My.sisters children go to a waldorf, a real honest to gosh Waldorf school, and there is no white supremecist beliefs at all. Now, they started there in late elementary school so I can't speak to prek and kindergarten. Perhaps there was discussion of fairies but I don't know, that can also just be another way of doing pretend..fairy gardens, small world play.... Didn't mean they worship faeries, LOL.

I have sent my kids to Montessori during the school year and Waldorf in the summer. My youngest is now in his last year, so I can tell you both came out enjoying it and learning a lot.

I love them both for very different reasons. I liked the Montessori as it felt (to me) like they were learning more academic (ABCs, math, reading etc) along with typical preschool themes of socialisation, play, getting along in groups, etc during the course of a school year. Also it was much more affordable which was also a major consideration for us.

I loved the Waldorf summer program as it was nearly all outdoors and so serene and joyful. The teachers were very laid back, and I liked the "unstructured" freedom the kids had with their play. It was a bit hippy, but I liked that and it meshed with my sense of what summer should be.

Both were very non-techie focused, which again, was right up my alley. I'm not interested in electronics etc for preschool age kids, so I wanted a school that did not bring that into the classroom.

I would encourage you to visit and do a observation of each kind of classroom -- they both can seem very "odd" as they are not typical of mainstream preschools. They each have a philosophy they follow and it's important to make sure you are in harmony with that outlook. Also, make sure you are visiting AMI certified Montessori or an actual Waldorf school and not just a preschool that has some of the principles or beliefs.

Good luck!

"Montessori schools can also be a little cultish, or at the very least a little inflexible to the ways in which the world has changed over the past century."

Some Montessori schools accredited by the American Montessori Society have modern education tools like laptops and standardized testing. It does vary from school to school so it's important to consider each Montessori school individually.

I have no problem with the "fairy shit" except insofar as there are some really dark white/European supremacist underpinnings to the Waldorf pedagogy. Also some weird quasi-spiritual stuff. This BBC article goes into some detail: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-28646118

Montessori schools can also be a little cultish, or at the very least a little inflexible to the ways in which the world has changed over the past century. However, it doesn't have any of the white supremacist nonsense, and different schools interpret the pedagogy with more or less flexibility.

Ask about the vaccination rates at each school. Waldorf families are less likely to vaccinate.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150406-measles-tinderbox-science-clusters-infectious-vaccines-exempt/

Anonymous wrote:I like the nature and open play concepts behind Waldorf but the fairy shit is a bit culture.

Thoughts?

What constitutes "fairy shit?" I am just starting the process and know there is a Waldorf school near us.

I bet you'd like Takoma cooperative nursery school. From what I can tell, they combine lots if outside time in a natural playground, go into the woods so are nature based, nature, and are also have a really play based, exploratory culture. And no fairies, I don't think.

Why is it an either or? If you like the open play, and not the fairies, why not look for a program that uses High Scope, or Creative Curriculum, or other play based curriculum, or one that is inspired by the practices from Reggio Emilio?

I like the nature and open play concepts behind Waldorf but the fairy shit is a bit culture.

Thoughts?