Wildcat Canyon Community School (East Bay Waldorf)

We are looking at Kindergartens for next year. We are very drawn to the Wildcat Canyon Community school but have a few reservations we were hoping parents could weigh in on. 

There is a solid possibility we won’t be able to afford to keep our kid there for more than 2-3 years. Can anyone speak to how kids do if they have to transition to a public school for second or third grade? Do they tend to be caught up by then? I know leaving after K can cause them to be behind. 

I know Waldorf has Christian roots but can anyone speak to how much religion influences the curriculum? There was a question on the application asking about our family’s spiritual practices that took me by surprise. 

But my main concern is I don’t want to set my kid up to struggle if we have to change schools and they are way behind the other kids.

thanks so much for any insight!

Parent Replies

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We're at the school in the lower grades. 

Switching in 1st or 2nd might be an issue, since reading and writing isn't really taught until 2nd grade. (I've had this concern myself for possibly transferring eventually.) 

I've been told a number of parents do extra academic stuff outside of school. We might start--we've just been relying on ours starting off somewhat ahead, since we did public school before.

I haven't seen or heard anything concerning about religion/spirituality. I had similar concerns, but don't remember any questions about it in the application. Maybe it's changed.

This is the first year the school's being run as a co-op--which is good and bad. Everything is run by consensus and there's no admin staff. Also, as a co-op, the school needs a lot of help--so parents volunteer quite a bit. 

We have had a great experience so far. We love the music, kindness, outside time/nature, art, and beauty. The focus on emotional growth/empathy has been very valuable for our child's development.  But academics are a real concern for us as well. 

Side note-- Waldorf has an anti-vax reputation, but this school follows Contra Costa guidelines about vaccination requirements and covid protocol.