Santa Cruz Waldorf School

The Santa Cruz Waldorf School is a PreK-8 independent school located in the redwoods of Santa Cruz, California. We also have Parent-Tot classes. The Waldorf curriculum forms an ideal framework for social and intellectual growth.Our school culture values social and environmental responsibility, reflecting the progressive and culturally diverse town of Santa Cruz. The focus is on teaching children to learn. Our students research, analyze and investigate. They are active learners who take pride in their abilities. Our children's teachers, their parents and the larger school community work together to ensure that the children learn to live a life of responsibility, compassion and to value continuous growth and learning. The Santa Cruz Waldorf School began in the 1970s as the result of a group of parents inspired by Rudolf Steiner's philosophy of education. Parents embraced the idea of a holistic model for early education. The philosophy of reserving childhood innocence and fostering a natural curiosity for learning resonated with these parents and thus the germination of Waldorf education in the guise of the Golden Goose Kindergarten was born. The campus provides a unique and magical space with redwood trees, hiking trails and a beautiful biodynamic garden where children are inspired to experience respect for, and knowledge of, the natural world. The Santa Cruz Waldorf School continues to provide an experiential education that prepares children to excel in the world. Nurturing a sense of self, core values, personal integrity and love and respect for our world that is encouraged and modeled by the faculty, staff and the larger Waldorf community.