Slovenia

Europe, Slovenia

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: zavod@waldorf.si 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

Hungary

Europe, Hungary

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.

Ireland

Europe, Ireland

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

Israel

Asia, Israel

In Israel, more than 150 early childhood groups/initiatives are working according to Waldorf ideas and principles. The groups are spread all over the country, even in the rural surroundings.

The variety of the groups is vast: many mixed-age (3.5 years -7 years old) kindergarten groups are fully recognized and supported by the government; others are partially recognized, while others, mostly the groups for the youngest children, are private. The number of children in each group varies, but in general, in the officially recognized kindergartens there are approximately 25-30 children in each group. The younger age groups are smaller and include approximately 15 children each.

Most of the groups speak Hebrew. There are a few (albeit growing) Arabic speaking groups and a few mixed Arabic-Hebrew speaking groups.
The birth to three groups are mostly private and not always officially registered.

Short history. The first Waldorf kindergarten group initiated in 1985. The first Waldorf school opened its first grade in 1989. The first high school opened its doors in 1997.

Today the Waldorf movement in Israel is big and active and is spread all over the country.
The “Circle” is the association for the early childhood education and the “Forum” is the association for the schools. In some educational fields, there is a collaboration between the two associations.

Conferences and trainings. Twice a year there are early childhood conferences (birth to seven) with approximately 250 early childhood educators participating in each. Since Covid some conferences were on zoom in different forms.
There are several training programs for Waldorf education. Most of them are part-time and there is no early childhood full-time training yet. One program offers exclusively part-time early childhood training. Other training programs include conventional kindergarten training as well as general Waldorf education courses.

Burning issues
1. We want to extend the recognition of the “Circle” (the early childhood association) among Waldorf early childhood kindergartens and teachers and invite more people to participate and take up responsibilities in our activities.
The early childhood training is an issue to work with and to continue to develop in general. Especially the ‘birth to three’ field needs an extra attention.
3. Another field to work on is the collaboration between the early childhood association and the school movement in keeping together the continuity of the educational perspective.
4. The early childhood movement is in an ongoing process with the ministry of education in order to get the recognition of the early childhood Waldorf education as a unique educational current within the official educational system.
5.In the last year Israel has been in a continuous war situation and as educators, we deal with issues of trauma, anxiety, bereavement, regression, and over-sensitivity in children.

Michal Reshef is a former early childhood teacher. She is currently a mentor for early childhood teachers, an advisor for new initiatives, and a family counselor, and teaches in the teacher training program. She is a member of the IASWECE Council.

Australia

Australasia, Australia

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.

Cultural diversity. Australia is a multicultural country, with a dominant culture rooted in British and European traditions. Increasingly, Asian cultures are influencing the languages taught in our schools and Indigenous perspectives are influencing our approach to conservation of the environment, awareness and respect for the land, the water and native animals and the inclusion of dreamtime stories in kindergartens.

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

Mexico

Mexico, North America

Today there are over 30 schools, early childhood programs, and initiatives, including stand-alone early childhood programs, usually home programs. Most have been founded by parents wanting a Waldorf education for their children.

Looking back. Waldorf education came to Mexico in the early 50’s through Peter Webster, who founded ‘La Nueva Escuela – Una Escuela Waldorf’ in Mexico City. A few years later Hans Berlin founded a Waldorf-public school in Ixtacalco, later to become El Centro Educativo Goethe in 1981 (and today called the Escuela Waldorf de la Ciudad de Mexico). The growth of Waldorf Schools in Mexico was slow and sporadic until the mid 1990’s. In that decade three schools with kindergartens were founded – Colegio Yeccan in Guanajuato, Escuela Waldorf de Cuernavaca, and the Centro Educativo Waldorf in Tlaxacala.

Training. Waldorf training started in Mexico in 2001 with the Centro Antroposofico, in Cuernavaca. CEDA – Centro Educativo del Desarrollo Antroposofico (the former Centro Antroposofico) in Cuernavaca offers both early childhood and teacher training through a five-year course, including three weeks each summer. And YaxKin, Formación de Maestras Waldorf de Jardín de Infancia de la Riviera Maya, offers early childhood training in the Yucatan peninsula.

Collaboration. As a geographic part of North America, Mexico is part of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN) .

Escuela Waldorf de Cuernevaca and the Ak Lu’um Waldorf Community are Full Members of WECAN. There are three Associative Members, and 18 Registered Initiatives.

A Mexican Waldorf School Association is also being founded to safeguard Waldorf education in Mexico and to provide resources to teachers.

While the local and state governments allow private educational institutions by law, Waldorf schools and kindergartens receive no financial support from the government and are often faced with unreasonable demands for the physical layout of the school and the bureaucracy involved in being enrolled in the Bureau of Education.

Despite these obstacles, including the low economic wages of most Mexican families, new Waldorf schools and kindergartens are founded every year in every part of Mexico.

Louise deForest is a WECAN Board member and a member of the IASWECE Council. She is active internationally as a mentor, trainer and advisor.

Website of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN)

Brazil

Brazil, Central and South America

In Brazil, the Waldorf education movement has been active for 60 years, with 161 kindergartens affiliated with the Federation of Waldorf Schools in Brazil and 105 initiatives inspired by Waldorf pedagogy.

A fundamental aspect of Waldorf pedagogy in Brazil is the richness and challenges that our cultural, ethnic-racial, social, and environmental diversity brings. To address this, there are working groups seeking to delve into the demands this diversity imposes on us. For example, the Network of Social Organizations focuses on children and youth in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability, providing free services. Currently, there are 38 institutions serving over 5,000 children and youth.

Regarding training: The first Training Center was founded in the 1970s in São Paulo. Currently, there are 25 training centers in 12 federal units, aiming to support schools throughout the country. In 2017, the headquarters of the Rudolf Steiner College was established, offering undergraduate, graduate, and extension courses.

Our main concerns: Our primary concern is to keep six-year-olds in kindergarten. The age cutoff for entering the first grade in Brazil does not allow the retention of children until they are six years old in early childhood education. As a result, many legal and pedagogical actions are being undertaken by the Federation of Waldorf Schools in Brazil to justify the retention of children in early childhood education. Our second concern is to promote deeper training for early childhood educators. Between 2010 and 2020, there was a 200% increase in the number of institutions, reaching stability in the following years. This situation makes the Federation of Waldorf Schools in Brazil (FEWB) very aware of maintaining the quality of education, bringing as our third concern the search for processes that ensure the correct use of the Waldorf name.

Sandra Eckschmidt is a Waldorf early childhood educator in Florianópolis and works internationally as a trainer and mentor. She is a member of the IASWECE Council. Mariana Sabine Santos is a Waldorf educator in Campo Largo and a member of the IASWECE Council.

Website of the Federation of Waldorf Schools in Brazil

Netherlands

Europe, Netherlands

Waldorf kindergartens are integrated into elementary schools in Holland, as are all kindergartens in the country. Since each of the 90 Waldorf elementary schools has an average of 3 kindergarten groups, there are approximately 270 kindergarten groups in Holland. There are nearly 19,000 pupils in Waldorf kindergartens, elementary schools and high schools.

The Waldorf schools gave themselves the name „Vrijeschool“ (Free School) in order to make visible their independent from government regulations. The Dutch constitution guarantees that parents have free choice in education. This means that all schools receive government support and at the same time have great freedom to develop their own curriculum. This has had a decisive influence on the development of Waldorf schools. The school authorities check regularly to make sure that Waldorf schools, despite their great freedom, are meeting the prescribed basic standards. The Waldorf movement is trying to maintain a good relationship with the school authorities and at the same time to develop its own identity.

This has proven to be a good approach – more and more parents are choosing Waldorf education for their children. In 2020 there were many initiatives to found new schools, and many Waldorf schools have long waiting lists. The government is interested in learning why Waldorf education is so popular, and articles appear regularly in the press about the importance of free play and the dangers of early academic learning.

Training. The training center for Waldorf education in Leiden offers a four-year, full-time training in Waldorf education. In the first two years, there is an introduction to Waldorf pedagogy and artistic activities, and the third and fourth years focus on methods and didactics, either for the kindergarten or the school. Part-time study is also available.

Birth to Three. There are many different forms of activity for the child from birth to three: child care centers that are part of schools, home daycare mothers, playgroups at home, etc. A new “Association for Anthroposophical Care of the Young Child” is in the process of forming.

Looking Back. Waldorf education has existed in Holland since 1922, when the first Waldorf School outside Germany was founded in the Hague. Rudolf Steiner held a whole series of pedagogical lectures here. Waldorf education has therefore become a solid component of the Dutch school system. In the 70’s and 80’s there was a first boom and it now looks as if it is experiencing a second strong phase of growth.

Website of the Country association
Website of the Training Center

Ukraine

Europe, Ukraine

The following report reflects the pre-war situation of early childhood education activity in Ukraine. For current information and how you can help, please click here.

In Ukraine there are currently 4 Waldorf kindergartens; each is part of a Waldorf school. They are located in the large cities of Kiev, Krivoi Rog, Dnjepropetrovsk und Odessa, where it is difficult to have a real connection to nature.

Three kindergartens are government-supported; however, the parents pay additional school fees. The kindergarten in Odessa is private and financed solely through parent contributions. According to the current education laws, children must go to school at age six. However, the law is not strictly enforced, and parents can decide whether to send their child to school at age six or age seven. In the Waldorf school the youngest children in each class are those who turned six in May.

Waldorf education, for both schools and kindergartens, is officially recognized by the Ministry of Education as a form of alternative education. At this time Waldorf education is in strong demand and there is a lot of interest in general for Waldorf education.

Working together. Waldorf schools and kindergartens work together in the “Association of Waldorf Educational Initiatives” in Ukraine. Kindergarten teachers meet each year in springtime for a national meeting.

Training. All educators in Ukraine must complete a state education training. In addition, Waldorf educators complete a three-year part-time training at the Ukrainian Waldorf Training Seminar. In the first year, teacher trainees and early childhood trainees complete a regional foundation studies course at a Waldorf school in either Kiev, Krivoy Rog, Dnepropetrovsk or Odessa. In the second and third year they specialize and the training course moves from one city to another.

The Child from Birth to Three. Several years ago a further education course on the child from birth to three was taught by Edith Frey from Stockholm. In the Odessa Waldorf Kindergarten there is a group for children between two and four years old. There is no Waldorf child care in Ukraine.

Looking back. The first Waldorf kindergarten and first Waldorf School were founded in 1993 in Odessa. Training courses for teachers and early childhood educators began in 1994, which led to the founding of Waldorf schools in the large cities. Earlier there were more Waldorf kindergartens than today. For various reasons, mostly financial, several were forced to close their doors after a few years.

Current questions. The political and economic crisis, chaos and a loss of values characterize the mood in the country at the moment. For educators, the following issues are therefore very important: forms of collaboration among colleagues, self-administration, the self-education of the educator, and the work with parents.

Svitlana Eks is a Waldorf educator in Odessa, a faculty member in the kindergarten training and a member of the IASWECE Council.

Finland

Europe, Finland

In Finland, there are all together more than 40 Waldorf kindergartens, known there as Steiner kindergartens, and preschool groups attended by more than 800 children.

Steiner kindergartens provide care for children from one to six years of age. Most of these are independent institutions, founded through a supporting association. Some work together with nearby Waldorf schools. In Finland, children enter school at the age of seven. Children may attend the year prior to the first grade, known as the “preschool year,” at either a school or in a kindergarten that offers a preschool year.

Collaboration. In Finland, Anthroposophical pedagogical activities lie in the hands of the national society for Steiner pedagogy, called “Suomen Steinerkasvatuksen liitto.” The society was founded to bolster the collaboration of Waldorf institutions.

Training. The Snellman-Hochschule in Helsinki offers a foundation year, followed by a three-year course of study to become either a class teacher or an early childhood teacher, which can conclude in an officially-recognized diploma. Practical experience is highly valued, especially in the early childhood training. Each semester, students are permitted to perform an apprenticeship training in a Steiner kindergarten, possibly also in a foreign country.

Early Childhood Pedagogy. The Finnish government assists families until their children are three years old. As a general rule, many kindergartens therefore accept children from the age of three. However, the need for childcare for children after the age of one is always growing, even in Finland. Therefore, many kindergartens are offering early childhood care, either in mixed-age groups, or in small groups only for children under three years of age.

Current Challenges. All Steiner schools and kindergartens are private institutions. However, they are partially co-financed by the Finnish government, as long as they comply with certain guidelines and can provide requested accreditations. In Finland, Steiner pedagogy is recognized as an alternative form of education. Nonetheless, curricula must be adapted to the government framework, for instance, with documentation of anthroposophical methods and goals. This curriculum work has become very newsworthy at the moment in Finland. New curricula have been developed with intense collaboration from the anthroposophical community. An especially large challenge is, among other things, the theme of technology, and the requirement that it be used in kindergartens and schools. Luckily, the use of computers in Waldorf kindergartens and in the early elementary grades at Steiner schools is not a prerequisite of the new curricula.

A Look Back. Anthroposophy (“steinerpedagogiikka”) became well known in Finland in the middle of the twentieth century. In 1955, the first school was founded in the Finnish capital of Helsinki. Thereafter, many more schools were founded. Today there are 26, with approximately 5000 students. Development in the field of early childhood education began at the end of the 1960s, when the Steiner schools established preschool groups. The first kindergarten for children under age 7 was founded in 1972 in the southeast in Lappeenranta.

Special Geographic Features. Waldorf kindergartens can be found all over the country, from the southern coast of Finland all the way to the Lapland in the north. Not only can they be found in the nation’s big cities, but also in completely rural areas. Whether it be ocean, lake, forest, or field, the beautiful and intense Finnish countryside, with its colors, noises, and scents, is always present. The excellent countryside offers itself for play and movement possibilities. Additionally, the diversity of the different seasons has become an important aspect of the pedagogy. Throughout the year, the children spend a large portion of the day in the fresh air, in nature, playing in all kinds of weather – and it can be very cold in winter and quite wet in autumn. Indeed, the new awakening of spring, after the cold, dark winter, brings a bright, lively feeling. In this way, the seasonal festivals are wonderfully supported by the experience of each season.

Tina Iwersen is a Waldorf kindergarten teacher in Helsinki, lecturer at the Snellman Institute and a member of the IASWECE Council

Webpage of the Country Association
Webpage for Training Centers