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)