Our Approach

What Does it Take to Thrive in an Uncertain World?

The Hartsbrook School offers an education that builds the capacities needed to meet the challenges of today’s world. Our programs – from early childhood through high school – fully engage each child, nurturing and inspiring them as their unique gifts unfold. Our approach is unhurried, intentional, and deeply informed by our understanding of childhood and adolescent development. Academics are learned through experience and experimentation, not memorization. Days are filled with arts, music, movement, academics, and meaningful work.

When children are inspired to work together, collaborate, challenge themselves and try things they never thought possible, their true selves shine.  Waldorf graduates are known for their creativity, problem-solving, and an unwavering sense that they can take action in the world. We invite you to partner with us to support your child in becoming their best self and finding their path in life!

“Waldorf Education is not a pedagogical system but an art -–
the art of awakening what is actually there within the human being.”  

– Rudolf Steiner

Choose Hartsbrook’s Waldorf Education Because…

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Curriculum Should be Conscious

You are seeking an intentional curriculum that balances practical skills, artistic work, and academic rigor, while also cultivating morality and an ethical relationship to one another and the environment.

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Creativity Should Not Be Just an Elective

You know that cultivating creativity, free thought and imagination each and every day will be a wellspring for innovation, adaptability, and flexibility later their life.

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Diversity is a Commitment

You seek a school that celebrates all students and families. Our faculty and staff are committed to the growth of an inclusive community through self-reflection, evaluation and action.

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Academic Rigour is Important, Busy Work is Not

You know that while homework has its place, time spent doing busywork at nights actually can hinder children’s natural curiosity and takes time away from creative exploration.

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Service Mindset is a Habit

You think engagement in the world is something that matters and you know that building the capacity to be self-motivated and service-oriented is a habit to practice during school years.

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A Few Minutes Outside is Not Enough

You know that childhood and adolescence should be full of outdoor experiences, in rain, sun, and snow, to forge a long-lasting connection with nature and to build resilience, perspective, and life long health.

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The Way a Place Feels Matters

You understand that your child is deeply nourished by their environment. Classrooms full of natural items, gorgeous light, and the beauty of the outdoors helps students thrive.

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Growing Up Takes Time

You value an unhurried childhood and adolescence in which children and teens are allowed to develop emotionally, socially, and academically without undue pressure.

“The future belongs to those who give the next generation reason to hope.”

– Pierre Teilhard De Chardin

To See Each Child

Connection is the Foundation of Growth

Our teachers strive to create a classroom environment that nurtures every child’s inner capacities, that celebrates the joy of differences and finds our human commonalities. This deep trust created in a class environment is the medium in which a healthy social experience grows.

We Are Developmentally Focused

A Rich Journey, Not a Race for Knowledge

We bring age-appropriate content and methods to each stage of a child’s development. If adults over-intellectualize and over-moralize, it is just information and not learning!  We take a responsive approach to what is needed by each student.

We Take Our Time

Unhurried in a Harried World

In a noisy world, opportunities to move slower provide rich soil for an individual’s true nature to emerge. Our approach removes the demands and fatigue caused by overwork to allow our students’ strengths and capacities to develop deeply. Our alumni are sought by colleges and employers for their flexibility, creativity and problem-solving.

Discovering the things that we are passionate about in life and the work that we love is the pathway to a meaningful life.

Relationships Matter

A Long View of Learning

The teacher-student relationship is at the heart of Waldorf education. We devote time to building caring and supportive relationships between teachers, students, and caregivers over multiple years.

When children are truly seen, the challenges of any developmental stage – be it a nine-year change or roiling adolescence – can be more easily held with a long view, seeing each stage as developmentally appropriate and an opportunity to gain self-knowledge.

Connections to the Land

Agency is the Antidote

In a time where screen time and disconnection are the norm, Hartsbrook students have a deep daily connection to the natural world and to meaningful work.

  • Forest Kindergarten honors children’s natural connection to nature.
  • Daily chores and animal husbandry foster responsibility and a healthy work ethic.
  • Our Land Stewardship program teaches about the natural world and engenders a capacity to act.

Why? Because the ability to assess challenges, develop solutions and take action is the antidote to the anxiousness and disengagement that is so common today.

Come See for Yourself