Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten program offers your 4, 5 or 6 year old a setting reminiscent of home with more opportunity to develop and learn. Each class welcomes up to 18 children with an experienced Waldorf teacher and assistant.

Schedule options:

•	5 mornings a week (8:30 am to 12 noon)
•	5 full days a week (8:30 am to 3:30 pm). Full day program
•	After-School program is available until 5:30 pm. After-School program
•	Children who are 4 years old by May 31 may enter Kindergarten in September that year
•	Each class is comprised of Junior and Senior Kindergarten students; it may include children from 4 to 6 years old.

Parental Involvement:

•	Parent Evenings held through the year provide an opportunity to discuss parenting issues and challenges, and explore the Waldorf approach to raising young children. These are an integral part of the program; one or both parents are expected to attend.
•	Gateways - an annual conference for parents of young children, is held at TWS each spring. Many parents choose to attend this event to support their parenting work.
•	Parents often have the opportunity to briefly speak with teachers at drop-off and pick-up times.
•	The admissions process includes an individual meeting with the teacher.
•	Kindergarten requires an annual contractual commitment.

Play as a Foundation for Healthy Development

•	The foundation developed in Kindergarten will support learning in Lower and High School and life beyond. This groundwork is laid unconsciously as your child plays, developing language and social skills, imagination and a healthy, active body.
•	The rich language of stories, songs and verses will enhance your child’s language development, a precursor to reading skills
•	Storytelling, songs and verses also help children develop the capacity to create their own visual images. Future reading comprehension and creative thinking will draw strongly on this capacity.
•	Development of imagination is enhanced by the nature of play; natural materials such as shells, pinecones and driftwood become phones, bells and ships in the children’s minds, offering an unlimited canvas for play
•	Development of imagination is a cornerstone of future openness to new ideas and creative problem solving, a hallmark of Waldorf education.

Role of Teachers

•	Hands-on work by the teachers (baking, cleaning and gardening) lends itself to imitation, the young child's first cognitive exploration of the world.
•	Children model both activities and the way in which they are done.
•	Your child will see the attention paid to each individual, respectful social interactions, thoughtful speech and healthy movement.
•	Through these, children learn important values such as respect for self and others, kindness, industriousness and a sense of wonder.
•	Through imitation children learn to be good citizens of the world.

•	Activities:
•	unstructured play time indoors
•	watercolour painting, drawing and beeswax modelling
•	eurythmy (movement)
•	circle time with rhymes, songs, finger plays and movement games
•	storytelling accompanied by hand puppets to provide concrete visual experience and rich language models
•	a nutritious snack prepared daily, shared by children and teachers
•	Vigorous, energetic outdoor play in the Kindergarten play garden each day
•	Regular adventure walks into the forest playground, meadow and school farm
•	Special activities such as the fall lantern walk and a birthday story and celebration for each child