Early Childhood
FULL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
The Early Childhood Certificate Program is designed to prepare you with the depth of understanding and skills needed to work successfully in a Waldorf Early Childhood Setting. Our program instructors are leaders in the field of Waldorf early childhood education, with many years of Waldorf classroom experience and as adult educators. Together with visiting faculty they will provide you with a rich and comprehensive education.
The program includes study and experience in these areas:
Child and human development and and how it relates to Waldorf education
Anthroposophical studies, the philosophy behind Waldorf education.
Practices in Waldorf Early Childhood work and the underlying principles.
Artistic and handwork activities of Waldorf early childhood education
Professional and social aspects of Waldorf early childhood education
Inner holistic development of the educator
What will you learn?
To understand the child in depth, through the broader study of human development, and specifically child development pre-birth to age seven.
To develop skills to practice this understanding in a Waldorf Early Childhood setting based on rhythm, arts, storytelling, music, crafts and imagination.
To study together Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy to deepen awareness of the far-reaching effects of a holistic education
To practice tools for self-development and lifelong research.
July 14-18 - Early Childhood Week with Laurie Clark San Diego Campus
Enkindling forces of Resilience and Support for the Young Child: Accompanying Children with Anxieties and Trauma. From the Chrysalis to the Butterfly: Reading the developmental phases through children’s drawings. Including movement to integrate and mature the child’s sensory system, the art of enhancing essential competencies through the Waldorf Curriculum, rethinking child contemplation as a path of support, art as creative process for the teacher’s well-being, painting with children and Eurythmy.
July 21-25 - Early Childhood Week with Holly Koteen-Soule Highland Hall waldorf School, Los Angeles campus.
Living Language -Building a Strong Foundation for Literacy in the First 7 years. Includes: living language, building a strong foundation for literacy in the First 7 Years, Art of Speech with Christine Burke, making and using simple puppets, and Eurythmy.
July 28-30 - Week with Linda Williams, Alan Salazar, and Shivani Burrows Goodwill Online
Honoring Human Dignity. Exploring human dignity and diversity from three perspectives.
To complete the Full Early Childhood Certificate Program in 25 months, you will need to take 3 full weeks each summer. In compliance with WECAN and AWSNA, we recommend that you take one of our grades weeks as one of three your summer weeks. Some students choose to take more time to complete the program and just take one or two weeks per summer. Students who enroll in the full program get a discount in tuition.
Our new full program of 600 course hours (plus Fieldwork) meets and exceeds the 450 minimum hours required by WECAN. We encourage you to watch the film Waldorf 100 Learn to change the world produced in association with the Waldorf 100 International Forum for Steiner/Waldorf Education.
Early Childhood Program details
The 3 summers are comprised of
2 in person early childhood weeks
1 in person early grades week
1 three day online seminar
The 2 school years in between are comprised of
Two in person early childhood intensives per semester
Monthly online Waldorf Essential Seminars
Monthly Anthroposophy studies online.
Monthly online Mentoring Mondays
One in person ‘Art of Speech’ workshop per year
One in person biodynamic farming workshop per year
One Threefold community event
Field work (Observation and practice teaching)
The summer weeks can each be taken separately. We recommend enrollment in the full program to get the best experience and the speediest pathway to become a certified Waldorf teacher. It is also the most cost effective option.