Waldorf Administration
Starting a Waldorf School
Initiative groups follow many different patterns in their development, but in recent years a certain trend has evolved which seems to be helpful to many groups. The initiative groups usually begin study groups for adults, and after a few years start a playgroup for children. After a year or two more they may feel ready to found a kindergarten, and several years later may have grown to the point where a school can be founded. As you can see, it takes time to initiate a school, and it can easily take seven years or longer from the beginning of the first study group to the opening of the first grade. The timing varies from one community to another, but all have found that it is essential to have a strong foundation in Waldorf Education and Anthroposophy if their school is to grow and thrive, and such a foundation is not laid overnight. A Waldorf school is not just an alternative to public schools or another independent school; its curriculum and philosophy proceed from the worldview and the insights into the nature of the child that Rudolf Steiner has given us in Anthroposophy. If there is not a core community surrounding the school initiative that is thoroughly familiar with and committed to that philosophy and pedagogy, then it is unlikely that the initiative will prosper.
Communities also find that while enthusiastic parents are essential for helping to found a school, this same enthusiasm can lead one to decide to found a school too quickly. Just as Waldorf schools are nonprofit organizations that are not created for the financial benefit of any individual, so their founding must also have an element of selflessness rather than being created to benefit certain children and their families. We know this can be a difficult thing to hear, but the pace of development is probably the single greatest factor in determining the future strength or weakness of a school. A weak, hastily built foundation remains with a school for its lifetime, and one sees the effects of it again and again. We all want schools that will flourish and thrive, and it's quite possible to found such schools if one works hard and does not rush. Many communities have been inventive in meeting their own children's needs in the years before a school is started. They have had regular festival celebrations for families, organized puppet shows, painting classes, or other activities. Some have developed programs for elementary-aged children who are unable to go to Waldorf schools. These programs usually focus on the Waldorf story curriculum, the arts, and festival celebrations. They meet after school or on Saturday mornings. Leaders of such programs do not need to be fully trained Waldorf teachers. Often they are parents who are educating themselves about Waldorf Education through summer courses and other studies. Returning to the basic pattern, which has evolved in recent years, we'd like to go over the steps one by one, sharing with you some of what the schools themselves have told us. Establishing Study Groups A Waldorf study group is usually founded that meets each week or every other week. Books are studied about Waldorf Education and speakers are invited into the community to lecture on the education. Popular books for new study groups include the A.C. Harwood books, or one of the other overviews of Waldorf Education by Francis Edmunds, Rene Querido, or M.C. Richards. Introductory study groups have also enjoyed working with Lifeways; Children at Play; The Incarnating Child; You Are Your Child's First Teacher; and The Young Child: Creative Living With Two to Four Year Olds. Basic books by Rudolf Steiner include Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy (a booklet) and Kingdom of Childhood. Caroline von Heydebrand's Childhood is also a classic among Waldorf books. These books are available from our Online Store and other booksellers. Please see our Waldorf Resources section for additional links. Communities serious about starting a Waldorf kindergarten or school also establish Anthroposophic study groups. The Anthroposophical work in a community is very important because Waldorf Education arises out of the soil of Anthroposophy. It is into this soil that the roots of the school will grow and derive nourishment. Communities that do not have active study groups in Anthroposophy remark that in the long run their schools seem unfed at a deeper level. Some complain that their schools feel "unsheathed," as if they stand too bare in the community. There can be nothing compulsory about the study of Anthroposophy, for it must live in the realm of inner freedom. Nevertheless, schools do best if Anthroposophy is being cultivated in the community around them in a healthy and free manner. The school itself needs to have a healthy fertile relationship with Anthroposophy if it is to grow and thrive as a Waldorf school. For more information about the study of Anthroposophy or to learn of Anthroposophical study groups in your area, visit the Anthroposophical Society in America (www.anthroposophy.org). In establishing study groups, it is good to find a mentor. Even if this person can come only once a year, he or she can add much depth to the study, making suggestions about study materials, answering perplexing questions on content and so forth. The Waldorf Early Childhood Association can suggest mentors to you, as can the Association of Waldorf Schools in North America, as well as the Pedagogical Section Council (PSC). The PSC was founded to help cultivate the educational and spiritual life of Waldorf schools in North America. Starting a Playgroup This is a less official step than founding a kindergarten, and many communities find it is a good starting point in their work with children. Generally, there are not such strict licensing requirements, and the curriculum is less demanding than in a Waldorf kindergarten. These playgroups are led by individuals who are serious in their study of Waldorf Education, but may not yet have a full Waldorf training. Playgroups usually meet in a home and often have four to eight children. The person in charge of the playgroup is usually involved in a part-time Waldorf training program. Creating a Kindergarten This is an official step that requires legal incorporation, full licensing through the appropriate government offices, rental of space, and so on. Equally important to all the legal requirements is that it should be led by a fully trained Waldorf kindergarten teacher, who has ideally already had at least three years' experience as a Waldorf kindergarten teacher. As you probably know, there is a critical shortage of such teachers in North America (and worldwide.) It is a good idea to help identify individuals from your community who are interested in getting trained and help make it possible for them to take a training, perhaps lending them money for their training and letting the loan turn to a grant if they return and teach in your school for a certain number of years. Acquiring this kind of financial support may seem like a large task, but it is important to realize at the outset that establishing any independent school in North America, including a Waldorf school, is a very expensive undertaking. Perhaps in the future there will be a government sponsored voucher system for the support of independent education, or some other means of help, but at the moment communities need to raise relatively large amounts of money to transform the wish for a Waldorf school into a reality. In the actual establishment of a kindergarten there are individuals who can be called upon for help. It's a good idea to work closely with your nearest Waldorf school and see if there are experienced teachers there who can help you with your steps of development. In addition, the Waldorf Early Childhood Association (www.waldorfearlychildhood.org) can help you and can put you in touch with an experienced kindergarten teacher to advise you. At this point, it will be necessary for the initiative to join the Association of Waldorf Schools as a New Initiative Member, a step that will put the initiative in wider contact with the Waldorf movement. Founding a School This is a very large step, for once a first grade is founded the school should be able to go on adding a new grade for the next eight years. This requires finding a new class teacher each year, more subject teachers, more classroom space and so on. You can see why a strong foundation is necessary. Without one, you can build for a few years without noticing that the structure is rather wobbly. The larger the structure becomes, however, the more the wobble shows, and cracks begin to develop. In recent years some schools have fallen apart and have had to close, a very painful situation for the school and for the whole of the Waldorf community. Again, of course, one must also have trained Waldorf teachers. They are in short supply, as evidenced by the fact that each year our training centers do not have enough graduates to fill vacancies in the existing schools, much less new ones. In our meetings to discuss the problem of teacher shortage, one suggestion arises time and time again. That is for each community interested in Waldorf Education to raise money to send one or two of its own members for training, to return to take on the task of working with an experienced teacher in founding the grade school. As you know, there is an ever increasing interest in the public sector in what Waldorf Education has to offer. If we have weak schools with untrained teachers to represent our education, then we imperil our good name as well as the opportunity of bringing new life into all of education. If all our schools, new and established, strive for the excellence inherent in our philosophy and methods, then we can meet any assessment of our work with confidence. Generally, one should have two or three kindergarten classes with a total of about 50 children before considering opening a first grade. Even then you may not be getting the 20 - 30 children necessary to make a first grade financially, socially, and academically viable. To start with fewer than 20-30 children means you need financially to underwrite the school and the teacher's salary to a large extent. Otherwise, you will pay too low a salary, the teacher may not be able to sustain his or her work without great strain, and you will find yourself with much turnover. Waiting until your classes are big enough, or nearly big enough, is very wise. Some schools start with very small classes (8 or 10 children), but they commonly struggle for years to find enough money to keep going. After a while this is very debilitating for all concerned, and it is questionable whether the children are getting what they need from the situation. There is a general assumption on the part of new initiatives that any Waldorf school is better than none, but our own experience is that this is not necessarily true. A weak school, with too few children, too big a budget deficit, too much strain on the teachers and active parents, is not a healthy environment for children. The school suffers as do the children. |
Course Outline
Waldorf Administration
Lesson 1: The Threefold Structure Lesson 2: The Parent Handbook Lesson 3: The Faculty/Staff Handbook Lesson 4: Finances and Budgets Lesson 5: Licensing/Research Project |
Tasks and Assignments for Waldorf Administration/Lesson 5
Please study and work with the study material provided for this lesson. Then please turn to the following tasks and assignments listed below.
1. Study the material provided and look up other resources as needed and appropriate.
2. Research the license requirements for your location and organization for (A) starting a Waldorf Kindergarten/preschool and (B) a Waldorf School. Create a step by step guide on the licensing requirements and how to implement compliance with the requirements.
3. Additionally submit comments and questions, if any.
Please send your completed assignment via the online form or via email.
1. Study the material provided and look up other resources as needed and appropriate.
2. Research the license requirements for your location and organization for (A) starting a Waldorf Kindergarten/preschool and (B) a Waldorf School. Create a step by step guide on the licensing requirements and how to implement compliance with the requirements.
3. Additionally submit comments and questions, if any.
Please send your completed assignment via the online form or via email.