Honeytree Forest School
Kindergarten
A mixed-age early childhood program in Brooklyn, held outdoors in Prospect Park and indoors in Bed-Stuy.
Describes its approach as Waldorf-inspired.
Preschool
TuitionForest or outdoor programBefore and after care
Waldorf Education in New York: Kindergartens and playgroups
10 kindergartens and playgroups in New York, by town.
Member of its national associationOther placesTap a pin for details. Click the map to zoom with the scroll wheel.
Brooklyn
Urban Forest Kinder
Kindergarten
Outdoor programs in Central Park and Prospect Park, with an after-school group on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Saturday art mornings and full-day camps in the school holidays.
Describes its approach as Waldorf-inspired.
Forest or outdoor program
Rochester
Ellwanger Barry Nursery School
Kindergarten
A parent-run cooperative nursery school and kindergarten in Rochester, where every family helps in the classroom and the children spend part of each day outdoors.
Describes its approach as Waldorf-inspired.
Preschool · Kindergarten · Ages 3 to 6
Mother Goose Cottage
Kindergarten
Small-group classes in Rochester for toddlers and preschoolers, with seasonal pop-up groups and summer sessions.
Describes its approach as Waldorf-inspired.
Preschool · Ages 2 to 5
Essex
Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm
Kindergarten
A nonprofit farm and forest school at 6 Leaning Road in Essex, inspired by Waldorf education, with year-round child care, a pre-K and kindergarten held on the farm and in the forest, a parent-child playgroup and a summer program.
Describes its approach as Waldorf-inspired.
Parent-and-child · Preschool · Kindergarten · Ages 0 to 6
Tuition, with financial help availableForest or outdoor program
Hastings-on-Hudson
Little Leaf Preschool
Kindergarten
A nature preschool for children aged 2 to 5 with three Westchester sites, in Hastings-on-Hudson, at Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers and in Ossining, drawing on Reggio Emilia and Waldorf.
Describes its approach as Waldorf-inspired.
Preschool · Ages 2 to 5
Tuition, with financial help availableForest or outdoor program
Island Park
Little Garden by the Sea
Kindergarten
A small morning nursery in Island Park, New York, for 2 and a half to 4 year olds. It runs Monday to Friday from 9 to 11:30. Circle time is Waldorf-inspired: seasonal songs and finger plays, then stories and puppet shows.
Describes its approach as Waldorf-inspired.
Preschool · Ages 2 to 4
New York
The Wooden Button
Kindergarten
A small nursery in Washington Heights, started in 2011, where children aged 2 to 4 spend the whole morning outdoors in Fort Tryon Park.
Describes its approach as Waldorf-inspired.
Preschool · Ages 2 to 6
TuitionForest or outdoor program
Saugerties
Mountaintop Waldorf Children's Garden
Kindergarten
An early childhood program at the foot of the Catskills in Saugerties, New York, open since 2007 for children from 18 months to 6 years, with a summer camp.
Describes its approach as Waldorf-inspired.
Parent-and-child · Preschool · Ages 1 to 6
Tuition, with financial help available
Smithtown
Firefly Oasis
Kindergarten
Pre-K and kindergarten in Smithtown, New York, inspired by Waldorf education, for 3 to 6 year olds. There are parent and child classes from 6 months to 3 and a half, and art workshops for children 4 and up.
Describes its approach as Waldorf-inspired.
Parent-and-child · Preschool · Kindergarten · Ages 0 to 6
How we label places
A place is called a Waldorf school or kindergarten here only when its national association lists it as a member. We check those lists ourselves and date the check.
Everything else is a place that describes its own approach as Waldorf-inspired. Many are lovely, and some are on their way to membership, so it is worth asking them.
Schools for children with special educational needs or disabilities are marked Special education and listed in their own section.
If there is a school near you, go and see it
Most schools and kindergartens hold open mornings, and many run parent-and-child groups for the youngest. A visit tells you more than any page can. If there is no school within reach, or it is not the right fit, you can still bring the same rhythm, stories and handwork into your home.
Waldorf-inspired learning at home with StarpathWhat each year holds, from our Library: kindergarten at home · grade 1 · grade 2 · grade 3 · grade 4 · how to start at home · starting a co-op
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