Early Childhood Education
Preserving the merriment and awe inherent in a young child.
At Summerfield Waldorf School, our children meet goodness, beauty, and truth in the world around them. Fostering the magic of childhood builds a foundation not only for creative but also flexible thinking later in life.
Children thrive when their lives are rhythmical – they can count on events to unfold in a predictable way and with this sense of security comes the opportunity to engage in their play and work with confidence. New skills, both physical and social, develop as the child encounters a familiar, dependable environment, tailored to their needs.
These principles guide the organization of our classrooms to allow children to fully experience the turning of the seasons, their own growing competence, the joy of friendship and our rich festival life.
Parent and Child Program
Parent and Child classes offer support and guidance for families as they begin to establish routines that encourage the healthy development of the growing child. These classes provide a place, week after week, for children to enrich their world beyond their family circle, while their parent stays near by. Each Class offers an open time for the child to explore free play.
Pregnancy through Toddler
Our parent-child circles are for children aged birth to 18 months old, attending once a week with an adult caregiver. Our circles provide a peaceful and connecting experience for both the parent and the child. There are weekly discussions of parenting topics designed to support and inspire your life at home and to deepen your understanding of child development.
Parents find a community of sharing and mutual support. In the toddler class, each week parents are invited to work on a simple handwork project, while the children engage in creative play without set goals, practice social engagement, and learn from daily life experiences in our nurturing environment. Included in the class are a shared snack, lap games, songs and puppet plays.
We offer indoor and outdoor classes. Our outdoor space is an intentionally designed garden offering a safe play space in all weather conditions for toddlers 15m – 2.5 yrs. Our indoors classes are for infants and moving babies 0m-15 months.
Preschool
Summerfield’s preschool program strives to make the transition from home to school as gentle as possible by creating a classroom setting that feels homelike. At the age of three, children are just beginning to interact with their peers and they naturally imitate the world around them. It is through active play with each other and work with their teachers and peers that these children develop a foundation for future learning.
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Our classes offer a high teacher-to-student ratio with typical class sizes of:
Preschool for 2-3 years old: 8 students, 2 teachers (two classes)
Preschool for 3-4 years old: 12 students, 2 teachers (two classes)
Seedlings Preschool for
2-3 year olds
2 years old by June 1
of current year
2-Day Program:
Thursdays and Fridays 8:30am-12:30pm
5-Day Program:
Monday -Friday
8:30am-12:30pm
Rosebud Preschool for 3-4 year olds
3 years old by June 1
of current year
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3-Day Program:
Monday, Tue, Wed
8:30am-12:30pm
5-Day Program:
Monday-Friday
8:30am-12:30pm
Preschool Aftercare
for 3-4 year olds
Two pick-up times available: 3pm and 5pm
Register with lead teacher; choose days per week.
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Enroll by semester terms.
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“Children who live in an atmosphere of love and warmth, and who have around them truly good examples to imitate, are living in their proper element.”
- Rudolf Steiner
Kindergarten
Our Kindergartens serve children from ages 4 to 6 and aim to support the healthy development of the young child in a nurturing, non-academic setting, through imitation, movement, imaginative play, story and the work of daily life. The day begins at 8:30am and ends at 12:45pm with a nutritious snack and a warm, healthy lunch. Our aftercare program begins at 12:45pm with a quiet rest, then the children go outside and have a nourishing snack. Aftercare ends at 5:30pm.
In Kindergarten, a rhythmic structure is created that moves daily between focused group activities and individually initiated activities, including circle time, creative free-play indoors and out, eating meals together while working on our finest, golden manners, clean-up time, and story time.
Weekly activities include a visit to our Biodynamic® farm, painting, drawing, eurythmy (an art of movement) and practical skills. Kneading dough, chopping vegetables, sewing, finger knitting or working in the wood shop with industrious and capable hands to saw, rasp or sand are some of the weekly tasks the children enjoy. For the older children in Kindergarten, this ‘real work’ meets the transformational changes happening within.
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Our classes offer a high teacher-to-student ratio with typical class sizes of:
Kindergarten for 4-6 year olds: 22 students, 2 teachers (two classes)
Sample schedule
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8:15am- Gates open to ECE Village
8:30- Nature walk
8:45- Circle
9:00- Daily Activity
9:20- Tidy up from activity & freeplay
10:20- Handwashing & Snack*
10:50- Freeplay and Lunch Preparation
11:40- Tidy up and bathroom break
11:50- Story time
12:10pm- Lunch
12:30- Chores
12:45- First Kindergarten pick-up at gate
Sample Menu
Monday: Rice w.tamari, seeds, broccoli
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Tuesday: Lentil Stew w. sour cream
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Wednesday: Oatmeal and toppings
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Thursday: Stone Soup, Homemade Bread & Butter
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Friday: Creamy Polenta w. marinara sauce, salad
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​Daily & Weekly Rhythms 2024/25
(Activities)
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Monday: Farm Day
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Tuesday: Eurythmy & Drawing ​
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Wednesday: Baking
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Thursday: Painting ​
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Friday: Cleaning Day
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Qualifiers for ECE Programs
Immunization
All children must be immunized with prior to enrollment. California State Exemption are no longer offered to private schools. Please read our Immunization Policy for all details.
Toilet Training Competence for Rosebud Preschool (3-4 years old)
All Rosebud children must be able to toilet independently. This is a marker of readiness for the program we offer and makes our teacher/student ratios workable.
Additional developmental readiness for Rosebud Preschool (3-4 years old) and Kindergarten Programs (4-6 years old)
When looking at acceptance, these are the capacities which are considered:
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Responds to teachers redirection and regulation support
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Able to join group activity
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Able to follow directions from multiple adults, not just their preferred adult
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Shows interest in social play
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Communicate either with words or sign language. (Children who cannot communicate are not admitted as it is a matter of safety)
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Dresses themselves
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Reasonably independent in transitions
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Capable of managing conflicts with a minimum of aggressive behaviors
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Capable of staying with the group throughout the rhythm of the day
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Able to listen to a story for 10-15 minutes