Finding Families for Your Waldorf-Inspired Homeschool Co-op

To find families for a Waldorf-inspired homeschool co-op, go where those families already gather. That means Waldorf school fairs, parent-and-child groups, the Waldorf Map, library meetups and local homeschool groups online. Talk to people in person first. Then describe your co-op plainly: the day, the ages, what the children do and what each parent gives. The families who'd love it will recognize themselves, and the ones who wouldn't can pass it by.

Where Waldorf-inspired families gather

Most co-ops begin with people who already know each other a little. The trick is to put yourself where families who love rhythm, stories and handwork already spend their Saturdays.

Waldorf school fairs and festivals

Many Waldorf and Steiner schools open their doors to the public for Advent and Christmas fairs, May fairs and lantern walks. Richmond Waldorf School, for example, describes its May Faire as open to the public and invites the wider community to its Holiday Faire.

A fair is an easy place to meet people. You're both standing at the same candle-dipping table or watching the maypole, and "do your children go here?" leads naturally to "we homeschool, actually." Some of the families you meet there will be homeschooling, and some will know someone who is.

The Waldorf fairs and festivals page lists upcoming fairs at Waldorf and Steiner schools.

Parent-and-child groups

Many Waldorf schools and kindergartens run parent-and-child groups for babies and toddlers: a gentle morning of play, baking, songs and a story, with parents in the room. Washington Waldorf School's Saturday classes include baking, seasonal songs, storytelling and handcrafts.

The parents there have already chosen this kind of morning for their small children. Some will be thinking about what comes next, and a co-op may be the answer they hadn't thought of. If you have a little one, joining a group yourself is the most natural way in. What is a Waldorf parent and child group? describes what happens in a session.

Posting a notice or writing in a school's parent group is the school's decision, so ask the office or the teacher before you do. Most schools are glad to be asked.

The Waldorf Map and national associations

The Waldorf Map lists Waldorf and Steiner schools, kindergartens, parent-and-child groups and Waldorf-inspired co-ops. It covers the US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Look for anything within a reasonable drive. A kindergarten or a small school is often the heart of the local Waldorf community, even for families who don't send their children there.

National associations keep their own lists too. WECAN, the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, has a directory of kindergartens and early childhood programs. Waldorf UK keeps a full list of its member schools and early years settings, sorted by region.

Libraries

Many public libraries host homeschool meetups. Baltimore County Public Library, for instance, runs a free, freeform homeschool meetup "to promote community and information sharing," open to ages from preschool to teens. Ask at your branch. If there's a meetup, go a few times before you mention a co-op, so people know your face.

A library noticeboard is worth a small, handwritten card too.

Homeschool groups, online and off

Most regions have homeschool groups, and a Waldorf-inspired family is often quietly among them. HSLDA runs a free search for homeschool groups in the US. In Victoria, Australia, the Home Education Network lists local groups, including groups with a special focus. The Homeschool Mom suggests Facebook groups, Nextdoor, Meetup and Instagram as places to post.

A general homeschool group is a good place to ask a simple question: "Is anyone here doing Waldorf or Waldorf-inspired homeschooling nearby?" You may find three families who've been waiting for someone to ask.

Open or invitation only?

Decide this before you post anywhere. The Homeschool Mom describes both ways: announcing the co-op widely, or keeping it invitation only. CHEC suggests that if you want a small group, you don't make a big announcement at all. You ask one family at a time until your core group is set.

For a small Waldorf-inspired co-op, a gentle mix often works:

1. Start by invitation. Invite two or three families you've met and liked, and spend a term finding your rhythm.
2. Then open a little. Once you know what a morning looks like, post a description and welcome one new family at a time.

Knowing your size first makes this easier. How many families you need for a co-op walks through how to size a group by your room, your adults and your children's ages.

How to describe your co-op so the right families come

The words you use decide who answers. "Homeschool co-op, all welcome!" brings a mix of families who want different things, and it's harder for everyone when that comes out in week three.

HSLDA suggests every co-op writes a purpose statement, and The Homeschool Mom lists "what families will you serve?" among the first questions to answer. For a Waldorf-inspired group, the clearest purpose statement is a picture of a morning.

Say what the children do

Use the real words. "We start with a circle of songs and a verse, hear a story, paint wet-on-wet and finish with handwork and time outside" tells a Waldorf-inspired parent more than "creative, holistic learning." It also tells a family looking for maths worksheets and a drop-off class that this isn't for them, which is kind to both of you.

Say what parents give

Families want to know what they're signing up for. Say whether parents stay, whether each family takes a turn leading, and if there's a fee or a snack schedule.

Keep it short

A few lines is enough. People will ask questions, and the questions start the conversation you want.

Here is a description you can copy and change:

[Your co-op name] (Tuesdays, [your town])

A small Waldorf-inspired homeschool co-op for children about 5 to 9. We meet Tuesday mornings, 9:30 to 12:30, in members' homes.

Our mornings: a circle of songs and verses, a story, wet-on-wet painting or beeswax modeling, a shared snack, handwork and time outdoors. We keep the festivals together through the year, from a Michaelmas dragon bread to a Martinmas lantern walk.

Parents stay. Each family leads one part of the morning in turn and brings snack once a term. We're 3 families and have room for 1 or 2 more.

Write to us to come for a visit.

Change the name, ages, day and what you do. Keep the parts that tell a family what their Tuesday would feel like.

Meeting the families who answer

When someone gets in touch, invite them to a morning or a walk in the park before anything else. Everyone learns more from an hour together than from any number of messages.

After that first visit, sit down together and settle the practical things, from the day and the place to the money. The first co-op meeting agenda is a copyable list for that evening.

If you're still deciding what kind of group to start, the Waldorf homeschool co-ops and pods guide walks through the models, from a monthly festival gathering to a weekly co-op day. And a seasonal craft is a good first thing to make together; Waldorf seasonal crafts has ideas through the year.

What to do this month

1. Go to one Waldorf fair or festival, or one library homeschool meetup, and talk to three families.
2. Look up everything near you on the Waldorf Map.
3. Ask one question in a local homeschool group: is anyone doing Waldorf-inspired homeschooling nearby?
4. Write your description, using the example above, and keep it to a few lines.
5. Invite the families who answer to a morning together before you plan anything.

Once you have your first families, Starpath for co-ops is free to run and gives the group a shared Waldorf-inspired program of main lesson blocks, stories, crafts and the festival year.

Related reading

• Waldorf homeschool co-ops and pods
• What is a Waldorf parent and child group?
• Waldorf seasonal crafts
• How do I start Waldorf homeschooling?