-Rudolf Steiner
Waldorf education is an education of the head, heart and hands. Waldorf schools strive to awaken and ennoble capacities within the growing child, rather than merely impose intellectual content. A child who is balanced in feeling, has initiative in action and clarity of thought is the aim of a Waldorf education. At Wishing Well a foundation will be laid where the child can begin the journey toward these goals.
Wishing Well is a preschool, mixed-age kindergarten and offers a first grade homeschool support program for children ages 3 through 7 years old. There is an emphasis on play, imagination and nature. Daily activities include seasonal crafts, cooking, developmental movement, circle games, storytelling, puppetry, singing, nature walks, sculpture and painting. The children will learn to play harmoniously with an established circle of friends.
Schedule
The program is offered 4 days a week with a 2, 3, or 4 day option. The program goes from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Extended care is available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until 4p.m.
An example daily schedule:
9:00 arrival
outside time: gardening, woodworking, digging to China, sandbox play, snack prep, seasonal crafts, swinging, playing on the play structure, etc.
circle time: singing games, seasonal songs and verses, developmental movement (gross and fine motor)
inside time: artistic activity (baking, painting, coloring, cooking), creative free play
bathroom
10:45 birdie snack of apples and nuts or cheese
clean-up
11:15/30 organic hot lunch (provided)
11:45 outdoor play/nature walk
12:40 storytelling and puppetry
1:00 pick up
Calendar
The year is divided into two terms, a fall/winter term (Sept. – Dec.) and a winter/spring term (Jan. – June). This gives you an opportunity to make changes in your childcare needs and allows others who may be interested a chance to enroll if there is an open spot. A full school year calendar will be provided upon enrollment.
Tuition/Fees
Morning snack and artistic materials are included in the tuition. Monthly tuition is due on the first session day of each month. The monthly payments are based on the length of each term, fall/winter being 4 months and winter/spring being 6 months. There is an application/interview fee of $30. Following enrollment, a $100 tuition deposit is required. This will be applied to the final month’s payment and is otherwise refundable only within 30 days written notice of withdrawal. A $50 materials fee is due within the first three months of enrollment.
2 day program: $175 per month
3 day program: $262 per month
4 day program: $350 per month
Teachers
Kim Wishon has a B.A. in Spanish and Special Education from the University of Oregon and has a Waldorf teacher certificate from the Rudolf Steiner College. Over the past 10 years Kim has worked as a Waldorf teacher in a preschool, teaching 1st and 2nd grade Spanish, class teaching 5th-8th grades and homeschooling a combined 2nd and 3rd grade class.
Ms. Jan comes to us from the Bellingham Waldorf School in Washington. There she assisted and taught for 10 years in the kindergarten. Her wealth of experience, calm presence and wonderful way with the children bring a beautiful harmony to our days.
Ms. Kelly is a student at Cal Poly and is studying architectural engineering. She grew up going to Waldorf schools herself in Sacramento, Ca. and has been drawn to working in that familiar Waldorf setting now that she is in college. She brings an uplifting energy to the children and is a steady presence.
Julie Hitchcock brings with her an extensive background in early childhood education. She has a bachelor’s degree in Child Development, a K-12 specialist teaching credential, and a master’s degree in education. She has worked with young children for many years and through her own teaching experience, she has discovered a passion for working with children and their families. Julie is excited to delve deeper into Waldorf education for herself and her family. She will be filling the role of “director (in-training)” and will be assisting in the organizational tasks of running a school as well as working within the classroom exploring the rhythm of teaching in a Waldorf setting.
Ana Ibarra is a California credentialed teacher and a native Spanish speaker. She will be offering a second language experience to the children through daily experiences, circle time, song and story. She taught 2nd grade for 7 years before deciding to stay home and be a mom. She is now embarking on a new journey, her study of Waldorf education and being our Spanish teacher.
She writes, “I am surprised that through all my schooling, I had never come across information on Waldorf Education. My viewpoint on primary education has changed so much because of this new knowledge. I have come to believe that this is how all children, especially this age, should be taught. I feel these two concepts, learning language through content and teaching in a natural setting, blend beautifully. I am very excited to be part of next year’s plan. This has been an eye-opening experience for me and I’m looking forward to growing and learning more, just like our children.”
Policies & Procedures
Being that this is a new endeavor, many of the policies and procedures will be formulated as we go along and as things come up. My hope is that, as a group of adults who have the highest intentions for our children, we will be able to agree on things and be open minded about what is best for our individual children as well as for the group. That said, I do have a few ideas on how to go about some of the issues that may come up.
Parent involvement:
Since this may be the first school experience for some children, I understand the desire to stay and see how things are going and the difficulty you may have leaving your child for the first time in another’s care. Separation may be difficult but we have to remember that the birth of our child was the first step on their path of individuality. Each day they grow more and more independent, incarnating into their own being. That being said, transition is a gray area. Please take cues from your child about when to stay or go while holding the idea that this is their time. Please feel free to drop in at anytime, stay a little longer in the morning or pick up a little earlier and join us for lunch.
There are various ways in which you can be involved. Field trips, festivals, parent evenings, painting day or other special craft or festival days are all wonderful ways to contribute. And, I am sure other things will arise as the year progresses. I’ll let you know.
Questions & Concerns:
Since our children are always around us and require our whole attention, it is better to bring questions or concerns when the children are not present, ideally. Please speak directly to me if there is something weighing on your heart. I do much better with direct speech. It is very difficult for me to give you the attention you need first thing in the morning. Emailing or calling on the phone works best.
Parent evenings:
Every other month I provide a forum for discussion on important home life, parenting and societal issues. I also would like for us all to get to know each other better. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together to discuss our children’s well being, how we can be better parents and a place to share challenges. We are each creating our family vessel. Let’s help each other in this endeavor.
Discipline:
There are so many factors that go into making us act the way we do and the same is true for the young child. Our nutrition, our home-life, our interactions throughout the day all play a part in how we behave. In young children a healthy wholesome diet, a rhythmic stable home-life and loving interactions throughout their day help to pave the way for healthy happy children. However, the predominate way a young child learns is through imitation. We didn’t have to teach our children to crawl, sit, walk and talk, but rather they imitated us and still do. I believe the key to teaching and discipline at this age is to tap into that imitative nature. Instead of focusing on the mistake or jumping into the head and trying to reason with a young child, a better approach is to show them, with my/our actual movements, a positive behavior to copy. The fewer words the better and the more repetitive the better. “Hands are for working and playing,” rather than hitting or throwing sand. And then going and engaging the child’s will forces and showing him/her how to work or play in a positive manner. Our children are our mirrors. Who we are and everything we do is mirrored in our children.
Illness and Absences:
If your child is sick with fever, flu or something else terrible that you wouldn’t want to share please don’t send him or her to school. In the case of a scheduled absences or vacations, please notify me in advance as soon as you can. Tuition will not be reduced for illness or scheduled absence.
What is provided:
A wholesome organic lunch, all artistic materials and a loving, safe, rich environment for your child to grow and thrive.
And what’s not:
Food
Please sign up to bring a week’s amount of snack. Check the bullietin board for details.
Clothing/footwear
Each child should have a spare change of clothing that stay in their cubby, just in case.
Each child should have a pair of indoor slippers.
I hope that this is helpful in aiding your understanding of what Wishing Well School is all about. Together we will toss a coin into the well of our children’s future. Thanks for your interest in Wishing Well. Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Kim Wishon
