Increasing Green Meadow's Accessibility
“We really want to make life easier on working families,” says Larson. “And we wanted to give people who aren’t enrolled a chance to experience our community.” It’s the second year for the after-school classes, in which non-Green Meadow students of all ages can enroll to study things like American Sign Language, cooking, architecture, textile design, and theater in the Waldorf way.
Green Meadow runs from nursery through 12th grade. To make things more convenient for families juggling upstate and downstate lives, there’s a bus route as far south as the Upper West Side. After-school programs run until 6pm. To maintain and destigmatize economic diversity, the school has reframed tuition assistance as scaled tuition, with contributions based on a percentage-of-household-income equation that strives to make Waldorf education accessible to all who want it.
Parent/child classes for babies and toddlers are facilitated by Waldorf educators to maximize enjoyment and value for participants little and big; the Bridge Program lets parents ease two-year-olds born after May into the Early Childhood Program.
Immersed in Nature
It’s the second year for Forest Preschool for children aged three to five. “The Forest Preschool concept has gotten huge in Europe," says Larson, "and it’s been proven to be good for children’s brain development, immune systems, balance, and eyesight."Third-graders spend every Friday morning farming and are introduced to overnight travel by way of a farm trip in the spring. High school students hike with first graders, and visit younger kids to perform enlightening role plays in times of conflict. Through it all, there is an ever-deeper inquiry into the nature and possibilities of human existence, both infused with and accompanied by the fine and performing arts.
It’s a process designed to nurture Renaissance thinkers, and Larson says the outcomes are fun to watch. “We see our seniors go through this amazing transformation as they create and execute their individual projects, working one-on-one with mentors," she says. "They’ve done ice climbing, midwifery, veterinary science. Someone built a tiny house, somebody else wrote a novel. What we hear from recent alumni is that narrowing their work down to pick a single major is tough, so a lot of them go for double majors.”
