Early Childhood Program
Our early childhood program provides a warm, home-like environment where young children develop through play, imitation, and sensory experience. We honor childhood as a unique and precious time of life, allowing children to unfold at their own pace.
The Waldorf Approach to Early Childhood
In Waldorf early childhood education, we understand that young children learn best through imitation and doing. Rather than formal academic instruction, we create an environment rich in worthy activities for children to emulate—practical work, artistic activities, and imaginative play.
Our teachers model purposeful work and care for the environment, knowing that children naturally absorb and internalize what they experience. This approach lays a strong foundation for later academic learning while protecting the child's sense of wonder and joy in discovery.
Program Features
Play-Based Learning
Children learn through imaginative play, developing creativity, problem-solving, and social skills in a natural, unhurried way.
Mixed-Age Classrooms
Our classrooms blend children ages 3-6, allowing younger children to learn from older peers and older children to develop leadership and nurturing skills.
Rhythm and Routine
Predictable daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms provide security and help children develop healthy habits and a sense of time.
Nature Connection
Daily outdoor play and seasonal celebrations connect children to the natural world and the cycles of the year.
Artistic Activities
Watercolor painting, beeswax modeling, singing, and movement nourish the child's innate creativity and sense of beauty.
Practical Life Skills
Children participate in baking, sweeping, gardening, and caring for the classroom, developing independence and responsibility.
A Day in Early Childhood
Our daily rhythm provides a predictable flow that helps children feel secure and develop healthy habits. Each activity flows naturally into the next, creating a breathing rhythm of active and quiet times.
Greeting, free play, and settling into the day
Songs, verses, movement games, and seasonal activities
Painting, beeswax, crafts, or baking—varies by day
Extended time in our natural playground and garden
Fairy tales and nature stories told by the teacher
Healthy organic snack prepared in the classroom
Farewell verse and preparation for departure
Preparing for First Grade
Our early childhood program develops the foundational capacities children need to thrive in grade school and beyond:
- Strong fine and gross motor skills
- Social and emotional readiness
- Attention and listening skills
- Love of learning and curiosity
- Independence and self-care abilities
- Rich vocabulary and language development
No Early Academics
Research supports what Waldorf educators have known for a century: children who have a rich, play-based early childhood often surpass their peers academically by third grade and beyond. We trust the developmental process and resist pressure to push academics before children are ready.
Program Options
Public Charter Program
Tuition-free early childhood education for Arizona residents. Full-day and half-day options available based on enrollment.
Apply NowPrivate Program
Additional early childhood options for families seeking flexibility. Same Waldorf philosophy and dedicated teachers.
Contact for DetailsVisit Our Early Childhood Program
We invite you to schedule a tour to experience the warmth and wonder of our early childhood classrooms. See play-based learning in action and meet our dedicated teachers.