The Waldorf School of St. Louis
Frequently Asked Questions

“Receive the children in reverence, educate them in love, and send them forth in freedom”

–Rudolf Steiner

Waldorf schools offer a developmentally appropriate, experiential, and academically-rigorous approach to education. They integrate the arts in all academic disciplines for children from preschool through twelfth grade to enhance and enrich learning. Why? Because research continues to show that the inclusion of the arts in academia increases aptitude and creative thinking in areas such as math and science, and has a positive effect on emotional development as well.  Waldorf Education aims to inspire lifelong learning in all students and to enable them to fully develop their unique capacities. 

Waldorf schools are non-sectarian and non-denominational. They educate all children, regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds. The pedagogical method is comprehensive, and, as part of its task, seeks to bring about recognition and understanding of all the world cultures and religions. Waldorf schools are not part of any church. They espouse no particular religious doctrine but are based on a belief that there is a spiritual dimension to the human being and to all of life. Waldorf families come from a broad spectrum of religious traditions and interests.

Credit: waldorfeducation.org.

These two educational approaches began with a similar goal: to design a curriculum that was developmentally appropriate to the child and that addressed the child's need to learn in a tactile as well as an intellectual way. The philosophies are otherwise very different.

Many young people begin their educations with Waldorf in kindergarten and stay with us throughout their academic careers. Nevertheless, there are plenty of families who come to us from other schools and at various ages. The transition is often fluid and seamless, as Waldorf nurtures new students during their beginning experience. However, there is sometimes a period of adjustment, because the Waldorf teaching style relies heavily on effective listening without the use of electronic media or pre-written handouts.

Yes!  We have found that our graduates are very well prepared academically and have shown success at many different types of high schools, including public, private, magnet, and charter schools. Teachers appreciate the flexibility of thought and creativity of Waldorf students. WSSL works with the students to prepare them for the transition to high school.

Many studies confirm the importance of play in early childhood. Through play, children learn valuable life-long skills, such as working together with others, planning their own activities, negotiating differences, using their imaginations, exploring nature, and getting plenty of physical activity.  Many play activities also build foundations for later academic work. 

A number of studies comparing academically oriented early childhood classrooms with play-based classrooms have consistent results: Early academic training somewhat increases immediate scores on specific tests the training is aimed at, but these initial gains wash out within 1-3 years and in some studies are eventually reversed.  Further, some studies have indicated long-term harm in the area of social and emotional development in the children who attend academically oriented early childhood classes.

Through staying with a class for multiple years, the teacher is better able to assess each individual’s development, needs, and learning style—and the children, feeling secure in this long-term relationship, are more comfortable in their learning environment.  In Grade School, children will have additional teachers for specialty classes such as foreign languages, handwork, movement, and orchestra.

The Waldorf class is something like a family.  Problems between teachers and children, and between teachers and parents, can and do arise.  If the student/teacher or parent/teacher relationship encounters rough times, teachers are committed to working through these difficulties with the goodwill and active support of parents.  Difficult relationships often result in the most growth and satisfaction! Since the teacher is typically with the child for many years, they are invested in resolving conflicts in a positive way.

During certification training, Waldorf grade school teachers learn about the curriculum through the years and how to approach the various subjects in an age-appropriate way. Additionally, because of the teacher’s continuity with the class, they are able to build on concepts with students over time; a concept may be introduced one year, and expanded in subsequent years as the teacher watches their students’ aptitude and curiosity grow. Teachers at WSSL also participate in summer intensive training, as needed.  Additional supplementary training and help come through local training enrichment courses and teacher mentors. 

Formally, parents learn about their child’s progress during fall and spring parent-teacher conferences. At the end of the year, each student receives a written report that describes the subjects studied and an assessment of the child’s progress in each of those areas. The assessment includes a skills rubric where teachers indicate whether a student’s skills in each area are emerging, developing, or a strength.  A narrative accompanies this rubric. These reports provide deep insights into the child’s strengths and challenges and cover all of the subject matter and specialty classes. Teachers are open to parent questions and also contact parents with any concerns. Communication and questions are encouraged. Weekly email communication enhances parents’ understanding of what is happening in the classroom on a weekly basis. 

Handwork serves multiple purposes. For example, knitting teaches simple and complex math; hand, eye, brain coordination, sensory integration, and resiliency of habit.   As students progress through the grades, they are given more difficult projects using new skills (including woodworking and sewing) that continue to develop capacities they need as adults. Through the creation of many projects, students learn perseverance, problem-solving, and pattern-making.  They also experience the satisfaction of seeing a challenging and time-consuming project through to completion. Handwork balances the academic work, giving students a chance to use a different part of their brain and create something tangible and useful with their own hands. 

Waldorf teachers appreciate that technology must assume a role in education, but at the appropriate developmental stage, when a young person has reached the intellectual maturity to reason abstractly and process concretely on his or her own, ​which is at around the age of 14. Society might challenge this principle, as many young children are well able to complete sophisticated tasks on a computer; the Waldorf perspective is that computer exposure should not be based on capability but on developmental appropriateness. While many applaud adult-like thinking in young children, we observe that a child’s natural, instinctive, creative, and curious way of relating to the world may be repressed when technology is introduced into learning environments at an early age.  ~ Excerpt from NYTimes Opinion, 5/2014, Author, Beverly Amico

We are dedicated to nurturing children’s capacities for imagination, healthy feeling, and independent thinking.  Exposure to media influences interferes with children’s ability to concentrate in school, limits their possibilities of creative expression, and hinders their full participation in classroom activities.  

Many young people begin their educations with Waldorf in kindergarten and stay with us throughout their academic careers. Nevertheless, there are plenty of families who come to us from other schools and at various ages. The transition is often fluid and seamless, as Waldorf nurtures new students during their beginning experience. However, there is sometimes a period of adjustment in the lower school, because the Waldorf teaching style relies heavily on effective listening without the use of electronic media or pre-written handouts.

The richness of the Waldorf curriculum helps children develop a deep love of learning. They have the space to draw, paint, think, be creative, and more without the distractions of technology in the classroom. The ability to learn translates easily to learning the technology needed for high school and Waldorf students quickly make the adjustment to using technology.

Waldorf schools are not against technology. While we understand that even young children have the capacity to use technology, our perspective is that it should be introduced when it is developmentally appropriate. We observe that when technology is introduced at an early age, a child’s natural, instinctive, creative, and curious way of relating to the world may be repressed. Rather than training students in the mechanics of using particular devices (that can quickly become irrelevant as technology evolves) our students can think, innovate, and rise to the challenge of learning any new skill.   

That being said, many parents begin introducing technology at home in the later grades years to help prepare their children for the transition to high school. Technology is then seen as the helpful tool it can be.

Our youngest early childhood class has a maximum class size of 12 and has 2 teachers.

Our mixed-age pre-K/kindergarten has a maximum class size of 18 with 2 teachers.  

Grades 1-8 have an average of 6-8 in each individual class, but grade levels are typically combined (e.g. Grade 1-2, Grade 3-4, etc).

Combined age classrooms bring many benefits and are used in many educational philosophies. First, they help create a healthy social group for the children to learn how to work together. The spread of ages teaches children to work with peers across a range of maturity levels. In combined age classrooms, children’s skill level is attended to, rather than just their age. This provides more flexibility for the teacher in meeting all of the children’s needs. When necessary, Children in combined grades stay together and matriculate as one class through the grades.  

The Early Childhood classes in Waldorf Schools around the world are often in houses. This home-like setting provides a more natural transition from the world of home to the world of school. While the EC classrooms are very home-like, the grades spaces have been transformed into multi-purpose classrooms that allow the children to both work and move.

Because class sizes are small, teachers can more easily accommodate some special needs in the classroom. When needed, faculty and administration work with Special School District in order to obtain evaluations that can assist in determining what accommodations will be most beneficial. When additional services such as speech, occupational therapy, tutoring, etc. are needed, WSSL can help connect families with those services. Sometimes, additional outside services can be provided during the school day on campus. However, there are times when it is determined that a student’s needs cannot be met in our setting.

Yes! Parent/Child Classes begin in the fall and spring terms. These classes meet once each week and a parent (or another caregiver) comes with each child.  It serves as a beautiful introduction to Waldorf education, parents have the opportunity to connect with other parents, and children have the opportunity for some social interaction. 

Playgroup & Storytime is another way to experience a bit of Waldorf Early Childhood with no obligation. Children and parents come to the school to sing songs, hear stories, participate in a seasonal craft, and have some free play with other families. Registration is available on our website. 

Monthly Walk and Talk Tours take place on the second Wednesday of each month during the school year. These tours allow an opportunity to see classes in action with their teacher. We spend a few minutes observing in each class (from EC through Grade 8). Registration is available on our website.  

The specifics of our Home School Enrichment program differ by family. The determination of a specific program is a collaborative process between the parent and class teacher based on the needs of the individual child/family and the class. The application process for Home School Enrichment is the same as a student applying to enroll full time. Contact our Enrollment Coordinator, at admissions@waldorfstl.org, for more information.

8:30 am – 3:15 pm for our grades’ students, 8:30 am - 3 pm for full day preschoolers, and 8:30 am – 12:00 pm for half day preschoolers, with drop off beginning at 8 am.

Before care is offered beginning at 8:00; there is no charge for before care. 

Aftercare is offered for beginning at age 4 through grade 8, from 3 pm to 5:30 pm. Sign up is located in the parent portal. Please contact Steve Cossey at scossey@waldorfstl.org with any questions.

Yes.  Children need to be at least 2.5 and potty trained before submitting an application.

Our Early Childhood Classes are available 3 half days, 3 full days, 5 half days, or 5 full days.  Children in kindergarten and entering 1st grade the following school year are encouraged to come 5 half or 5 full days.