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

Spain

Europe, Spain

Waldorf education became known in Spain in 1975 when a group of parents and teachers prepared the first Waldorf Kindergarten, which was inaugurated in 1979 in Las Rozas (Madrid) under the name of Escuela Libre Micael.

At present, there are 31 early childhood programs plus 16 more that are in a process of development and recognition. In Spain, policies are very strict, and many initiatives need a long time to be able to fulfil all the requirements before receiving their legal license. Initiatives are not supported by the state, but need to fully comply with the national curriculum. Nevertheless, we have developed a great capacity for translating the requirements of the law into a wonderful Waldorf reality!

There are also 11 Teacher Training Centres in Waldorf Education in 9 different cities. All are recognised members of the national association.

Early childhood programs in Spain are very different from those of a few decades ago: since children come from a very diverse conglomerate of cultures, economic backgrounds, family situations and new social structures, new attitudes and skills needed to be renewed and improved. This presupposes a reinforcement of teacher training in the pedagogical and didactic field, and in the management and leadership of schools.

The Spanish national association is a federation of all Waldorf Early Childhood Programs, Schools and Teacher Training Centres. This association promotes mutual support among the initiatives through meetings and among colleagues through working groups. It also works to protect the good use and quality of the names Waldorf and Steiner.

We also publish a twice-yearly newsletter distributed for free to more than 5000 families and friends of our movement and to more than 17,000 online subscribers, with updated reports of the activity of IASWECE.

The list of programs, publications and the national newsletter are published on the website www.colegioswaldorf.org.

For the newsletter: https://www.colegioswaldorf.org/pages/la-revista

Lourdes Tormes is a Waldorf kindergarten teacher and trainer, representative of IASWECE in the Asociación de Centros Educativos Waldorf de España, and a member of the IASWECE Coordinating Group member.

Website of the Waldorfassociation in Spain

Video about a Waldorf kindergarten in Alicante

New Zealand

Australasia, New Zealand

There are now 25 kindergartens in New Zealand (Aotearoa), 2 day care centers and a number of play groups. There are 10 Steiner/Waldorf Schools, 5 of which have High Schools.

There are also 3 curative homes in New Zealand for adults and children. All the above are members or associate members of the Federation of Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf Schools in New Zealand. All Early Childhood education falls under the Ministry of Education in New Zealand and while this means the education is subsidized, which makes it possible for all children to attend, it also means we need to comply with state regulations.

Looking back. Anthroposophy was brought to New Zealand by affluent European settlers in the early twentieth century, shortly after Rudolf Steiner began lecturing in Europe. The Antroposophical society was established in 1933 and Steiner/Waldorf Education began in Hastings, the middle of the North Island in 1950.

Training. The main Anthroposophical training centre, Taruna College, was founded in 1982. This has been the home not only to education but also biodynamics, health and art courses. At present there is a 3 – year, modular Early childhood in – service course which is recognised by IASWECE and is not connected to Taruna but is run on behalf of SEANZ (Steiner Education Aotearoa New Zealand)

Major Concerns. It has taken a while for Steiner/Waldorf Schools to become integrated into the indigenous culture and to develop a curriculum that both embraces the essentials of Steiner/Waldorf education and Maoritanga. Early childhood is the fastest growing form of education in New Zealand, especially for children under three. We have no specific training for the child birth to three and many mainstream institutions with very little understanding of the very young child.

New Zealand is geographically very isolated and it is a challenge to feel part of the world movement even though Steiner/Waldorf education has been in existence here for over 60 years.

Kathy MacFarlane, kindergarten teacher in Auckland, also teaching on the training courses nationally and internationally and representative for New Zealand on the IASWECE Council.

Website of the Federation of Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf Schools in New Zealand