Early Childhood Programs

Parent Child Program: Designed for children ages 18 months (by September 1) through 3 years old, accompanied by a parent or caregiver. Classes meet one day a week from 9 – 11:30 a.m.

Nursery Program: Designed for children who are turning 3 to 4 years old. Children must be 3 years old by December 31 and independent in the bathroom to be enrolled in this program. Schedule: 8:30 a.m. – 12 noon (half day), 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (full day). Monday – Wednesday for 3 day students. Monday – Thursday for 4 day students. Monday – Friday for 5 day students.

Mixed Age Kindergarten Program: Designed for children ages 4 to 6. Children who are five years old by June 1 will be scheduled to attend 5 days per week. Monday – Thursday for 4 day students. Monday – Friday for 5 day students. Schedule: 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon (half day), 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (full day).

After-school program: 3:00 – 6:00 p.m., Monday – Friday for students, nursery – grade 8.

Each of our early childhood classes - Parent/Child, Nursery and Mixed-Age Kindergarten - provides a warm, secure environment where the young child’s primary “work” is to play. In colorful rooms filled with natural playthings, preschool and kindergarten-aged children explore their imaginations, their physical abilities, their artistic impulses, and the natural world.

Children learn best by doing, and in Waldorf classrooms children sing, paint, sew, bake, hammer, and saw. They perform puppet plays, dress up, and transform logs, chairs and cloth into ships and castles, houses and trains. In addition, they spend a considerable amount of time outdoors, exploring and building, gardening and creating with their friends. Early childhood is the time to lay the foundations for later learning.

The focus on imitative and imaginative play develops the power of creative thinking, preparing children for the academics of the grade school years. It is in these years that children develop problem-solving and social skills. With a healthy physical development, an active imagination, and a true reverence for the world, children are ready for the challenges of first grade.

Click here to learn more about our admissions procedures, applications and tuition for Waldorf Parent/Child, Nursery and Mixed-Age Kindergarten classes.

A Typical Day in the Waldorf Kindergarten

Upon entering the coatroom of the classroom, the child hangs up all of his outerwear, puts on his inside (house) shoes, says goodbye to his parent and enters the classroom. The child greets the teacher, quickly surveys his surroundings and says, “Hmm, it must be bread day!” Then, without missing a beat, he finds and puts on his apron, washes his hands and sits at the table with the teacher and some other children to mix the bread dough and help knead it for their snack. As the child is kneading, other children enter the classroom and join in the activity at hand. When his dough is ready, the child hangs up his apron, cleans himself off and is ready for play.

Now the real work begins! Again, the child quickly surveys the situation and finds two wooden play stands, some cloths and some play clips and begins to build a house. Quickly other children join him, bringing bowls, plates, and wooden fruit to help set up the house. Of course the house needs some animals, so other children oblige and offer to be the cat, the dog and the horse. In another corner of the room three children are building a castle out of blocks, while two others are creating boats out of large wooden crates and boards. While one child is deep in concentration as she sets up an elaborate scene for a puppet show, another is helping the teacher ready the table for snack. The room is abuzz with activity as all of the children are engaged in creative, imaginative and productive play.

When the snack is ready, the teacher sings a familiar clean-up song as she begins to tidy the room and the children end their play and follow suit. All of the toys are put in their rightful place as each child helps to bring order to the room again. As the teacher sings, “Join our hands and make a ring…” the children finish up their tidying and sit together for the circle time.

For circle time, the teacher presents a series of songs, finger plays and movement activities that follow a story line often based on what the children experience seasonally. On this autumn day, the children are galloping like horses off to the orchard to pick apples. Enthusiastically they sing, “shake, shake the apple tree” as they stretch to pick their apples and bend to put them in their baskets. Then back on their horses they ride, bringing their apples home. Then, after such a busy outing to the orchard, the children take a well-needed rest.

One by one the children are awakened (the rest is just five minutes) to wash their hands and sit at the table for a shared snack. When all are seated and ready, the candle is lit, the blessing is said and the children patiently wait as two of the children help serve the snack of the day. Everyone seems to love bread day, as they happily eat the warm bread that they have made along with fruit and tea. On this day the children offer stories one by one as they enjoy their snack together. When snack is finished, the candle is extinguished and the children are dismissed one by one to wash and dry their own dish. Some of the children then go to the coatroom and get their outside gear on and then head to the play yard, while others stay inside to help with chores; sweeping the floor, washing the remaining dishes, wiping the table. As they finish their jobs they quickly put on their things and out they go. Once outside the children busy themselves with all kinds of activities. Some are building roads and tunnels in the sand box, others are building a fort out of tree stumps and branches, while others are happily swinging. The children go outside and play in all sorts of weather. On this day a few are happily raking leaves and making a giant pile to jump in. After almost forty-five minutes outside, the teacher once again sings a familiar tune, “Come follow, follow me…” and all of the children tidy up the shovels, rakes and pails and follow her back into the classroom.

Once inside the classroom, the children sit in a half-circle and quietly wait to see what the story or puppet show will be. On this day, the children watch intently as the teacher presents the puppet show of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” They have heard the story for a few days and now many of the children know the story by heart. In a few days the children will be able to act out the puppet show as the teacher tells the story. But for now it is time to say goodbye. The children and teacher sing, “Now we take our love and light home to parents smiling bright” and off they go to meet their parents after another full morning at school.