Accreditation

Waldorf School of the Peninsula is accredited by the Accrediting Commissions for Schools Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC), The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), and The Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN). All of these organizations have conducted independent reviews of WSP and concluded that we have met our goals in providing a high-quality education.

 

The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, a world-renowned accrediting association and one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the United States, works closely with the Office of Overseas Schools under the U.S. Department of State. The Accrediting Commission for Schools, WASC, extends its services to over 4,600 public, independent, church-related, and proprietary pre-K–12 and adult schools, works with 17 associations in joint accreditation processes, and collaborates with other organizations such as the California Department of Education (CDE).

An accredited school is focused on a mission and goals for students; it is student-oriented and examines its students’ performance continuously; it accepts objective evaluation from a team of outside peer professionals trained by ACS WASC; it maintains a qualified faculty within an effectively organized school; it collaboratively assesses the quality of its educational programs on a regular basis; and it plans for the future.

 

The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) is a non­profit membership organization of independent Waldorf Schools and Institutes in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

The Association was founded in 1968 to assist schools and institutes in working together to strengthen and nurture Waldorf Education® and to advance Waldorf principles. Today there are over 900 Waldorf schools in 83 countries. In North America alone, there are more than 160 member schools and 14 teacher education institutes.

AWSNA supports schools through collaborative regional work, professional and resource development, accreditation, community outreach, and advocacy. The Association’s work is based on four core values. These values are:

— evoke and develop quality and integrity in everything we attempt and achieve
— promote strength and resourcefulness in every school community
— foster, encourage, and support inspired leadership and colleagueship
— work towards conscious and collaborative human community and relationships

Waldorf School of the Peninsula has received the highest possible level of membership with AWSNA – Full Membership with a 7-year renewal cycle.

 

The Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN) was founded in 1983, originally under the name of the Waldorf Kindergarten Association of North America.

WECAN’s mission is to foster a new cultural impulse for the work with the young child from pre-birth to age seven. Based on an anthroposophical understanding of human development, WECAN is committed to protecting and nurturing childhood as a foundation for renewing human culture.

Membership in WECAN is open to early childhood programs, birth to three programs, kindergartens, child care centers, home programs, and teacher training centers committed to the ideals and practices of Waldorf early childhood education, and to individuals who wish to support and contribute to Waldorf early childhood education in North America.

 


WSP is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). NAIS is a nonprofit membership association that provides services to more than 2,000 schools and associations of schools in the United States and abroad, including more than 1,600 nonprofit, private K-12 schools in the U.S. that are self-determining in mission and program and are governed by independent boards.

I am convinced that Waldorf schools deliver an essential alternative to our existing systems. A Waldorf education provides students with an approach to learning which successfully integrates the arts and sciences with the practical tools necessary to succeed in these challenging times. I am personally very grateful for the foundation that was laid during my formative years at Waldorf.

Kenneth I. Chenault

President and CEO, The American Express Company and Waldorf alumnus