ABOUT US
Founded in 1972, The Waldorf School of Mendocino County is located in the Russian River valley of central Mendocino County. Our three-acre campus, hosts oak groves, gardens and playgrounds. At WSMC, we offer a comprehensive, child-centered Waldorf education from preschool through 8th grade with alternative programs offering education and support for parents and children, ages 1 to 3.
We are dedicated to cultivating the capacities of each child through a developmentally respectful education. The imagination, joy, and wonder essential to childhood are cultivated to foster a natural love of learning in which the whole child is engaged—body, mind, and spirit.
CORE VALUES
EXCELLENCE
Our teaching approach integrates academic and artistic excellence with social engagement and ethical awareness. We encourage imagination, flexibility in thinking, and love of learning.
RESPECT AND REVERENCE
We honor each student's gifts, and we respect each student's limitations. We encourage all students to respect their own humanity and to revere the wonders of the world.
WHOLENESS AND SELF-RELIANCE
We foster wholeness and self-reliance by protecting the essential qualities of childhood—imagination and curiosity. We introduce age-appropriate questions and challenges progressively to encourage initiative and independence in our students as they grow.
We respect the dignity of each person, and we aspire to be a diverse, healthy, and collaborative community. We apply Waldorf education in ways relevant to our time and place, and we inspire our students to reach out to the world in engaged inquiry and meaningful service.
ABOUT WALDORF EDUCATION
The Waldorf approach to education is a vital and dynamic process designed to develop free, confident
human beings who have the creativity, discipline, and moral strength to meet the challenges of our
changing world. Waldorf education is committed to competence in all the basic academic skills and goes
far beyond that goal. Some activities develop a child's intellectual faculties, others develop artistic and
moral faculties, while others instill strength, skill, and courage for action. The art of Waldorf education
lies in recognizing the unfolding capacities in each individual child, and in presenting each subject to help
the child awaken and integrate all of their powers.
The excellent short from the film Preparing for Life, created by the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, highlights the magic and efficacy of Waldorf Education. Just 17 minutes long, it is well worth a view.
Learn more about us!
WHO WE ARE
Our Staff
Our Faculty
Our Board
Our small committed staff is dedicated to serving our community in the areas of operations, enrollment, and administration.
Our all volunteer Board of Trustees is responsible for the fiduciary and legal stewardship of the school.