Early Childhood Program
After many years of preparation and planning, we are more than pleased to offer this 2-year certification program, which will run parallel to our current Teacher Training courses.
This exciting new program will offer a Foundation Year for the first year followed by a year of intensive and specific training in the Early Childhood curriculum and pedagogy. Many of the classes offered are already in our current teacher training program, providing the opportunity for a diverse learning environment throughout the course of the training.
The Early Childhood faculty will include experienced teachers from the Chicago Waldorf School and other local Waldorf schools, as well as special workshops with invited specialists throughout the year and during our Summer Intensive course.
How it works...
The Early Childhood program is a 2-year program. Our first year is the Foundation Studies Program which can be completed in 1 year with full time attendance.
The completion of the Foundation Studies Year is a prerequisite for entering the second year of professional Early Childhood Training.
Classes meet on Friday from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm and on Saturdays from 8:30am until 3:15pm. The current full time program consists of ten weekends in the fall, ten weekends in the winter, and ten weekends in the spring. Included are two festival weekends, one meditation weekend and the graduation weekend, which are obligatory for all full time students. In order to complete our Early Childhood program, all the students must take TWO Summer Intensive Weeks prior graduation.
Fall term
EC festivals (7 classes)
In this course we will consider the central significance of the seasonal festivals in the Waldorf early childhood curriculum and classroom community. We will learn how the celebration of the seasons relates to the developmental picture of the young child and supports the journey of incarnation. Beginning with the archetypal picture of the gateway of birth we will explore how we can support healthy life rhythms in the lives of the young children in our care. We will experience the elements that help to create the seasonal festivals in the early childhood classroom ending with our own autumn celebration. Students will be expected to attend one of the early childhood festivals at the Chicago Waldorf School in the fall. Festival dates to be announced.
The role of imitation and play (2 classes)
Children develop their memory and social skills by imitating the adult world in their free play. In this course we will learn how to model and guide the children in their free play, as children "digest" their sense experiences through creative play.
Language in the kindergarten (whole fall term, 8 classes)
The children's language development is guided, supported and further enhanced through the manifold verses, hand-gesture games and stories we bring to the children. In this course we will explore the proper use of language and voice during morning circle, grace, games, and throughout the rhythm of the day; this is essential for calming the children, giving them joy in the rhythm of the language, and for encouraging their imagination.
Preparation of student teaching (1 class)
In this class the students will receive guidelines for student teaching as well as reviewing the expectations of both Arcturus and the co-operating teacher.
EC handwork (whole fall term, 9 classes)
The essential task of the kindergarten teacher is to create the 'proper physical environment' around the children. 'Physical environment' must be understood in the widest sense imaginable. It includes not just what happens around children in the material sense, but everything that occurs in their environment, everything that can be perceived by their senses, that can work on the inner powers of children from the surrounding physical space. This includes all moral or immoral actions, all the meaningful and meaningless behaviors that children witness.
(Rudolf Steiner. The Education of the Child)
A profound and warm sense of devotion will grow naturally in young children when the early childhood teacher provides the most favorable atmosphere in which the children can educate themselves. Creating beautiful dolls, toys and crafts goes beyond practical knowledge. The young child experiences reverence in the careful choice of the materials, gratitude in the loving gesture behind each stitch she makes, and joy in the warmth and wonder of the finishing steps. In this Handwork class, we will make a 'heavy baby' for the children to cherish. We will also make a mother earth for your first season table. These two projects will have to be completed by hand and by the end of the term.
Winter Term
EC painting and drawing (2 classes)
The painting and drawing curriculum in the Waldorf school begins in early childhood classes. In this class we will learn how to organize and plan these activities and how to fit them into the rhythm of the day, as well as how to use the suggested materials in an appropriate way.
Lyre (6 classes)
Having learned about the mood of the 5th and the way we bring music to the children, kindergarten teachers have to practice how to play and how to tune the lyres more focused in order to be able to use this valuable instrument for the children in appropriate ways throughout the day in the kindergarten. You will learn how to play songs, how to improvise and how to tune the lyre.
Working with mixed age groups (1 class)
This class will look into the question of how to work with children of mixed ages (ages 2 – 6) in the kindergarten.
Morning circle movement (whole winter term, 9 classes)
Morning circle movement is "the heart" of the kindergarten day for many kindergarten teachers. It brings the children together as a group, teaches them to move in various ways and can even be used for therapeutic purposes. This full term course will cover a vast repertoire of songs, verses, movement games, and gestures that are essential to form the imagination of the children as well as their evolving consciousness in their relationship to the outer world.
Working with parents (4 classes)
As kindergarten teachers we increasingly have to work not only with the children but also with their parents and family issues. In this class we will explore how to work with parents when conducting interviews, regular meetings, house visits, events, parent evenings, and parent education.
Health and nutrition (4 classes)
Nutrition is the basis for our earthly temples. It is fundamental to lifelong health, physical and spiritual. We will look at some of the ideas of Rudolf Steiner's regarding nutrition and we will look at the work of Weston Price, DDS. The work of both will be put into their historical context and we will see how they apply to the child in the present day. We will look at fats, proteins and carbohydrates. See the attached article, recently published in the newsletter of the Association for a Healing Education, for an introduction.
The development of Movement and Thinking (1 class)
The 3 milestones of walking, speech and thinking in the first 3 years of the child will be looked at as the seeds for what comes later in life, with the help of parts of Karl Koenig's book "The First Three Years of life".
Crafts with children (7 classes)
In this course the participants will learn how to do crafts with children such as dying silk, wet felting, crafts for festivals, special 6 year old projects, and nature crafts. The teachers will also learn to make birthday gifts for the children.
Domestic arts (2 classes)
In our modern world, children rarely see their mothers and fathers working in the household. In this class we will explore the importance of domestic work done consciously, lovingly and joyfully for the children to imitate. This helps to develop a sense of rhythmic order and beauty that can guide them to a sense of morality later in life. Washing dishes, washing laundry, ironing, cleaning, cooking, baking, polishing, mending etc. will be done together to explore the possibilities of domestic arts.
Spring Term
Review of teaching practice experience (2 classes)
This course involves discussion surrounding the practice teaching experiences as well as working through questions that may have arisen during the practicum.
Puppetry (whole spring term 8 classes)
This class will teach different ways of telling a story through puppetry using table dolls, silk marionettes and finger puppets to enhance the children's experience of the magical through their imagination. At the end of the class the group will perform a puppet play together.
Developmental difficulties and therapeutic approach (6 classes)
In this course the students will learn about child study and other special approaches used in Waldorf education to help children with developmental and emotional difficulties.
Creative discipline (2 classes)
We will use Barbara Patterson and Pamela Bradley's text "Beyond The Rainbow Bridge" to explore creative ways to work with discipline in the Waldorf kindergarten class.
The social aspect of Waldorf education (whole spring term, 8 classes)
This class will look at education towards social renewal, school organization, working with colleagues and parents, community building, outreach and advocacy for children, and meeting the needs of children from diverse backgrounds.
Gardening (4 classes)
Gardening is one of the ways in which children can develop a relationship to nature. We will learn practical ways to work with gardening and the young child.
First grade readiness (2 classes)
How do we determine if a child is ready for school and how can we help this child to transition with ease? There are several movement exercises that can help to get a child ready for school, special projects and special tasks can help the children and the teachers to prepare for this step.
Indoor and outdoor environment (2 classes)
What is needed to create the right physical environment to make a child feel safe, encouraged in his creativity, warm and comfortable? In this class the students will explore possibilities and necessities of creating the best spaces for the children.
OBSERVATIONS & STUDENT TEACHING
In order to graduate from our Early Childhood Program, students must complete the following number of observation hours:
Foundation Year Observation
8 hours of classroom observation are required for the Foundation year student.
Early Childhood Observation
16 hours of classroom observation are required for the EC1 year student.
6 Weeks of Student-Teaching