Our School

Our Mission

Potomac Crescent Waldorf School seeks to encourage and protect the sense of wonder and gratitude that nourishes each child's imagination. We try to provide a warmth-filled place to work, play and create. We believe that the young child's capacities for language, creative thinking, and reasoning are developed through the healthy activities we provide. Our educational goal is to help develop individuals with inquiring minds, an interest in and reverence for the world and fellow beings, and a life-long love of learning in all its forms. The work of the young child is play. Through thoughtfully presented play opportunities each child's balanced development is nurtured.

Our History

The Northern Virginia Waldorf Initiative was founded in 1998 by a group of Waldorf teachers and parents seeking to establish a Waldorf school in northern Virginia. The group met regularly for study and planning while a site search began in earnest. Its first parent-child classes were held in private homes. After three years of search, the initiative was able to rent space in the education wing of the Mount Vernon Baptist Church, its present location. The school is now in its fifth year at the site and has a wonderful working relationship with the church.

Our Community

This year, the school enrollment numbers over 50 children coming from 43 families. Our parents are active community members, staffing task groups for such needs as publicity, site selection, and events. Handwork groups meet weekly. A parent room offers a comfortable setting for these and other gatherings. It also houses a parent library and a wonderful collection of toys. Enrolling in the Potomac Crescent Waldorf School is more than sending your child off to school each morning. Parents are welcomed to the school with the same warmth as their children.

Our School Organization

Potomac Crescent Waldorf School is a faculty-administered school; all the teachers on staff participate in making pedagogical decisions and determining school policy. The Faculty Chairperson serves as a pedagogical resource and guide for the teachers, and is available to help resolve issues that extend beyond the class-room level. The Board, composed of community members, Faculty, and parents, deals primarily with the legal and financial matters pertaining to the school.

The school is licensed by Arlington County and the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a member of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN) and has developing school membership in the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA). Our faculty have extensive Waldorf training. The school is a non-profit corporation and is an IRS registered charitable tax-exempt organization. We are governed by a volunteer Board of Directors composed of faculty, parents and friends of Waldorf education.