By the end of an 8-year journey at Ithaca Waldorf School, our students have covered all of the curriculum that New York State requires, plus they’ve studied Shakespeare, organic chemistry, Euclidean geometry, and played a string instrument for at least 6 years. They have taken advanced New York State exams in Algebra, Earth Science, and Spanish. They have learned to plan and complete homework assignments on time (including a year-long independent capstone research project). They have worked closely with teachers to address challenges in the classroom, and they have built so much curiosity about the world around them that they often request additional assignments. Perhaps most importantly, they have built incredible resilience, personal character, and inner strength—which will carry them through in any environment. 

Can qualities like kindness and compassion be taught? Does social-emotional skill-building belong in the classroom? Yes. At Ithaca Waldorf School, we place tremendous value on human relationships and community building. “We teach our students that they're not just kids, they are human beings. Their needs and thoughts and ideas are important,” says Miss Katherine, 3rd grade class teacher. “We also teach them how to work with others and have genuine care and compassion for other people's ideas.”

Or, the 6 Most Important First Grade Readiness Skills Your Child Will Learn in Kindergarten

At Ithaca Waldorf School, our kindergarten program is designed to meet and nurture children during this powerful phase of development. Most of our kindergarteners are 5-year-olds who will turn 6 during the school year, which in some cases makes them almost a year older than public school kindergarteners. Waldorf schools around the world have found that this “extra year of kindergarten” is the best year to develop a foundation in preacademic skills that will set them up for success in 1st grade and beyond.

At Ithaca Waldorf School, our interdisciplinary and hands-on approach to science ignites students’ natural curiosity. Our approach begins with nurturing a foundation of love, wonder, and connection with the natural world, progresses into fostering their ability to observe, question, and analyze the world around them, and lays the groundwork for advanced-level science in high school and beyond. 

Here’s how we do it.

Early childhood is just the beginning of the journey, which grows and transforms with children as they age into our elementary and middle school. Just like our preschool and kindergarten teachers, grades school faculty are specially trained to educate children through each stage of development, thoughtfully fostering each students’ capacity to learn, think creatively and independently, and connect with their class and community.