wonderful place for their children to begin their educational experience.

In June 2001, Kathy Hilton became the sole Director of the school, and in 2024 brought on Co-Director April Schulte to join her. 

Together, they oversee the curriculum in all  classrooms and additional programs, and strive to continually stay current in innovations and developments in the field of early childhood education. They regularly network with other educators and provide continuing educational opportunities to the staff. Kathy, April and the TSONS Board of Directors pass a working budget for the school as well as fundraising, family events and community-building activities.

Kathy’s leadership over the years has ensured that the Sherman Oaks Nursery School, affectionately known as TSONS, has remained a leader in the early childhood education field, a beacon for parents who want the best for their children, and a model for a well-run program among its peers.

And while doing all that, Kathy always has time to speak with a parent who has an individual concern and to give all her attention, experience and compassion to that moment regardless of anything else that might be going on. It is that ability, to make everyone who comes into her office feel important, understood, and cared for, that sets her apart and makes TSONS the special place that it is.

And in her spare time, Kathy loves scrapbooking and anything to do with photos. She and Gary also both share a love of lighthouses. When she is able to get away from school, they try to visit and stay in as many as possible. She is also a grandmother and enjoys spending as much time as she can with her grandson.