Waldorf News

Mount Baker Preschool: A Waldorf Co-op in Seattle, Washington

By Alanna Boynton and Violetta Wilson

Six wooden chairs, arranged in a circle and draped with a quilt, have become a pirate ship. At the helm, a boy turns a basket from side to side like a steering wheel. One of his passengers makes ocean sound effects. Another only meows, because he has transformed into a cat. Meanwhile, a girl sits behind a small toy stage asking, “Who wants to see a puppet show?” Several children meander over to watch, while others regale the teacher with stories as she knits. In the kitchen, an adult in a red apron chops vegetables for snack as the scent of baking muffins fills the air. Another red-aproned adult sands wooden blocks, observing the children play.

It’s a typical morning at Mount Baker Preschool (MBPS) in Seattle, Washington. While this could be a scene from any Waldorf preschool, it’s unique in one particular way: the adults in red aprons are parent volunteers. MBPS is the only Waldorf cooperative preschool in North America that is a full member of WECAN.

Mount Baker Preschool has existed as a cooperative since the 1980s. In 1991, Heidi Jefferson-Gloor suggested reinventing the preschool to follow a Waldorf model. The board agreed, and over the next decade the school was transformed into a Waldorf-inspired cooperative with Heidi as its initial teacher and visionary. Violetta Wilson, the current teacher, succeeded her in 2009, and the school was granted full membership in WECAN in 2012.

The teacher of MBPS is the driving agent for the Waldorf curriculum, and oversees the operations of the school along with a board of directors composed of five parent volunteers. Two serve as co-chairs to manage the overall aspects of running the school; a treasurer pays bills and works with an accounting firm to ensure that the school operates within budget; a parent coordinator schedules parent work shifts; and a secretary takes meeting minutes and handles correspondence.

MBPS offers a mixed age program for children ages 3-5 years old. Families may choose to attend 3, 4, or 5 days per week, and most children stay for two years. Twenty families are enrolled in the school each year. Because parents are so involved in the operation of the school, the selection process focuses on the family as a whole, not only the child. It is important that parents are fully informed about responsibilities and expectations during the enrollment process, and that their willingness to contribute is taken into account.

Each family is responsible for performing a job to support the preschool. Available jobs include organizing special events, conducting fundraising efforts, ordering food supplies, and maintaining the building. Parents who choose the cooperative model are expected to work in the classroom several times per month, depending on how many days per week their child attends class. MBPS also has five preschool slots, in which parents do not have work shifts but pay slightly higher tuition.

Every school day, one “working” and one “snack” parent are scheduled, along with an “on-call” parent who can cover for parent or teacher absence. The “working” parent works alongside the teacher, accompanying the class on its daily walk to local gardens and parks. The “snack” parent remains in the classroom, setting the large round table with handmade tablecloths, napkins, and a mug with a unique symbol for each student; preparing a warm snack and tea for the children to have when they return from their walk; washing up the dishes; and chopping fresh fruits and vegetables for the children to have as accompaniments to their two daily snacks. The “snack” parent is responsible for providing the fruit and vegetable; by dividing responsibility for bringing fresh produce among all the families, the preschool’s food budget is kept manageable.

Because the school attracts local families who may not have previously considered Waldorf education, all parents are introduced to early childhood philosophy during monthly meetings throughout the school year. Topics focus on child development and spiritual aspects of parenting, including approaches to discipline, the importance of modeling activities that are worthy of imitation, and engaging mindfully in meaningful work. In this way, families receive ongoing training and support they can use not only at the school, but in their daily lives as parents.

These lessons are reinforced each time parents work in the classroom. “The cooperative experience makes it easy to incorporate aspects of Waldorf philosophy,” says Karen Lewis, an MBPS alumni parent. “We take them on in practice, absorbing the rhythms and approaches as our own. I have learned so much by observing the way our preschool teacher interacts with the children in our class, guiding activities, kneading bread, and diffusing kerfuffles. Teacher Violetta’s clear, calm demeanor and approach have influenced my style at home, and have added many a tool to my parental toolbox.”

One of the Waldorf philosophies parents sometimes have difficulty adapting to is the importance of allowing children to socialize among themselves without adult intervention. However, during their time at the school, they begin to see the benefits of stepping back and letting go. “We’ve realized that we don’t have to be the entertainment,” says Ted Hudek, another MBPS parent. “It’s still a nurturing environment when the child makes her own discoveries.”

Indeed, one of the biggest changes parents see in their child after time at MBPS is the blossoming of their imaginations. “Our son loves to sing and spin stories, and can come up with no end of creative uses for a really nice stick,” says Lewis.

Another benefit, especially during Seattle winters, when cloudy gloom can stretch on for months: children experience the joys of playing outdoors, even in the rain. Alumni parent Bill Brewster states that the daily outdoor time typical of Waldorf schools is one element that drew him to apply to MBPS. Now, “our daughter almost never complains about going outside in bad weather.”

As in all Waldorf schools, the seasons are celebrated with reverence. MBPS has many traditions that are anticipated by students and parents alike: an apple pressing day in the fall, a trip to the pumpkin patch, a Halloween party at a local garden, a lantern walk, a winter spiral, a maypole dance in spring. These events are organized by the special events committee in conjunction with the teacher.

MBPS is located in an economically and ethnically diverse neighborhood, and strives to reflect that diversity. Several fundraisers are conducted each year to raise money for the financial aid fund, including an annual family dance party that draws in over a hundred attendees from surrounding neighborhoods. This allows families of limited financial means to experience the benefit of a Waldorf education for their child.

Even families who hadn’t previously considered Waldorf education find themselves incorporating aspects of the philosophy into their daily lives, with a new appreciation for the rhythm of the day and a focus on simplicity. They light candles at mealtimes, and honor the passing seasons with family-centered celebrations. They rely less on media for entertainment, allowing their children to discover worlds of their own making instead.

“And we wear hats more often,” adds Hudek.

It must be acknowledged that the cooperative model entails a lot of work. “The time commitment, particularly with meetings and committee work, can be a challenge,” says MBPS parent BJ Montoya.

Brewster agrees. “Sometimes you have to go clean the school on the weekend, or stay up late working on your board or committee work. Luckily, our school is one of those things in life where you get out of it what you put into it, so the hard work more than pays off in the end. But it’s not always easy to remember that when you’re mopping the floors on a sunny Saturday.”

However, the challenging aspects of running a cooperative preschool also point to its great strength: the building of a strong parent community. Since all families are invested in providing an excellent preschool experience for their children, they are willing to give their time and share their unique talents with the group.

This carries over into the children’s world, as well. “Our daughter has a built community of friends that share the same traditions and experiences. She comes away with a language of living that can be taken into other areas of her life,” says Montoya.

As an added bonus for parents of young children, the cooperative model creates a cohesive group where children know every parent, making for easy childcare swaps and after-school play dates. Working toward a common goal helps create deep and lasting friendships; many parents who met at MBPS when their children were young continue to get together throughout their children’s grade school years.

Reflecting on his time at MBPS, Brewster says that the biggest impact has been “the wonderful friends and the sense of community that lingers even though we no longer attend the school. But also the cooperative structure – dealing with many different families and kids in many different situations – made me a better parent.”

Lewis adds, “By far the most valuable benefit has been the chance to really know this group of children, and, in turn, to be known by them. As a community, we value interaction with like-minded families who know and trust each other, and who are willing to pitch in to get things done. We share an awareness of the privilege we have in bearing witness to these extraordinary, fleeting years of childhood,” she says. “Mount Baker Preschool has forever changed our expectations for what is possible in education, and in community.”

Although parents can be overwhelmed in the autumn of their first year at the school, by the time school is dismissed for the summer, they know they were part of something special: a place where teacher and parents work together to create a warm, nurturing environment. This gives each child a strong foundation to grow upon, so they can eventually become captain of their own ship. (Basket steering wheel not required.)

Alanna Boynton is currently a board member at Mount Baker Preschool. Violetta Wilson is the school’s teacher. For more information about the school, please visit www.mountbakerpreschool.org.