Celebrating 100 Years of Steiner Early Childhood The Vital Years Conference at Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School

Many people know that the first Waldorf School was founded in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1919. However, the first Steiner Early Childhood Kindergarten was established a few years later, in 1926. This year, we celebrate 100 years of Steiner Early Childhood education.

To mark this important milestone, conferences and celebrations have been held around the world, honouring these humble beginnings while reflecting on the needs of children today. It is an opportunity to revisit the values we hold dear, celebrate the enduring strengths of Steiner education, and consider how our practices have evolved over the past century.

Our Early Childhood and Kindergarten team had the privilege of attending one of these gatherings at Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School: The Vital Years Conference. Seven representatives from our Early Childhood and Kindergarten teams participated in the five-day event, which proved to be an inspiring and enriching experience.

The keynote speaker, Dr Michaela Glöckler, revisited the roots of Steiner early childhood development while also exploring some of the challenges we all face as parents and teachers in deciding what is truly healthy for our young people, and what can be harmful under the guise of being helpful.

She spoke about how, 100 years on, few families have the option of staying home with their children. If we have the privilege of caring for these children, we can provide a place of health, protection and loving care outside the home.

She challenged us, as educators, to develop the discernment needed to distinguish between the positive influences of the modern world and those that are less supportive of healthy development, so that we can offer children the very best possible start in life.

At the same time, she reminded us to remain flexible and open, recognising that many aspects of modern life have two sides. While Steiner education has traditionally emphasised the importance of young children remaining at home with a parent for as long as possible, an extended day in our early childhood setting can also provide a healthy, nurturing alternative to children spending afternoons on screens while parents juggle the competing demands of work and family life. Equally, it can mean less time together as a family unit. Rather than viewing these realities through the lens of judgement or guilt, she encouraged us to hold them with discernment, recognising that every family is navigating its own circumstances. It is this balance that we, as both educators and parents, are called to hold.

In addition, there were 28 workshops for our team to choose from, with opportunities to attend sessions across three morning and afternoon workshop blocks. I am pleased to report that staff were able to attend a wide variety of sessions, including Breaking Through with Mary Willow, Mood of the Fifth in the Morning Circle with Katrina Ross, In Conversation with Angels with Rev. Hartmut Borries, Watercolour Experience with Katherine Rudolph, Social Eurythmy with Kelly Pappas, Health and Healing for All Through Biodynamic Gardening with Children with Sandra Frain, and Elements of a Bush Kindergarten with Leesa Kerr.

These workshops provided opportunities for practical learning, artistic exploration and deeper reflection. Many of the insights and experiences shared have already been brought back into our staff conversations, faculty work and daily practice.

There were so many wonderful subjects, conversations and experiences shared throughout the conference that it is impossible to capture them all within this leaflet. We hope to have the opportunity to share more of these learnings and reflections in future editions, as we continue to explore and celebrate the depth and richness of Steiner Early Childhood education.

Kira Du Plessis

Early Childhood Director