Wildcat Canyon Community School is reimagining Waldorf education and seeks to provide an inclusive, joyful, and immersive learning experience where students, Prek-8th, develop deep connections to the indigenous land, the seasons, self, and the community.
WCCS Origin Story
After the closure of East Bay Waldorf School during the pandemic, Wildcat Canyon Community School sprouted from the compost of the former school. Inspired by the structure of backyard class pods that organically and collectively emerged during the year of pandemic closure, we reopened our doors as a parent/teacher cooperative with a mission of accessibility, inclusion, and Waldorf-inspired education. WCCS is a startup, grassroots school drawing its name from our beautiful campus adjacent to Wildcat Canyon. We are an independent AWSNA accredited school, self-managed and collaboratively led by three bodies: the faculty, the cooperative administration, and the Circle of Trustees.
Following is our version of a mission statement, our aspirational, “North Star” Purpose and the Path of how we hope to get there. This is a journey we started just a few years ago, and we are at the earlier stages of the path.
WCCS Purpose
We aspire to co-create a world where the highest ideals of our educational methods are accessible to every child. Where belonging and peace are rights held by all. Where education includes healthy spiritual development, and joy in learning becomes a stepping stone to meaningful change in the world. Where we honor the land, the wisdom of our elders and ancestors, and duty to the generations to come.
WCCS Path
Wildcat Canyon Community School embraces a progressive approach to Waldorf education in which the curriculum is continually regenerated for relevance in the present time. We honor the child’s natural phases of learning and ignite the spark of individuality in each child, developing a lifelong commitment to learning, creativity, and social responsibility. WCCS is committed to dynamic governance by the teachers and cooperative community leadership; an economic model that values people over money; uplifting social, racial, and land justice in all domains; and ongoing training and practice in restorative and transformative justice.
Who We Are
At Wildcat Canyon Community School, we are dedicated to educating the whole child, nourishing their creativity, curiosity, and love of learning and the natural world. We strive to bring Waldorf education to modern times. At WCCS you will find that we are a beautiful tapestry of families who:
- Value the outdoors and education in nature
- Hope for a place where BIPOC families are welcomed and find themselves reflected in the faculty and the curriculum
- Value the arts, imagination, and developmentally appropriate academics
- Are white allies who want to support a diverse community
- Span the spectrum of gender and hope for support with correct pronoun use and bathroom autonomy
- Are deeply committed to anthroposophy and Waldorf education
- Gather together and work in community
- Are neurodiverse and hope for an education that meets our children on many levels.
- Are seeking an education with a spiritual foundation
- Are Indigenous and hoping the school can be a model through its efforts at rematriation
- Hope to decolonize Waldorf education
“The most important thing is to establish an education through which human beings learn once again how to live with one another.”
— Rudolf Steiner