Embark upon a path of development to prepare yourself to work with children from Birth to Seven years old. Our program is designed to help you to discover and develop the inner certainty, centeredness and the capacities needed to support and guide the young child into the world around them.
The early childhood program is a 3 year part time course of study—weekends September to May and 4 week summer intensive—mid June to mid July. Our program is designed to both give a broad understanding of the Waldorf approach and to lead students into the depth of their intended work with children from Birth to Seven years old. Students study together with their cohort over the 3 years, learning and growing together in a socially supportive environment.
The program provides an integrated adult Waldorf educational experience and students experience all aspects of the philosophy, artistry and practical application of Waldorf teaching. We consider the artistic classes in music, painting, Eurythmy, classes in meditation, and the study of Anthroposophy essential to adult renewal and to the development of the capacities needed as a Waldorf teacher.
The program has three main areas of focus:
- General Waldorf pedagogy and child development, nature and cultural studies.
- Personal growth and inner development through artistic classes and the study of Anthroposophy.
- Early Childhood track specific classes to learn the principles and practices to work with the young child.
Course focus 1 &2 above are studied together as a whole class cohort. Course focus 3 the cohort divides into their specific tracks.
BACWTT is a full member of AWSNA and WECAN and our program is highly regarded by Waldorf schools.
Program Process and Goals
Our program offers an adult education process that is both a personal and professional development. The path to a successful Waldorf early childhood teacher is one that requires inner work, the development of the senses and observation skills, the capacity to reflect and process experiences, as well as a comprehensive set of practical classroom skills.
Courses are structured to provide students with a gradually deepening and transformative experience. The program moves from introductory courses through deepening experiences and questioning so that students can navigate their way and maintain their own discernment as they go into deeper aspects of the Waldorf approach.
Our goal is to lead students to have the necessary understanding and skills to effectively work in a Waldorf Early Childhood setting and have the depth of knowledge to be able to continue to grow professionally and be capable of taking up further responsibilities.
Our program leads to:
- Understanding child development and particularly the important developmental processes that are taking place in the child from pre-birth to age seven.
- An aesthetic sense necessary to provide the appropriate environment for the young child.
- A healthy sense for the rhythmic aspects of life—day and night, the flow of the week, the seasons and the year.
- A deep connection to kingdoms of nature.
- An ability to lead the practical activities of baking and handwork.
- Artistic abilities to be able to lead singing, music, movement and circle time.
- Storytelling skills to learn and tell from memory traditional fairy tales and stories from around the globe, development of the voice and the ability to create imaginative pictures.
- An ability to craft a wide range of puppets and create puppet plays appropriate to various ages.
- The ability to cultivate the inner life of the teacher in support of the children and families in their care.
National and International Waldorf Early Childhood Movement
BACWTT is a full member Waldorf teacher training institute of WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America) and AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) and as such our programs meet and exceed their course expectations.
As a member of these associations BACWTT is involved in the ongoing development of Waldorf education in North America and around the globe, taking part in conferences, professional development activities and in research and innovation.
Our program also works with IASWECE guidelines (International Association for Steiner/ Waldorf Early Childhood Education) and our faculty take part in international events.
Certification
Graduates of BACWTT receive a Waldorf teachers certificate that is highly regarded in the Waldorf Educational movement in North America and around the world.
If you are ready to register, please visit our Admissions page to complete either the online or PDF application form.
Early Childhood Director
Diane David received her B.A. in Dramatic Art from U.C. Davis and completed her kindergarten training at the San Francisco Waldorf Teacher Training of Rudolf Steiner College under Dorit Winter. Diane, herself a mother of 6 children and grandmother of 11, is a retired kindergarten teacher from the San Francisco Waldorf School. She is now the Early Childhood Director and carrying faculty member for the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training. She is a Northern California co-representative for the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN), a founding member of the Magic Lantern Marionette Theatre, and mentors and evaluates teachers and early childhood programs throughout Northern California. At BACWTT, she teaches The First Three Years, Pedagogical Studies and Practicum Preparation classes in the early childhood track.
Early Childhood Faculty
Kate Hammond is a Waldorf alumna and has a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Applied Linguistics. She began studying Bothmer Gymnastics in England in 1995. While class teaching at the Calgary Waldorf School, she completed her movement training with the Spacial Dynamics Institute in 1999. She graduated from Emerson College with a certificate in Waldorf Teacher Training specializing in Early Childhood Education, and has taught kindergarten, preschool, parent and child classes, and infants. She has also taught adult literacy, parent classes, children with special needs and movement workshops. She is a teacher on the Lifeways California Coast course, has her own in-home childcare program and is the intrigued mother of two teenage boys.
Anna Rainville, MA, the author of Singing Games for Families, Schools and Communities, lifts spirits worldwide with singing games and mentoring the creative core of the Waldorf curriculum. An experienced class teacher and kindergarten teacher for almost 40 years, she has been a well-known instructor at the Public School Institute at Rudolf Steiner College where she received her remedial training. With her mother, Betty Peck, she has co-directed the popular Kindergarten Forum for 27 years in Saratoga, California. Currently she travels, mentors and teaches widely.
Andrea Pronto holds a diploma in Special Education from the Independent Music School at Rudolf Steiner Seminar in Germany, and has been the music teacher at Live Oak Waldorf School since 1986. She is on the faculty of Rudolf Steiner College, has completed singing training from the School of Uncovering the Voice, and received a diploma in Therapeutic Singing.
Annie Bosque earned her BA in Sociology from San Francisco State University. After graduating, she attended Dominican College for her post graduate work and there she received her Multiple Subject Clear California Teaching Credential. She recently completed a Masters in Waldorf Education from the Rudolf Steiner College with a focus on how to create and support parent teacher partnership. For the past four years she has worked as an adjunct faculty member at the Rudolf Steiner College and has presented at various conferences on the subjects of the outdoor kindergarten and parent teacher partnership. Annie is a parent at GVCS as well as a member of the Golden Valley Educational Foundation. She taught for four years in the Orange Blossom Kindergarten prior to creating the Outdoor Kindergarten program.
