We get many calls inquiring about our Early Childhood Program. We answer that we don't have one! Our campus houses grades 1-8, and children come to us only when they are ready to enter first grade. We refer callers to our list of 'feeder' pre-school and kindergartens -- intimate home-based programs in the Ashland-Talent area run by trained and loving teachers with extensive experience in Waldorf early childhood education. The region is fortunate to have several such programs. This year we are including a description of some of those on our website. We endorse them all. Though each setting has its own particular charm, the teachers of these various schools are bound by a similar view of what best serves the young child -- an intimate home environment, natural play materials, wholesome organic foods, an emphasis on the natural world and the cycle of the seasons, engagement in practical activities such as baking bread, gardening, cleaning, cooking, painting, seasonal crafts, and, above all, the value of imaginative play for the young child. Indeed, in each of these pre-schools the heart of every morning is the time when the children take up the silk cloths, the capes, and the crowns and enter the world of imagination, acting out and talking through the stories they have heard, the experiences they have had, the adult world they have observed. In the Waldorf view of child development, this sort of play is seen as the 'work' of very young children -- that which they must do at that time -- their medium for processing and making sense of the world and thus coming to find their place in it. Waldorf-inspired pre-schools and kindergartens are places where children learn to be social. The Siskiyou School faculty is grateful to the area pre-school teachers listed below and others engaged in this work for providing a Waldorf early childhood experience for children, as we find that those children come to The Siskiyou School well grounded and prepared to take up the work of First Grade -- writing and reading and all the other subjects!
Aurora Kindergarten of Ashland
720 Walker Avenue, Ashland, OR 97520;
email: auroraskinder@hotmail.com
Phone: (541) 690-6124
Contact person: Ana
The schedule is M-F, 9am to 1pm. Ratio is 1/6. Children must be 5 yrs. old to enroll.
Ours is a Waldorf Kindergarten Curriculum, with a capacity for 18 children and in compliance with the City of Ashland, in addition to registration with WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America). We offer organic and biodynamic foods (if locally available). We also offer Eurythmy and Spanish. Fridays is a parent participation day. The head teacher has 25 years of kindergarten work experience with 15 yrs in Waldorf Education. If interested, please contact us and we will be happy to send you our enrollment process and schedule a visit for a tour. Tuition is $4500.
Birdsong Nursery
1116 Oak Street, Ashland, Oregon 97520
Phone: 482-6064;
email: jennysoleil@ashlandhome.net
Contact person: Jenny Johnson
This will be my fifth year teaching nursery school in my home. I have 8 children ages 2-4 for the 2008-2009 school year. We meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:45- 12:15, and follow the Siskiyou School calendar. I have an undergraduate degree in Holistic Education and have been working with children in various settings for 15 years. My experience specifically with Waldorf education includes: acting as an assistant to a Waldorf preschool teacher, participating in the Kindergarten Workshop at the Rudolf Steiner College, attending Waldorf in the Home workshops and reading! I enjoy my work a great deal, especially singing and storytelling with the children. I really try to move at the children's pace, so they are allowed plenty of playtime and unhurried mealtimes. My program is rooted in nature and the celebration of the seasons. We have a beautiful yard with chickens, a dog and three cats, a large garden, fruit trees and flowers. Admission for the Fall is usually arranged in the Spring, and includes an interview and a visit to the school. You are welcome to call or email me for more information. Tuition is $2850.
Chrysalis Cottage
126 N 1st Street,
Talent, Oregon 97540
Phone: 535-1031
email: nancynphilipy@msn.com
Contact person: Nancy Rush-Yates
Chrysalis Cottage is a Waldorf inspired early childhood center located in Talent. Our classroom is a cozy cottage nestled amongst trees, gardens and play areas. We offer a three morning a week pre-school, one morning a week parent/toddler classes, summer programs, and natural doll and toy-making classes for parents and children. Classes are taught by Nancy Rush-Yates, a mother and Waldorf teacher in the Rogue Valley for over 20 years. Nancy received her training at Emerson College and Wynstones International Kindergarten Training Center in England. For more information and to check on class availability, call Nancy at 535-1031. Tuition is $3500.
Gan Neve Shalom- Peace Garden Preschool & Kindergarten
Havurah Shir Hadash
185 N. Mountain Avenue
Ashland, OR. 97520
Phone: 488-8887
Contact Person: Linda Cohen
We have a mixed age group of nine 3-5 year olds. Our hours are from 9 - 1 on Tuesday, Wed., and Thursday. Our program is a unique blend of Waldorf-inspired education and universal values that are rooted in Judaism. The spirit and beauty of each of these traditions imbues the children's daily classroom experience. We welcome families of diverse traditions and spiritual paths. Our morning activities include baking, cooking, watercolor painting, arts and crafts, music and movement circle, story, gardening, and indoor and outdoor creative play.
Linda taught in diverse classroom settings in the San Francisco Bay Area for eight years before relocating to Ashland and opening this program in 2001. She is credentialed in Early Childhood Education with a background in Waldorf education. Admissions involve a parent interview and meeting your child. To check on space availability, call Linda at 488-8887.
Creekside Cottage Nursery School
7845 Wagner Creek Road, Talent, OR. 97540
phone: 535-9927 and/or 535-5686
email: Karenzischke@gmail.com and Ingunnskj@msn.com
Contact person/s Karen Zischke and/or Ingunn Skjervold.
Creekside Cottage is in its third year. We have a mixed age group of 3-5 year olds. We take up to 12 students. Classes run Monday-Thursday, 8:45 – 12:45. Karen has a background in arts and agroecology, and Ingunn has a Masters degree in Education. Both teachers have almost ten years of Waldorf experience, with children attending different grades at the Siskiyou School. Karen and Ingunn also have taken Early Childhood Education workshops at the Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento whenever they are offered. Creekside Cottage is located in Talent, on a farm in the Wagner Valley. We have animals -- llamas, cows, and chickens -- and a creek running through the property. We spend a lot of time outside doing projects. Morning activities include feeding the animals, gardening, circle activities with songs and games, puppetry, food preparation, baking, painting, crafts and nature walks. Both teachers are CPR certified. Admission involves a parent interview and a visit with your child. We look forward to your call. Tuition is $4000.
Sunflower Cottage Preschool
164 6th Street
Ashland, OR 97520
Phone: 541-482-9770
Email: karenmichelle@q.com
Contact: Karen Loop
Sunflower Cottage Preschool is centrally located in Ashland's historic Railroad District, and offers Waldorf education to children ages 3-5, Monday thru Thursday, 9am-1pm.. Teacher Karen Loop was formally trained as a Waldorf teacher at Emerson College in England, and began her teaching career in 1990 as a Waldorf grades teacher here in Ashland, Oregon. Her daughter graduated eight grade at the Siskiyou Waldorf School, and her son is currently in the Siskiyou School 5th Grade. For the past six years, Karen has offered a lovely first school experience for the young child in a cozy cottage adjacent to her home. With her small group of eight children, mornings are gently woven together with creative play, singing, natural crafts, stories, and shared meals. In her delightful garden space, children can fully enter the lively play that the outdoors invites. Karen enjoys creating a special little family within her cottage, as well as connecting with the children's own families in building healthy community. You are invited to contact Karen @ (541)482-9770 to learn more about Sunflower Cottage, or to set up a visit with your child. Tuition is $4000 per year.
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