Waldorf education began in the early 1900s and was created by philosopher Rudolf Steiner in Germany. The idea underlying the school was to offset the horrific events and human behavior of World War I.  Dr. Steiner developed the first school to address the human child based on stages of development and using the whole-child approach to meet the needs of the entire world. Since that time, Waldorf schools have spread all over the world and now include over 2000 schools located on every continent.

Shining Star opened in 2003 and achieved the use of the name Waldorf in 2006.   We follow the Waldorf model very closely and participate in an ongoing certification program with the national association AWSNA.  Our Waldorf curriculum meets the needs of the child’s head, heart and hands. Put another way, we are helping the children grow intellectually, mentally and physically skillful.  In our daily program we focus on these three elements during each school day.  It is also a journey for the children’s parents.

Waldorf education is well recognized in the Oregon metro area and across the country.  Graduates are welcomed in various high schools and higher learning institutions for their creative thinking, critical problem solving, global awareness and highly ethical habits. Waldorf graduates have been extremely successful in widely diverse fields and we are proud to be part of this whole-child learning for life movement.