Early Childhood

Meadowbrook Waldorf School offers a mixed-age preschool and kindergarten program with three to six year olds in the same classroom. 

• Children must be 3 years old by June 1 to be considered for enrollment.

• The Kindergarten year begins for the child who is 5 years old by June 1. 

• We offer both half and full day programs for preschool and kindergarten. 

• Preschool-aged children may attend either three (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) or five days per week. 

• Kindergarten students must attend five days per week to meet State of Rhode Island standards and continue on to First Grade.

Approach

Taught by experienced Waldorf teachers, our Early Childhood programs are designed to nurture and protect the young child’s natural sense of wonder and curiosity. Formal academic learning begins in Grade 1 in a Waldorf school, with the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy laid in our Early Childhood classrooms, play yard, and woodland campus. These pre-academic skills, including social, physical, and emotional skills, are strengthened in a beautiful and warm environment, rich in hands-on play, indoor and outdoor activity, and storytelling.

Days in the Early Childhood classroom are balanced with periods of quiet following periods of active, creative play, purposeful work, and exploration. This rhythm is expressed in a daily routine that includes play, circle time (verses, nursery rhymes, songs, and games), snack time, nature stories, folk and fairy tales, artistic activities, and outdoor play. These activities work together to strengthen the child’s capacities for creative thought, cooperation, problem solving, and perseverance in preparation for the academic learning beginning in the elementary grades.