waldorf school homework

A Thoughtful Approach to Homework

Too often, homework can be meaningless busywork that stresses and overwhelms students and their families , crushes creativity and has little impact on children's future success.

In Waldorf education, we take a thoughtful, age-appropriate and balanced approach, where homework is introduced later (Grade 3), and is focused on meaningful assignments that foster creativity and further their understanding. Assignments will often include an artistic or project-based component as well.

Our approach to homework is rooted in sparking students’ imagination and creativity, helping them to learn to articulate their understanding and viewpoint, and cultivating a strong love of learning. The aim is to ensure that students are leading healthy balanced lives that include time for rest, recreation, free play and family time.

For additional research on the impact of homework on students see the following:

Is Too Much Homework Bad for Kids’ Health?,  Healthline

Kids are onto something: Homework might actually be bad , Popular Science

Homework: How Much Is Too Much? , Edutopia

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A Thoughtful Approach to Homework

Too often, homework can be meaningless busywork that stresses and overwhelms students and their families, crushes creativity, and has little impact on children's future success. In Waldorf education, we take a thoughtful, age-appropriate and balanced approach, where homework is introduced later, and is focused on meaningful assignments that foster creativity and further their understanding. Assignments will often include an artistic or project-based component as well. Our approach to homework is rooted in sparking students’ imagination and creativity, helping them to learn to articulate their understanding and viewpoint, and cultivating a strong love of learning. The aim is to ensure that students are leading healthy balanced lives that include time for rest, recreation, free play and family time.   

Originally published in The Atlantic by Joe Pinsker

America has long had a fickle relationship with homework. A century or so ago, progressive reformers argued that it made kids unduly stressed, which later led in some cases to district-level bans on it for all grades under seventh. This anti-homework sentiment faded, though, amid mid-century fears that the U.S. was falling behind the Soviet Union (which led to more homework), only to resurface in the 1960s and ’70s, when a more open culture came to see homework as stifling play and creativity (which led to less). But this didn’t last either: In the ’80s, government researchers blamed America’s schools for its economic troubles and recommended ramping homework up once more.

“The first year was a bit bumpy,” says Louann Carlomagno, the district’s superintendent. She says the adjustment was at times hard for the teachers, some of whom had been doing their job in a similar fashion for a quarter of a century. Parents’ expectations were also an issue. Carlomagno says they took some time to “realize that it was okay not to have an hour of homework for a second grader—that was new.”

Most of the way through year two, though, the policy appears to be working more smoothly. “The students do seem to be less stressed based on conversations I’ve had with parents,” Carlomagno says. It also helps that the students performed just as well on the state standardized test last year as they have in the past. Earlier this year, the district of Somerville, Massachusetts, also rewrote its homework policy, reducing the amount of homework its elementary and middle schoolers may receive. In grades six through eight, for example, homework is capped at an hour a night and can only be assigned two to three nights a week.

Jack Schneider, an education professor at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell whose daughter attends school in Somerville, is generally pleased with the new policy. But, he says, it’s part of a bigger, worrisome pattern. “The origin for this was general parental dissatisfaction, which not surprisingly was coming from a particular demographic,” Schneider says. “Middle-class white parents tend to be more vocal about concerns about homework … They feel entitled enough to voice their opinions.” Schneider is all for revisiting taken-for-granted practices like homework, but thinks districts need to take care to be inclusive in that process. “I hear approximately zero middle-class white parents talking about how homework done best in grades K through two actually strengthens the connection between home and school for young people and their families,” he says. Because many of these parents already feel connected to their school community, this benefit of homework can seem redundant. “They don’t need it,” Schneider says, “so they’re not advocating for it.”

That doesn’t mean, necessarily, that homework is more vital in low-income districts. In fact, there are different, but just as compelling, reasons it can be burdensome in these communities as well. Allison Wienhold, who teaches high-school Spanish in the small town of Dunkerton, Iowa, has phased out homework assignments over the past three years. Her thinking: Some of her students, she says, have little time for homework because they’re working 30 hours a week or responsible for looking after younger siblings.

As educators reduce or eliminate the homework they assign, it’s worth asking what amount and what kind of homework is best for students. It turns out that there’s some disagreement about this among researchers, who tend to fall in one of two camps.

In the first camp is Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. Cooper conducted a review of the existing research on homework in the mid-2000s, and found that, up to a point, the amount of homework students reported doing correlates with their performance on in-class tests. This correlation, the review found, was stronger for older students than for younger ones.

This conclusion is generally accepted among educators, in part because it’s compatible with “the 10-minute rule,” a rule of thumb popular among teachers suggesting that the proper amount of homework is approximately 10 minutes per night, per grade level—that is, 10 minutes a night for first graders, 20 minutes a night for second graders, and so on, up to two hours a night for high schoolers.

In Cooper’s eyes, homework isn’t overly burdensome for the typical American kid. He points to a 2014 Brookings Institution report that found “little evidence that the homework load has increased for the average student”; onerous amounts of homework, it determined, are indeed out there, but relatively rare. Moreover, the report noted that most parents think their children get the right amount of homework, and that parents who are worried about under-assigning outnumber those who are worried about over-assigning. Cooper says that those latter worries tend to come from a small number of communities with “concerns about being competitive for the most selective colleges and universities.”

According to Alfie Kohn, squarely in camp two, most of the conclusions listed in the previous three paragraphs are questionable. Kohn, the author of The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing, considers homework to be a “reliable extinguisher of curiosity,” and has several complaints with the evidence that Cooper and others cite in favor of it. Kohn notes, among other things, that Cooper’s 2006 meta-analysis doesn’t establish causation, and that its central correlation is based on children’s (potentially unreliable) self-reporting of how much time they spend doing homework. (Kohn’s prolific writing on the subject alleges numerous other methodological faults.)

In fact, other correlations make a compelling case that homework doesn’t help. Some countries whose students regularly outperform American kids on standardized tests, such as Japan and Denmark, send their kids home with less schoolwork, while students from some countries with higher homework loads than the U.S., such as Thailand and Greece, fare worse on tests. (Of course, international comparisons can be fraught because so many factors, in education systems and in societies at large, might shape students’ success.)

Kohn also takes issue with the way achievement is commonly assessed. “If all you want is to cram kids’ heads with facts for tomorrow’s tests that they’re going to forget by next week, yeah, if you give them more time and make them do the cramming at night, that could raise the scores,” he says. “But if you’re interested in kids who know how to think or enjoy learning, then homework isn’t merely ineffective, but counterproductive.”

His concern is, in a way, a philosophical one. “The practice of homework assumes that only academic growth matters, to the point that having kids work on that most of the school day isn’t enough,” Kohn says. What about homework’s effect on quality time spent with family? On long-term information retention? On critical-thinking skills? On social development? On success later in life? On happiness? The research is quiet on these questions.

Another problem is that research tends to focus on homework’s quantity rather than its quality, because the former is much easier to measure than the latter. While experts generally agree that the substance of an assignment matters greatly (and that a lot of homework is uninspiring busywork), there isn’t a catchall rule for what’s best—the answer is often specific to a certain curriculum or even an individual student.

Given that homework’s benefits are so narrowly defined (and even then, contested), it’s a bit surprising that assigning so much of it is often a classroom default, and that more isn’t done to make the homework that is assigned more enriching. A number of things are preserving this state of affairs—things that have little to do with whether homework helps students learn.

Jack Schneider, the Massachusetts parent and professor, thinks it’s important to consider the generational inertia of the practice. “The vast majority of parents of public-school students themselves are graduates of the public education system,” he says. “Therefore, their views of what is legitimate have been shaped already by the system that they would ostensibly be critiquing.” In other words, many parents’ own history with homework might lead them to expect the same for their children, and anything less is often taken as an indicator that a school or a teacher isn’t rigorous enough. (This dovetails with—and complicates—the finding that most parents think their children have the right amount of homework.)

Barbara Stengel, an education professor at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, brought up two developments in the educational system that might be keeping homework rote and unexciting. The first is the importance placed in the past few decades on standardized testing, which looms over many public-school classroom decisions and frequently discourages teachers from trying out more creative homework assignments. “They could do it, but they’re afraid to do it, because they’re getting pressure every day about test scores,” Stengel says.

Second, she notes that the profession of teaching, with its relatively low wages and lack of autonomy, struggles to attract and support some of the people who might reimagine homework, as well as other aspects of education. “Part of why we get less interesting homework is because some of the people who would really have pushed the limits of that are no longer in teaching,” she says.

“In general, we have no imagination when it comes to homework,” Stengel says. She wishes teachers had the time and resources to remake homework into something that actually engages students. “If we had kids reading—anything, the sports page, anything that they’re able to read—that’s the best single thing. If we had kids going to the zoo, if we had kids going to parks after school, if we had them doing all of those things, their test scores would improve. But they’re not. They’re going home and doing homework that is not expanding what they think about.”

“Exploratory” is one word Mike Simpson used when describing the types of homework he’d like his students to undertake. Simpson is the head of the Stone Independent School, a tiny private high school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that opened in 2017. “We were lucky to start a school a year and a half ago,” Simpson says, “so it’s been easy to say we aren’t going to assign worksheets, we aren’t going assign regurgitative problem sets.” For instance, a half-dozen students recently built a 25-foot trebuchet on campus.

Simpson says he thinks it’s a shame that the things students have to do at home are often the least fulfilling parts of schooling: “When our students can’t make the connection between the work they’re doing at 11 o’clock at night on a Tuesday to the way they want their lives to be, I think we begin to lose the plot.” When I talked with other teachers who did homework makeovers in their classrooms, I heard few regrets. Brandy Young, a second-grade teacher in Joshua, Texas, stopped assigning take-home packets of worksheets three years ago, and instead started asking her students to do 20 minutes of pleasure reading a night. She says she’s pleased with the results, but she’s noticed something funny. “Some kids,” she says, “really do like homework.” She’s started putting out a bucket of it for students to draw from voluntarily—whether because they want an additional challenge or something to pass the time at home.

Chris Bronke, a high-school English teacher in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, told me something similar. This school year, he eliminated homework for his class of freshmen, and now mostly lets students study on their own or in small groups during class time. It’s usually up to them what they work on each day, and Bronke has been impressed by how they’ve managed their time.

In fact, some of them willingly spend time on assignments at home, whether because they’re particularly engaged, because they prefer to do some deeper thinking outside school, or because they needed to spend time in class that day preparing for, say, a biology test the following period. “They’re making meaningful decisions about their time that I don’t think education really ever gives students the experience, nor the practice, of doing,” Bronke said.

The typical prescription offered by those overwhelmed with homework is to assign less of it—to subtract. But perhaps a more useful approach, for many classrooms, would be to create homework only when teachers and students believe it’s actually needed to further the learning that takes place in class—to start with nothing, and add as necessary.

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Kimberton Waldorf School

Education That Matters

December 20, 2016 by Kimberton Waldorf School

Parents across the educational spectrum have been raising concerns about the amount of homework their children are expected to do every night. Even pre-school children are expected to do homework in some schools. Developmental psychologists and educators have sounded the alarm bell about the amount of unnecessary pressure being put on children in schools. At KWS we believe that homework should be a support and not a burden. We don’t believe that there is any value in assigning homework to young children. We introduce homework gradually in the grade school in an age appropriate manner. By middle school and high school students learn to manage homework from a variety of subject teachers. On average, we don’t expect our high school students to do more than two hours of homework a night.

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Creative Critical Thinking Starts Here…

Joyful life-long learning.

We are a Lancaster County private school with students from York, Lancaster, Reading, Harrisburg, and beyond. We offer classes from preschool through 8th Grade. One of the most significant things that make Susquehanna Waldorf School unique is our whole-child approach to education. We believe school should invigorate children and contribute positively to their overall well-being and happiness.

At Susquehanna Waldorf School, our graduates build meaningful lives full of purpose and creativity through a rigorous educational foundation that nurtures the unique potential within each child. By using inspiration as a key ingredient in our hands-on curriculum, we cultivate the creative capacities that lead to joyful, life-long learning.

Our Mission

The Susquehanna Waldorf School inspires resilience and compassion in our students, awakens their capacities for innovative learning, and prepares them to engage with purpose in the world.

The Susquehanna Waldorf School educates children out of a strong anthroposophical understanding of the developing child, so that they may go forth with resilience, compassion, purpose and capacities for innovative thinking.

At the Susquehanna Waldorf School, we take a hands-on approach with our student body that encourages integration of arts and academics – and gives richness to both. Learn More

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It may seem like a little school but inside of those walls is everything. You have celebrations and you fight dragons and you play instruments. We become one with nature and nature becomes one with us. There is magic...as little children we are not taught about the details of photosynthesis instead we were told of the fairies come and paint the leaves. There are no tests. They want everyone to feel special and confident. Field trips include hiking and camping in the middle of nowhere, learning how to cook your own food and chop wood and a harvest and farm. We are given life skills like woodworking and making clothing and knitting and nurturing children. If I was ever stranded on an island I would know how to survive because I can carve things and I can source food and I can make a structure. We don't get stacks of homework so that we can play and spend time with family. Waldorf is a community and has helped me to feel less shy and the whole school is like my big giant family!

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Mommy, when I have children I'm going to send them to Waldorf. I want them to have the same experience that you give me. It will be like reliving my kid life and getting to go to Waldorf all over again. I will be happy when they come home with the Norns and hats and other crocheted and knitted things. I look forward to driving them to school especially in the winter time to see the school being decorated for the Winter Faire. I really feel that Waldorf has helped me come out of my shell and not be so shy. I feel I can do anything. It does not matter who you are, you are always welcome.

- Willow Eden Lloyd, grade 4

Waldorf education A colorful, engaging, nurturing and natural journey of the senses, filled with wonder, where the children are given the tools to develop a love of learning and see the world in color. This holistic approach allows each child to develop a true sense of 'whole self' before an enchanting transformation occurs and each blossoming student finds themselves connecting to others, effortlessly. Our world could only benefit from an institution that hosts and 'births' such well-rounded, community-minded and reverent 'new leaders'.

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At a glance, an observer can see the goodness and the wholeness of what happens at the Susquehanna Waldorf School. When you dig deeper, it is so much more. Here's a school focused on developing good people that will change the world with their expressions and interactions in any path they choose. Six years ago, we moved our family across the street from this gem and our lives were forever changed.

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After living away for thirteen years, we decided to move back to our hometown. Susquehanna Waldorf School provided us with comfort, support, and a sense of family during a very difficult time in our life. SWS is the very best decision we could have made for our family- our children are finally happy to go to school every day!

- Natalie Rauch, SWS parent- Grades 1 & 2

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An Overview of Waldorf Schools

Waldorf Schools

Verywell / Catherine Song

• History and Background
• Waldorf for Special Needs

Montessori vs. Waldorf

• Pros and Cons

If you are looking to enroll your child in a private school —either for their early education needs or as a place for them to attend for the long-haul, you have likely considered a Waldorf school. Waldorf schools have been esteemed for decades as the perfect place for a family who is looking for a free-form style education that emphasizes arts, outdoor play, spirituality, screen-free learning, and that takes a more holistic approach to grading and assessments.

Still, it’s one thing to hear about a Waldorf school in theory. You may be wondering what a Waldorf education is really like, and if it’s the right choice for you. We’ve got you covered.

History and Background of Waldorf Schools

The first Waldorf school was founded in Germany in 1919 by philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Steiner coined the term Anthroposophy and based his educational philosophy on the idea that each of us is a spiritual being with the power to change the world. He believed in nurturing all aspects of a child (“the head, the heart and the hands”). The teaching philosophy of Waldorf schools is meant to nurture the mind, body, and soul of each child.

In 1928, the first Waldorf school opened in America, the now famous Rudolf Steiner School in New York City. According to The New York Times , there are currently 125 Waldorf schools in the United States and over 3,000 across the world.

9 Fast Facts About Waldorf Schools

• Waldorf schools usually start at pre-K , though some have preschool or toddler programs as well.
• Many schools continue through high school.
• The majority of Waldorf schools are private schools, but some public and charter schools have adopted Waldorf educational approaches.
• In many Waldorf schools, the child stays with the same teacher from 1 st up to 8 th grade.  
• Most Waldorf schools don’t use grades (though they often do in high school to satisfy college admission standards) but have end-of-year assessments, which take a more holistic approach to learning assessment.
• Standardized tests usually aren’t given; you can independently enroll your child in college placement tests when the time comes.
• Reading basics are not usually taught till first grade, and children are not expected to read until second grade.
• Textbooks are usually not used until sixth grade.
• In most cases, there is no technology use permitted in classrooms.  

The Waldorf Approach to Learning

The main tenant of the Waldorf philosophy of education is that children learn, grow, and develop best when you tend to all aspects of their beings – not just the academic ones.  

In a Waldorf school, you won’t see kids sitting all day at their desks, listening to the teacher standing in the front of the room. Instead, you’ll see kids learning through art, play, cooking, music, and outside exploration.

What Activities Do Kids Typically Engage In?

• Kids spend a lot of time outdoors, in almost all weather (bundled up, of course, in winter).
• Screens are not used in the classroom and are discouraged outside of the classroom as well.
• There is an emphasis on loving and respecting nature; many art activities use natural materials from nature such as leaves and beeswax.
• Teachers use music and storytelling to deliver many of their lessons.
• Children participate in cooking, cleaning, knitting, and jewelry making.
• Movement and play are emphasized in the early grades as the primary way of learning.

What Does a Waldorf Classroom Look Like?

• Waldorf classrooms have a signature look and feel, emphasizing calm, beauty, natural light, and natural furnishings.
• Many classrooms are painted in soothing light pink colors.
• Natural wood furniture and wooden toys are the norm.
• There is usually plenty of open space for free play, and while there is seating for children, there usually aren’t traditional desks.  
• Toys are simple, usually wooden or fabric, and many toys are hand-made.
• Many classrooms have a “nature table” where items from outside are gathered and arranged.

Is the Waldorf Approach Religious?

Spirituality is emphasized in all aspects of Waldorf schools, but no particular religious denomination is followed.   Families are welcomed from any background or religion. Steiner himself believed in reincarnation and karma, and while many Waldorf teachers ascribe to such philosophies, they are not generally taught in the classroom.

Who Typically Attends A Waldorf School?

In general, Waldorf schools are most popular among progressive, liberal-minded parents who are looking for alternative educational choices for their children.

Although Waldorf schools have been stereotyped as appealing to “hippie” parents, there are many different kinds of families who choose a Waldorf education for their children.

Waldorf schools have made headlines in the past few years because of their low vaccination rates; however, Waldorf officials say they do not have an official policy on vaccination.

Demographics and Diversity

Waldorf schools do not discriminate based on race, gender, or religion. However, they are not generally known for racial diversity. Each school has its own unique demographic profile and it’s worth researching the Waldorf school you are interested in to learn more.

Since the majority of Waldorf schools are private institutions, they attract families who have the economic means to attend, so middle-class or upper middle class families are the norm.

Tuition Costs

According to The New York Times , cost of tuition can range from about $7,980 per year on the lower end, to up to $34,400 at high-end Waldorf schools like the Rudolf Steiner school in Manhattan.   If a private Waldorf school is out of your price range, you can inquire about scholarships, which are usually available. You can also consider looking into some of the public schools that have adopted Waldorf curriculums.

Waldorf and Special Needs Children

Many families come to Waldorf schools when they have found that more traditional education doesn’t work well for their child. Special needs parents—whether children with developmental disabilities, children on the autism spectrum, or gifted children—often find the Waldorf model beneficial. The small class size, individualized attention, and emphasis on the “whole child” rather than academic standing is often just what’s needed to nurturing their child’s challenges.

On the other hand, if you are looking for an educational approach tailored specifically to your child’s needs, or one that teachers are specifically trained in, Waldorf may not be what you are looking for. Each school is different, though, and it’s worth inquiring as to what the Waldorf school you are interested in does for their special needs populations.

Waldorf and Montessori schools have many similarities, and parents who are interested in one school type may also find themselves considering the other. Let’s take a look at the differences between the two educational systems.

• Waldorf schools usually have distinct grade levels that children advance through; Montessori classrooms often combine different age groups together in one classroom.
• Waldorf school usually have one teacher that follows the students from grade to grade; Montessori schools usually have different teachers for each classroom group.
• Both Waldorf and Montessori emphasize learning through play; Waldorf’s approach is often more imaginative, whereas Montessori emphasizes “play as work.”
• Waldorf believes in nurturing the individuality of children, but takes a more teacher -based approach to learning than Montessori, which often allows children to plan their own curriculum.  

Pros and Cons of Waldorf Schools

There is so much to consider as you try to pick the best school for your child. Here are some of the issues commonly consider by prospective Waldorf families as they weigh the pros and cons of a Waldorf education.

• Children can learn at their own pace
• Lots of outdoor time
• Kids learn to live a tech-free life, at least in the classroom
• Much more emphasis on creativity and the arts than other schools
• Children are given a lot of individualized attention
• Most schools allow many opportunities for parent involvement
• One teacher for all grades may feel restrictive for some
• Since academics are not stressed, some children may not acquire basic skills, at least not in the commonly expected timeframe
• Potentially being around unvaccinated children may be an issue for you 
• You may want your child to be taught more tech skills than Waldorf schools offer
• High parental involvement is expected, which may not be possible for you
• Tuition costs may be prohibitive for you

A Word from Verywell

Making a final choice about where to send your child to school can feel like one of the weightiest decisions in the world. After all, when we send our kids to school, it’s like releasing a part of our heart out to the world.

We want the very best for our children – for their gifts to be recognized and nurtured, and we want to find a school where they can grow and thrive.

A Waldorf school may be the right match for you, but it may not. You know your child best, so it’s a wise idea to sort through all the data and visit the schools you are considering in person if possible. Remember, too, that if a school does not ending up being the right fit for your child, there are usually other options down the road. You have choices, and you should feel empowered to make the best decision for your child and your family.

What is the Waldorf School Method ? The New York Times.

Randoll D, Peters J. Empirical research on Waldorf education .  Educar em Revista. 2015 ; 56:33-47. doi:10.1590/0104-4060.41416

Clemons A. Technological Abstinence in the Age of Technology: Fostering Equity in the Pedagogy of Steiner-Waldorf [dissertation] . Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois; 2015. doi:10.13140/RG.2.1.3350.7289

Sobo EJ.  Play's relation to health and well-being in preschool and kindergarten: A Waldorf (Steiner) education perspective . Int J Play . 2014;3(1):9-23. doi:10.1080/21594937.2014.886102

Mezentseva O. Creating harmonious school learning environment: Waldorf education perspective . Int J Adv Res . 2019;7(7):691-696. doi:10.21474/IJAR01/9412

Goldshmidt G.  Waldorf Education as Spiritual Education . Relig Educ . 2017;44(3):346-363. doi:10.1080/15507394.2017.1294400

Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. Rudolf Steiner & the History of Waldorf Education .

PBS. Comparing Preschool Philosophies: Montessori, Waldorf and More .

By Wendy Wisner Wendy Wisner is a lactation consultant and writer covering maternal/child health, parenting, general health and wellness, and mental health. She has worked with breastfeeding parents for over a decade, and is a mom to two boys.

What’s a Waldorf School Really Like?

My sons’ school has been a very special part of our lives the past 6 years. Waldorf schools are pretty unique, so if you’ve ever wondered, “What’s a Waldorf school really like?” or if you’re just interested in how one type of school is raising little world citizens, I think you’ll enjoy this view of what it’s like to go to a Waldorf school.

Reasons to choose Waldorf:

If you’re a parent, you know how hard it can be to find “the right school” for your kids. Of course, we have a history of excellent public education in this country — I’m not ungrateful for this — but K-12 education has its fair share of problems. This may be especially true here in California where it seems like schools are all over the map in terms of quality and student experience.

Noah went to a “traditional” public school for kindergarten and 1st grade. In fact, the school was across the street from our house! While I liked the teachers, I didn’t like much else. It never felt like we fit in, and there was way too much focus on homework and “technology” (i.e. playing computer games to supposedly help them learn math). I’m not adverse to homework (I’m a teacher, after all), but lots of homework for a small child is pointless.

Then two big things happened: first, the amount of poorly designed homework at age 6 took its toll on our family life, and second, the community among the parents was so non-existent that I couldn’t send them invitations for Noah’s birthday party. That’s when I decided to tour the public Waldorf school.

Like other schools of choice, my kids’ school requires parents to take a tour, fill out paperwork, and, because this is the only public school of its kind in the district, then wait months or even years for the call. We were lucky and Noah got a spot the following school year, 2nd grade.

Fast forward two years, and Noah is now in 4th grade and his little brother is in kindergarten. This school gives us what we were missing at the other school: more time as a family and a strong sense of community, plus my kids have the unique skills and experiences of a Waldorf school.

The Waldorf school day:

In the morning, Noah and his 28 classmates line up outside their classroom to shake hands with their teacher. The first part of the school day is the main lesson, a two-hour block of instruction that focuses on the academic content that they’re currently learning. They generally learn history and science through blocks of about 4 weeks.

In the younger grades, this main lesson often involves fairly complicated exercises to balance the right and left brain. You may see kids outside during the main lesson copying their teacher’s moves — balancing on one foot, moving an object between both hands, etc.

At mid morning, the kids share a snack. They first recite a verse to give thanks for the food, then the child who brought the snack serves the food, and everyone eats together. As you can imagine, sharing and serving food like this every day builds community over the years. After snack, kids enjoy a short recess — play is considered vital in Waldorf schools, but the number and duration of recesses decrease as the kids get older.

The rest of the school day is devoted to math and language arts as well as other subjects, some of which are taught by their teacher, some by a specialized teacher, and others by parent volunteers. These include Spanish, dancing, eurythmy (the Waldorf version of P.E.), painting, handwork, and music.

Noah actually has three types of music lessons every week — recorder/flute, singing, and strings. In strings, beginning in 4th grade, they learn the violin, viola, or cello and learn to read music. The end of the school day usually focuses on chores, games, and free play.

What do kids learn in a Waldorf school?

The early grades are devoted to developing the body and brain for the critical thinking that they’ll need in the later grades. Knitting is a big component of this foundation. I used to think that knitting was just a cute hobby that Waldorf kids did, but I later realized how perfect knitting is for building critical skills in young children. It develops fine motor skills. While learning to count the stitches in each row, they learn to count to large numbers. And they learn to focus and be quiet! The handwork classroom is a peaceful place of happy concentration.

Life skills are another important part of the Waldorf curriculum. They learn to sew, build a shelter, and do chores. In 3rd grade, they learn “practical arts.” At my kids’ school, this means that one morning per week of 3rd grade is devoted to the three practical arts: woodworking, gardening, or cooking. The lessons rotate every week, so for example, Noah had woodworking the first Tuesday, gardening the second Tuesday, and cooking the third Tuesday of each month.

In typical Waldorf fashion, these lessons have many skills embedded in them. Woodworking teaches them measurement; they learn the metric system, multiplication, and division as they figure out the centimeters needed for each piece of their project. Cooking indirectly teaches them fractions as they learn to follow recipes and use measuring cups. Cooking also teaches them the life skill of meal planning, harvesting (ingredients come from the school garden and families’ yards), setting the table (for 30!), and cleaning up after a meal. In gardening they learn not just how to plant and harvest veggies, but also how to compost, maintain healthy garden beds, and raise chickens.

All of the grades include language arts, math and science . History is an important part of the Waldorf curriculum, and each grade level is devoted to a different topic and geographical area. For example, second grade includes heroes (Mother Theresa, MLK, Jr.), 3rd grade includes Hebrew history, and 4th grade includes California history, map making, and Northern Europe. As the children work up to 8th grade, they study the history and geography of ancient civilizations, Asia, Africa, Shakespeare, and more.

Another part of the curriculum is theater . The children learn that grade’s content through performing a full-length play once a year. They learn the whole process of play production, from creating a script, assigning roles, memorizing and practicing lines, and creating sets and costumes. This year Noah played Thor from Norse mythology; here he’s taken off the costume but still has his beard:

How are Waldorf schools different from other types of schools?

One unique aspect of Waldorf education is that the kids have the same teacher for grades 1-8. They also stay with the same class all that time, too. It’s pretty clear that this approach has advantages and disadvantages, but I love it. The bond that the kids can develop with the teacher over time and the loving sense of community that exists among the kids (and the parents) are special!

Academically, many Waldorf kids reach levels of proficiency in math and reading a little later than their counterparts at other schools, but studies have shown that they finish elementary school with slightly higher proficiency overall. Basically, the traditional achievement measures happen, but at different times than at other schools. For example, while kids at other schools are reading better in second grade, Waldorf kids are learning the arts and music and are more comfortable in their bodies.

If you walk into a Waldorf classroom , you’ll see a homey space with soft colors, curtains, art, handmade toys, and few textbooks. The teacher leads the instruction of content with a beautiful chalk drawing on the blackboard (see an example here ). The children then learn through listening, reciting, and interpreting what they’ve learned through presentations, drawing, and writing. As they get older, they create their own textbooks –often beautiful works of art in themselves — by making intricate diagrams and artistic representations. You can see examples here .

Waldorf schools also very strongly promote technology-free childhoods . There is generally no technology used on campus. Children are encouraged to play, use their hands, and read instead of using gadgets outside of school. We all know that that’s easier said than done, but in general, the children understand that technology should have limits and that there are many other fun and creative ways to spend time.

There’s also no media allowed. Kids aren’t allowed to wear clothes that have Marvel or Disney or other characters on them. By focusing on function and comfort over brand or trends, they seem better able to focus on school and each other.

Waldorf kindergarten:

Waldorf curriculum places a lot of importance on stages of childhood development, and therefore, learning is always age appropriate. Kindergarten includes an outdoor classroom for building, climbing, working, and exploring. Until age seven, children learn through doing and imitating. There is no instruction of reading or writing in kindergarten. As the children get older, they learn to read and write slowly and instead use their imaginations and creativity to master other age-appropriate skills like early math and the life/social skills mentioned above.

Outdoor education in Waldorf:

Waldorf schools promote exploration of nature through a carefully planned progression of field trips. At my kids’ school, it looks like this:

In kindergarten through second grade, children take weekly nature walks . In 2nd grade, kids take small off-campus field trips to learn about local places for hiking and nature exploration . In 3rd grade, field trips supplement the gardening curriculum, so they visit farms. This includes an overnight field trip to Full Belly Farm. In 4th grade, the field trips focus on the history of California and the biology of animals. These include an overnight to Fort Ross on the Sonoma Coast to learn about Russian history in early California, day field trips to learn about Native American history, and an overnight to Año Nuevo to observe wild elephant seals. By 8th grade, they’ve worked up to a week away without any parent chaperones (!).

Is there homework in Waldorf schools?

And homework…In the earlier grades, kids are encouraged to help with chores at home. Typically, there is no formal homework until at least grade 4. Just like when I was a kid! In my kids’ school, Noah’s teacher makes his own worksheets, and they get one math and one reading worksheet per day, plus about 15 minutes of reading. They also have to practice their instrument one to two hours per week. However, the amount of homework in his Waldorf school depends on the teacher.

What do you think?   Would you consider a Waldorf school for your kids? What kind of school did you go to? 

The Stanford Center for Opportunity in Public Education at Stanford University recently did an in-depth study of my kids’ school.  This article outlines the results–about public school choice and Waldorf education–if you’re interested in learning more.

If you’d like to know more: Waldorf Answers , Last Child in the Woods , and  When Should Kids Be Away from Their Parents?

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Fabulous post! I barely knew about Waldorf schools until you introduced me to them. It’s the key to a kinder, happier, more balanced & curious childhood, I think. Thanks, Jenna!

Hi there! My son will be 2 in March and we are looking into Waldorf schools. We are in Sacramento and I was curious if the public Waldorf school you are referring to here is Alice Birney. This is the school we are looking into if the private Waldorf doesn’t pan out. This is a great review and I’m hopeful that this would be a great alternative. Thank you so much! Tyler

I’m still learning from you, as I’m trying to achieve my goals. I absolutely enjoy reading all that is posted on your site.Keep the information coming. I loved it!

I am going to send my child sooner.I am very impressed by the school and the emphasis on the practical approach rather than technology based. I want to know whether the book making is a part of making a book of what they learnt so far via different instructions. I just read an article about the over emphasis of mythology in Waldorf school which intrigued me and how they hide facts from the children ,instead give more emphasis on storytelling. I understand that this is not the case everywhere , but from your article, I resonate the same feelings that Waldorf inspired schools are better choice.

To answer your question about the books, they make a book based on what they have learned from the teacher. For example, the teacher teaches them about the brain, and the kids draw a diagram of the brain. They do this instead of just looking at the information in a textbook. It is more active learning, in my opinion. There is a lot of hands-on learning. I hope that helps! 🙂

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"No Homework Day" and Homework in Waldorf Schools May 06 2015

Homework in waldorf schools.

Homework in high school is a little different. A recent study by a Stanford researcher suggests that 10 minutes for every grade level is “acceptable” but anything more can be counterproductive. They found that the more homework a student is assigned the more stress, physical health problems, and alienation they feel. The amount of pressure associated with homework in high school makes it more likely that students will fore-go social activities and hobbies instead of cultivating the critical life skills that come from social interaction and self-reflection. They often feel pressured to choose between homework and other extracurricular activities. When homework interferes with sleep and deprivation occurs, headaches, stomach problems, and exhaustion can easily become issues. It was also determined that when sleep deprivation occurs, it is less likely that the lessons taught the following day will be understood and absorbed.

To top it all off, the research shows little correlation between homework and academic success! So if you needed a reason or two to justify “No Homework Day” there you have it!

Resources Evaluation, Homework, and Teacher Support (Previously published as Waldorf Journal Project 5) How Meaningful is Homework? Elementary School Dumps Homework and Tells Kids to Play Outside Instead

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What happens in a waldorf school?

A LOVE OF LEARNING THAT LASTS A LIFETIME

There are now more than 1,000 Steiner schools and 1,600 kindergartens worldwide. Many schools continue through to secondary level. In Ireland, there are currently at least 10 Steiner Waldorf Kindergartens, seven primary schools (three of which are supported by the Department of Education) and one secondary school. Schools are often called Steiner Waldorf because the first school was opened in 1919 in the Waldorf Astoria factory in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Waldorf educational approach, as delivered by Dublin Steiner School, addresses three key needs. Those are to ensure that children have:

• The confidence and communication skills to hold themselves in the world
• The creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to make a social contribution
• The conscience, ethical judgement and understanding to live sustainably in our natural environment

Steiner Waldorf educators are dedicated to generating an inner enthusiasm for learning within every child. This eliminates the need for competitive testing, academic placement, and behaviouristic rewards to motivate learning and allows motivation to arise from within. Most of all, it helps to engender the capacity for joyful life-long learning.

In our daily practice we:

• Emphasise nature-based play and education, strengthening the child’s connection to nature
• Take account of the needs of the whole child – academic, physical, emotional and spiritual
• Deliver our academic curriculum, in a creative and integrated way
• Prioritise age-appropriate learning, adapting its teaching methods to suit the developmental stage of its pupils, as well as their experience of the world
• Honour and protect the wonder of childhood
• Encourage creativity and enquiry
• Create a genuine enjoyment of learning

The purpose of education is to enable the mind, to fire the imagination, to fortify the will, and to quicken the initiative for life.

- rudolf steiner.

Festivals are an important part of the Waldorf school calendar. The academic year at Dublin Steiner School is anchored by a rhythm of celebrations which mark the passage of the seasons.

These run from the Harvest Festival in September - when families gather to share food and hear the story of Michael and the dragon - to the Midsummer Festival at the end of June. Through the year each child will also make, light and carry a lantern for the Lantern Festival; take their place in the Spiral Walk to mark the strength of community through dark winter days; and celebrate the new spring with songs and dancing on May Day.

Year on year, these festivals become cherished traditions for both students and their families. As children progress through the school, they take on bigger roles in the festivals, with each new year becoming an exciting rite of passage.

your child's journey

Nurturing and creative, our two-year Kindergarten programme gives children freedom with crafts and play, building confidence in preparation for school.

Our pre-academic Bridge programme provides the strong foundations required for academic learning with creative problem-solving alongside tuition in languages and music.

An expansive curriculum that sets literacy, numeracy and the sciences along languages and music sparks lifelong curiosity and empowers students with skills for many years of education.

ABOUT HOMEWORK

In Steiner Waldorf schools, the point of homework is not to have school work at home; when homework is called for, its purpose is to extend a meaningful experience from what was learned during the school day.

Daily homework at Steiner Waldorf schools does not start until the students are developmentally ready for it. Giving students regular homework when they are 7, 8, or 9 years old (as parents of children these ages can attest) is really just giving homework to the parents!

At Dublin Steiner School, daily homework begins in earnest in Grade 6, but the build-up is gradual:

Class 1: No daily homework

Class 2:  Read to parents, or, have parents read to you (Sometimes teachers will hold off on this until later in the year, or wait until Class 3)

Class 3:  Read, practice spelling words (second half of the school year)

Class 4:  Math, violin, and spelling practice, and reading

Class 5: Math, violin, and spelling practice, and reading, as well as finishing up Main Lesson Book (MLB) work

Class 6:  Working on MLBs, researching material for papers and essays, studying for tests, math practice/worksheets

Although not given daily homework, students in the younger classes are introduced to the concept of it with occasional assignments such as drawing a picture, finding something in nature, or being read to by a parent. During the Class 3 block on natural fibres, for example, a homework assignment might be to find clothing articles made of 100% wool or linen at home and bring one to show the class. Or, when learning the quality of the letters in Class 1, the teacher will ask the students to “think of something that begins with the letter ‘B’ for homework tonight.

DUBLIN STEINER SCHOOL

Saoirse Waldorf School CLG, t/a Dublin Steiner School, is a registered charity (CHY 20077181) and is run on a nonprofit basis for the benefit of our community.

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Switzerland

Since the 1960s there has been a broad kindergarten movement working on the basis of Rudolf Steiner’s pedagogy. It has always been practised by many pedagogical and curative teachers in state kindergartens. In the 1980s, the movement experienced a great expansion with the founding of many new kindergartens.

Today there are about 70 Rudolf Steiner kindergartens with mostly 1-2 groups in the four parts of the country: German, French (Valais), Italian (Ticino) and Rhaeto-Romanic Switzerland. In addition there are about 40 playgroups and 10-15 day-care centres and just as many parent-child groups.

A full-time, practice-oriented, in-service training programme for kindergarten teachers was in place in Bern from 1977 until a few years ago and was led for decades by Elisabeth Moore-Haas. From the beginning she linked international cooperation with Switzerland through her involvement in the IVW (International Association of Waldorf Kindergartens), or later the IASWECE.

Both the kindergarten seminar and most of the kindergartens were and are run by private kindergarten or school associations and are run independently by the kindergarten teachers. Most kindergartens have always been fully integrated into the schools.

About 20 years ago, when major reforms were introduced at the state kindergarten level, the kindergarten teachers began to join forces and gave themselves a new organisational structure.

In 2000, the Coordination Office for Elementary Education (KEp) was founded: www.elementarpaedagogik.ch.   Today, 2020, integrated into www.steinerschule.ch

The Coordination Office for Elementary Education (KEp) has as its task the fulfilment of the concerns of Steiner education with regard to the education of children of pre-school and first school age (0 – about 8 years).

– The KEp promotes these concerns to parents, teachers, therapists, medical practitioners and public institutions in the preschool sector.

– Through contacts and discussions, the KEp tries to stimulate open exchange, to convey understanding, to network people and institutions and to support existing institutions.

– The KEp takes note of educational policy developments in the pre-school environment and communicates them to the best of its knowledge to the teachers in the pre-school sector of the Steiner schools, as well as to the Working Group (ARGE) of the Steiner schools.

– The KEp helps to build bridges between the various contact partners of the specific institutions in the pre-school sector (day families and day care centres, playgroups, kindergartens and after-school care centres), who are responsible for the areas of care and education that are separated by political sovereignty.

– In addition, it pursues the goal of raising awareness for an understanding of childhood from birth to first school age as a total educational area.

– The KEp works to ensure that children’s needs are recognised and that children are given rights and respect accordingly.

– The KEp impulses, accompanies and networks projects and concepts that serve the further development in the pre-school sector against the background of Steiner education.

In the KEp, about 12 women work together in the Commission of the Coordination Office (KoKEp), who are responsible for various areas: all regions, training, international cooperation and those specifically responsible for the early childhood sector.

Themes that KEp works on in projects and at conferences over a longer period of time are:

– Early childhood education/ transitions

– Free play

– Dealing with media/prevention

– Language development

– Relationship education/prevention of abuse

At the time of the founding of the KEp, the call for family-supplementary forms of care alongside the provision of kindergartens became louder in society.

As a result, in addition to the Rudolf Steiner Kindergarten Seminar in Bern, a part-time training course for kindergarten teachers and playgroup leaders was set up at the Academy for Anthroposophical Education in Dornach, as well as further training opportunities for childminders and daycare centre staff.

The training to become an “early childhood educator” also began at that time. Since 2019, an additional training course for parent-child group leaders has been established.

Major changes followed over several years, which after 10 years resulted in the concept “Elementary level”, as a basis for the entire developmental area from birth to the end of the 8th year of life.

Today, the elementary level is an integrated part of Rudolf Steiner schools almost everywhere: www.steinerschule.ch

The elementary level is made possible by the cooperation of all teachers teaching in the developmental area, the support and therapy group, the parents and the school doctor.

At the elementary level, the school mission statement for the first and second grade merges with what is described by KEp and the Working Group of Rudolf Steiner Schools Switzerland as the mission statement for the pre-school level.

The elementary level forms a child’s experiential space which is divided into cross-age play and age-appropriate learning. During the first seven years, much attention is paid to the physical and sensory maturation processes in the elementary level, so that intellectual and emotional competences can build on a healthy foundation. At the elementary level, the child’s free play is highly valued as a creative and social learning experience.

The transition from kindergarten to the school learning period is designed in the elementary level as a transition with spatial separation. It takes place when the child has reached school readiness, usually in the 7th year of life. This level of maturity, as well as other modalities of the transfer, is decided in consultation with all those involved in education as mentioned above. At this point of development, the school’s admission procedure begins.

The deliberate introduction of the cultural techniques of arithmetic, writing and reading is only started after the child has transferred to the school learning period of the elementary level.

The elementary level includes:

– Parent-child groups

These are for children from about ½ year old to playgroup age (3 years). In these groups, fathers and mothers have the opportunity to share and do things together with other parents and an educator and to receive stimulation for the children’s play and everyday education, while the children are accompanied and supervised in their play by the educator.

– Playgroups

Here, children aged between about 2 ½ and 4 years are given the opportunity to make their first social non-family contacts once, twice or three times a week for about three to four hours in small groups of about 6-10 children. In a secure, sensitive atmosphere, the children can indulge in their joy of playing and find peace beyond the hectic pace that everyday life often demands.

– Kindergartens

In the kindergarten, the children are usually between 4 and 7 years old. The group size varies between about 12-24 children. It takes place in block times for 4 hours in the morning, plus here and there in the afternoon for children who are getting ready for school. Locally, there are supplementary lunch offers.

– Day care offers

Day care centres include toddler as well as playgroup and kindergarten age in their social structure. The services offered vary from extended opening hours with lunch, off-peak care to full-day care. Through the joint education of the different age groups, different skills such as tolerance, consideration, helping and supporting are developed. In the mixed-age group, the children experience community as an element that allows them to practise social skills and enables behavioural orientation.

– 1st and 2nd class with moving lessons

Specific to Rudolf Steiner schools in Switzerland is that they should be accessible to all, but are financed entirely privately without state financial subsidies.

– Cooperation

Since the elementary level (0-9 years) has been an integrated concept of the Rudolf Steiner schools in Switzerland, the colleagues at the schools work together in weekly conferences, as well as in additional regular elementary level conferences.

Once a year the Working Group of Rudolf Steiner Schools, together with the Academy for Anthroposophical Education in Dornach, organises the national in-service training days for all teachers.

Within the KEp we organise a specialist conference once a year, which takes as its starting point topics moved by the IASWECE or other topics for in-depth study. Regular exchange meetings take place in the various regions with parent-child group leaders, playgroup leaders, day-care centre leaders and kindergarten teachers to meet and deepen pedagogical knowledge.

– Training

• institute for elementary education: offers for training and further education in the early childhood sector, www.elementarpaedagogik.ch
• academy for anthroposophical education: training to become a kindergarten teacher, www.afap.ch
• accompanying art – training to accompany parent-child groups,

www.institut-elementarpaedagogik.ch, [email protected].

Contact persons

For coordination: [email protected] (since 2019)

For the Council: [email protected]

Status September 2020

The Slovene Waldorf movement has a tradition of almost thirty years. It is very well accepted by society, has a good reputation, working conditions and an ongoing constant cooperation with other pedagogical institutions, with the Slovene Ministry of Education as well as local communities. We have a common national association for schools and kindergartens – the Association for the Development of Waldorf Schools and Kindergartens of Slovenia. Its members include 9 kindergartens (with 296 children), 5 primary schools, 1 high school and 1 music school. In addition to the members, there are 6 non-member kindergartens, some groups that offer private care based on Waldorf/Steiner principles and 2 non-member primary schools.

The Association is constantly striving to create the best possible conditions for the development of Slovene Waldorf kindergartens and schools, especially concerning the pedagogical staff and the legal conditions linked to establishing and running a Waldorf kindergarten and/or school. For this purpose, we organize a three-year Waldorf Teacher and Kindergarten Teacher Training. Currently, 53 students are enrolled in the class of 2019 – 2021. In the past years, we have educated 274 students of which 173 became school and kindergarten teachers. Our lecturers come from Slovenia and many other European countries (Norway, Denmark, England, Netherlands, Austria, and Germany). The studies are vital for providing enough educated staff to meet the growing needs of the Slovenian Waldorf schools and kindergartens. The Teacher and Kindergarten Teacher Training Course is also connected with the Studies and Teacher Training Course in Zagreb, Croatia. This means some joint working weekends, mutual help regarding lecturers, and an exchange of experiences.

In the Association, we have, all through the years, put a lot of care and attention to mentoring and advising our members’ kindergarten teachers. Our outer mentor is Jill Tina Taplin. With her help, we have formed a mentoring group of experienced kindergarten teachers, who take care of and help younger kindergarten staff. The group is also overseeing the quality of work in member Kindergartens.

Every year, we organize professional lectures for all Waldorf kindergarten teachers to take part in. We enrich these lectures by providing the space and the encouragement for active exchange of practical experiences. Part of these lectures and meetings are opened to all public. In 2016, we have thus organized a Waldorf kindergarten teachers’ conference: ‘Working with one to three years old children’ (guest lecturer Birgit Krohmer) as well as open lectures and workshops such as ‘The healing power of stories’ by Susan Perrow. In 2017, the topics of the Waldorf kindergarten teachers’ meetings and conferences were ‘Free play’ and ‘Children’s rest/sleep in the kindergarten’ (guest speaker Jill Taplin). In 2018, we organized an open conference on the theme of ‘The meaning of sleep for pre-school children’ (guest lecturers Stephanie Allon, David L. Brierley and Godi Keller), as well as lectures and workshops by Susan Perrow, titled ‘Therapeutical storytelling – the stories find their way’. 2019 was a year of celebration also in Slovenia (with many celebrations and activities across the country). In that year the Waldorf kindergartens’ conference’s topic was ‘The Physical constitution of children and its meaning’ (guest lecturers and workshop leaders: Dr.Ulf Beckman, Carola Edelmann and Birgit Krohmer). We also organized an open lecture by Uwe Buermann about the influence of modern technology on children.

In the ‘’corona time’’ Susan Perrow sent us two therapeutic stories and the translation was sent to all teachers and parents from our units. We also organized lectures via Zoom for all the parents, teachers, and our members (lecturers were Jill Taplin and Godi Keller).

We are happy to note that the Slovene Waldorf movement enjoys a very good reputation among state teachers and kindergarten teachers. This is regularly confirmed by the participation of the state kindergarten teachers in our lectures and public conferences and their feedback.

A valuable support for our kindergarten teachers is also translations of various professional literature. In accordance with our means and keeping in mind their needs as well as the literature accessible (also via IASWECE), we are supplying our kindergarten teachers with different translations – intended for internal use (from articles and parts of books to different tools they can use). We have also published books that are assisting them in their work as well as in dealing with parents, such as ‘With Heart in School’ by Godi Keller, ‘Healing stories for Challenging Behaviour’ by Susan Perrow and ‘Toxic Childhood’ by Sue Palmer.

As stated in the name of our association – all our forces are put into the development of our kindergartens and schools. Its development is not visible solely in a growing number of enrolled children and Waldorf pedagogical organizations, but most importantly in the quality of work of our kindergarten and schoolteachers as well as our organizations.

If you need any additional information regarding our National Association, the Waldorf movement in Slovenia or a Slovene kindergarten, do not hesitate to turn to us. You can reach us via e-mail: [email protected] or by phone: ++386 (01) 434 55 77. Our internet site is www.waldorf.si – you are welcomed to visit it.

Zavod za razvoj waldorfskih šol in vrtcev – zveza, Slovenia

Association for the Development of Waldorf Schools and Kindergartens

In Hungary the Waldorf movement is the largest  movement outside public education. Waldorf Education is the only educational reform trend that has developed over the last twenty years. It is a national network with teacher training and professional services institutions. At the moment there are 57 Waldorf kindergartens with 1751 children and 46 Waldorf schools with 7805 children. Every year more and more families choose Waldorf schools for their children.

Collaboration. The Hungarian Waldorf Association is a non-profit association founded in 1997. Schools, kindergartens, and training centers are members of the Association. The number of members is growing dynamically. The association is responsible for quality care in the institutions and in recent years has renewed the Waldorf School curriculum and the Waldorf Kindergarten Program.

The Kindergarten Assembly is working as a part of the Association. Members are representatives from all the kindergartens. The tasks of the Assembly are the following:

• making decisions regarding  all Steiner Waldorf name rights questions and applications from new initiatives
• setting  the rules for the quality of kindergartens
• making decisions if necessary for changes to the  Waldorf Kindergarten Program
• defining the principles of the payment of membership fees of kindergartens

Trainings. In Hungary there are two recognized training centers. One is more  a part-time training (three years) and a new one was established recently which is a full-time training (three years).

Looking back. Between the two world wars, with the help of Dr. Maria Göllner, some of the first Waldorf schools and kindergartens started  between 1926 and 1933.

After the end of the communist government in 1989, the first Waldorf kindergartens and schools started as civil initiatives, as non-religious or state institutes.

Birth to three. Today in Hungary there are no recognized birth to three groups but there is a growing number of small groups integrated in the kindergartens with smaller children (two – three years old). In the last period in every national meeting we have working groups on this theme,  and there are also weekend lectures for teachers, educators and parents. We do not have yet a training for birth to three.

Joli Kiss Waldorf kindergarten teacher and trainer, member of the IASWECE Council

Website of the Hungarian Waldorf Association – Website of the training centers for Waldorf education.

In Ireland, 14 Kindergartens are registered as full members of the Irish Steiner Kindergarten Association (ISKA) . Three of these are Steiner National Schools. Many of our kindergartens also have Toddler or Parent & Child groups local to them. We have two registered Parent and Child groups that exist independently from kindergartens.

ISKA is a government funded national organization, formed in 1992 as a support forum for teachers and parents while they worked to nurture the development of Steiner Waldorf kindergartens in Ireland. Twenty-four years later, one could say that the Steiner education movement in Ireland has journeyed through its adolescence and entered into young adulthood. This young adult is finding its own way to live within the Irish educational culture, extending and deepening itself slowly but surely.

The Irish educational sector is, as in many countries, looking at early years in a more child-centred way, and what is developing is an as yet immature early year’s pedagogy, seeking to incorporate the benefits of unstructured play and delayed formal learning. Steiner education has much experience to offer this newly emerging national perspective and ISKA has a large part to play in this.

Hand in hand with this national focus on early years, come the pros and cons of funding and quality assurance. Governmental funding for initiatives and new online systems demand much paperwork from practitioners and/or the parent community. The employment of office staff has become necessary for many kindergartens. Quality inspections from three different sections of the department and two ‘birth to 6 yrs’ quality Early Years frameworks (Siolta & Aistear) are now part of the practitioners’ day. Needless to say this can be a pressure for the Steiner Waldorf practitioner who is already putting in many unpaid preparation hours.

In addition to this, the state has recognized and now funds three Steiner National Schools whose junior classes are supported by ISKA. While this is a wonderful achievement, the inclusion and definition of Steiner National Schools into the primary school landscape poses the need for reflection and curriculum revision by the schools and the organizations that support them.

Training. Steiner Waldorf Early Years Training is offered through ISKA Training and managed by Ulrike Farnleitner. The one-year part-time Foundation Year is a stand alone introduction to Anthroposophy, and has been devised to offer an induction into Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy while going through a holistic self-development program which helps students on their inner path of self discovery. The student can then opt to study for a further two years to qualify as a Steiner Waldorf Early Years practitioner and is offered a thorough insight into the principles and practice of Steiner Waldorf Early Childhood Education and Care. Recently there has been heightened interest both nationally and internationally in ISKA Training’s Steiner Waldorf Early Years Training.

Sinead Duignan andThérèse Perrott,  ISKA National Co-ordinators

Website of the Irish Steiner Kindergarten Association

BLATHU newsletter January 2021

More than a hundred kindergarten groups are working according to Waldorf ideas and principles. The number of children in groups varies. The groups are spread all over the country. Many are in cities, but one can find quite a number also in rural surroundings. Most groups speak Hebrew, a few speak Arabic, and some groups have both languages. The situations of the kindergartens are quite diverse: many kindergartens are private, some are partly recognized and supported by the government, and there are some with full government recognition.  

There are more than twenty primary and upper schools in different stages of development. Some of the more established have two parallel classes and six have an upper school. Quite a number of the schools have the full recognition of the state (Ministry of Education).

Collaboration: There are at least two country conferences each year.

Short History . The first Waldorf Kindergarten group started to work in 1985 and many others followed immediately in various locations. The first Waldorf School opened a first grade in 1989. The first Upper School began in 1997. The growth of the Waldorf movement has been rather quick.

Burning Issues . There is an ongoing “dialogue” with the Ministry of Education; it is not possible to know where it will lead, and there is still much work to do in deepening the trainings and widening the possibilities for continuation courses.

Stefanie Allon is the founder of the first Waldorf kindergarten in Israel and internationally active trainer. She is a member of the IASWECE Council.

There are approximately 40 Steiner/Waldorf schools throughout the states and territories of Australia. The first school was opened in 1957. Each organisation is independent. There are also new initiatives that are working towards establishing themselves into schools as populations grow in the outer regions. Many of these start from grass roots up with the beginnings of playgroups. Most of our Steiner communities are found along the coastlines of Australia.

Our early childhood association has 31 kindergarten members as well as many individual members. Most of these kindergartens are attached to schools.There are also a number of playgroups, as well as outdoor playgroups, preschools, and home- based care initiatives, clustered around the localities of the schools, particularly in the bigger cities.

Working together. There are annual opportunities for regions to come together for support and professional development. Every two years one of the states organizes our Early Childhood Association “Vital Years“ conference. These conferences have become pivotal for many new teachers. As Australia is so far away geographically from accessing the wealth of the northern hemisphere pedagogy expertise, we have endeavored to invite international speakers as well as our own experts, to deepen our work and to feel more connected to the world picture of Waldorf/Steiner early childhood.

Our most successful resource that was borne out of our Vital Years Conferences, is our newsletter Star Weavings . Even though it is temporarily out of print, it is greatly appreciated both nationally and internationally.

Training and Mentoring. There are presently three training centers where courses are mostly offered part- time or as intensives during the school holidays. These are in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

The Association will be starting a mentoring program in 2017.

Birth to Three. The Association is at present working on establishing a training course.

Major concerns.

• The compulsory governmental imposition of vaccinations as an entry point for pre-school children.
• The increased mainstream curriculum workload for assessing Class One readiness.

Heather van Zyl is a Steiner kindergarten teacher and educator. She is the Australian representative on the IASWECE Council.

Website of the Australian Association for Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Education