Early Childhood

At this developmental stage, children learn through imitation and play. Our teachers model reverence, respect, and care in their interactions with the children and in their work in the classroom.

Our Early Childhood programs provide families with a gentle way to enter the world of school. Our youngest children are nurtured in the warm, beautiful, home-like environment of our Early Childhood classes. They feel protected and secure in loving interactions with adults, and they enjoy a predictable rhythm of activities throughout the day, season, and school year.

Our Parent-Child program offers parents and caregivers a window into life at SWS. Coming to campus once a week with their child, adults learn about and experience many aspects of Waldorf education and build community together. 

Our Rosebud Preschool program serves children ages three and four in our beautiful Rosebud Preschool classroom.

Our Kindergarten program offers two years of mixed-age classes, welcoming younger children’s first steps into school and preparing older Kindergartners for First Grade. Sacramento Waldorf School has two Kindergarten classes: Red Rose and White Rose.

All our Early Childhood programs prepare children for the academic challenges of elementary school by engaging their will through meaningful and practical activities; cultivating their feelings through the arts; developing reading readiness through story, song, and verse; and stimulating creativity and fantasy through imaginative play. Our Preschool and Kindergarten programs develop imagination, verbal capacities, sequencing, sensory integration, memory, social skills, and motor skills that are essential as the foundation for later learning and academic excellence. This is all achieved in a supportive atmosphere free from formal academics, allowing children’s intellectual abilities to unfold from a foundation of healthy sensory development. By the time they enter our Lower School, they are ready and eager to experience new forms of learning.