Madison Waldorf School, Madison | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

I can definitely not recommend the Madison Waldorf School (MWS). MWS is very expensive, and it is unsafe. The best advice I can give is to not send your children. The second best advice I can give is to pay month by month. If or when you decide to take your child out mid-year, you don’t want to be stuck paying the rest of the tuition, as other families have.

We removed our child from the school mid-year in order to protect them from unsafe practices, including a forced nap period that was scheduled for 90 minutes. The actual time children were forced to lay still and quiet in a pitch black room, with no sitting up, no humming, no whispering, and no quiet play, could range from 45-75 minutes. Another parent recalled what it was like when she went to a friend’s house at age 6 and was forced to lie still and quiet for 45 minutes: “It felt like torture. I never went back.”

Our child was 5-years-old when we took them out, and this forced nap policy was implemented with kids all the way up to age 6. Developmentally, most children give up their nap between the ages of 3-5. More than 66% of 4-year-olds do not habitually nap, 70% of 5-year-olds do not nap, and 90% of 6-year-olds do not nap. A current practicing child psychologist stated that the forced nap policy can cause anxiety, and it is inappropriate for 5-year-olds to be expected to lie still and quiet for more than 30 minutes.

We raised all these concerns to MWS in conjunction with two other current families who had concerns as well as on the heels of multiple former families who had similar concerns. MWS brought in their own supposed expert, who was trained in their brand of spiritual teaching, anthroposophy, and not trained in any field of child development or psychology. She was quoted saying, about licensed child psychologists, “I personally would not trust their point of view… because they don’t know from within [anthroposophy].” The forced nap policy was not changed.

State law dictates that “child care workers shall permit a child who does not sleep after 30 minutes and a child who awakens to get up and to have quiet time through the use of equipment or activities which will not disturb other children.” MWS and many of its teachers are not licensed. Therefore, there is absolutely no oversight or accountability from the local or state level for what is going on. Additionally, staff were not trained or informed on what it means or how to be mandated reporters. Therefore, the environment was ripe for incidents of maltreatment and patterns of harm to go unreported, unchanged, and essentially swept under the rug.

Additionally, the lead teacher in the Sugar Maples classroom would leave after the first 30 minutes of nap, and she did not return for the rest of the school day.

MSW prides itself on providing extensive outdoor time for children. Unfortunately, the outdoor space is small and unsafe. The younger children have a small, fenced in area where the wood fencing wasn’t maintained, giving children splinters and the gutters weren’t cleared, creating hazardous runoff that froze into sheets of ice near the entry and exit of the play area. In the winter, there was an open fire in the play area, sometimes without an adult visibly nearby to supervise. The older children play in the parking lot.

My child was younger, but there were complaints of maltreatment by teachers in the upper grades, and we are certainly not the only family to have removed our child mid-year to protect them.

MWS has a vacuum of leadership. There is no head of the school. Therefore, although MWS and its teachers have high aspirations and impeccable rhetoric, the thinly veiled reality, right under the surface of smiles and hugs, is one of chaos, desperation, and severe systemic struggle to simply save face.

If you are a current family at the school who is questioning whether your child is the only one having a hard time at MWS, please know that you are not alone and you are not the first. There are many families who have left MWS, including ours. Our child is now thriving at another school.

As an active volunteer and parent at MWS, I was deeply invested in the school’s success. However, after witnessing faculty, staff and board members dismiss and downplay credible concerns about child safety, ignore warnings from outside experts, and treat concerned families with open hostility, my partner and I felt compelled to disenroll our child for their safety.

Because of the strict enforcement of a forced nap policy, we observed instances of school refusal. We eventually learned that MWS nap policy required all children to lie still and quiet in a dark room for up to 90 minutes a day, without alternatives for quiet play or reading in a lit space for those who could not sleep, while the teacher often left the room for the rest of the day. This had not been fully disclosed to parents previously.

Seeking clarity, we consulted outside experts including a licensed child psychologist, who advised MWS that the enforced nap practice was developmentally inappropriate and potentially harmful, especially as most 5- and 6-year-olds will have outgrown naps by that age. We contacted other Waldorf schools which reacted with surprise and concern when told of MWS’s nap policy. We also learned that, by contrast, WI state law requires licensed childcare centers (which MWS is not) to allow children who don’t fall asleep within 30 minutes to move “off their sleeping surface and given a choice of activities in a reasonably lighted area”.

Despite bringing this information to the school in a good-faith and collaborative manner, our attempts to discuss this topic further were met with defensiveness and dismissal.

Alarmed by the effects of subjecting children who have outgrown naps to this treatment, we voiced our worries to the school administrator and board. We were met with further dismissal and disparagement. After additional parents raised their own concerns, the board did eventually agree to an outside review — but rejected calls to work with a licensed child psychologist in favor of hiring an “anthroposophical psychologist” instead. The school ultimately contracted a former Waldorf teacher who lacked any training or licensure as a psychologist.

During my meeting with this individual, whose role was to ostensibly serve as a neutral party and childhood development expert, they stated that while practitioners of “mainstream psychology” might be concerned with the appropriateness and safety of the current MWS naptime policy, Waldorf educators “know what’s best” for their children, and that that should be sufficient to put any concerns to rest.

Increasingly out-of-touch and aggressive communications from the school community followed. One individual, vying for the school’s open admissions director role, urged the board and administration to expel us and another family for questioning the practices of a Waldorf teacher. Their memo also pressed for what was then an ongoing investigation into child safety concerns be quashed immediately. That individual was subsequently hired.

My partner and I ultimately withdrew our child from MWS to ensure their safety and well-being. Subsequently connecting with other families who left MWS revealed a disturbing pattern of dismissal, denial, bullying and gaslighting — including but not limited to concerns over naptime policy — as well. I urge current and prospective families to be vigilant and to critically assess what type of environment they want for their child and family.

Finally, it saddens me to anticipate that MWS might respond to this and other reviews with misinformation and personal disparagements. I encourage readers to weigh any such responses thoughtfully as they draw their own conclusions about which school is right for their family.

I can wholeheartedly recommend this wonderful school to anyone looking for a holistic education that values creativity, critical thinking, a deep connection to the natural world and fosters a love of learning. My children are absolutely thriving at this school.

The classrooms are beautiful, warm and incredibly calming. One of my children is in their second year in the early childhood program. Having had a fine experience at a different preschool prior, I didn’t realize just how much more thoughtful and intentional a Waldorf school would be. I knew very little about Waldorf education initially but I have learned and continue to learn just how valuable and special it really is. My children are seen for who they truly are and the care and attention they receive from their teachers is completely individualized. All of the teaching staff and assistants in the early childhood department are warm and nurturing and highly qualified in their roles. My children are exposed to music, creative works, nature and free play every day. Social emotional development of the child is prioritized. At an early age, my children are developing a sense of inner calm and reverence. Meals and snacks are prepared together and eaten after a single candle is lit. The staff appreciates the unique and special developmental stage of early childhood and work to maintain a sense of wonder that only fully exists in those early years.

Learning happens naturally and in a mixed age program there is opportunity for both anticipation and leadership. The younger students are met at their developmental readiness while striving to reach the skills of their older classmates. The older students are given various opportunities to develop leadership skills as their responsibilities and expectations are appropriately challenging to them. The sense of comfort and the natural confidence building that comes from this model has been remarkable to witness in my own child whom tends to be more reserved and sensitive. My husband and I couldn’t be happier with the progress they have made.

I also have to speak on the wonderful opportunities the school provides to nurture community among the families and staff. Several special events are held and highly anticipated every year. The school community as a whole is invited to come together through food, music and celebration. The magic of each season is celebrated in various ways throughout the year. For someone who is newer to the Madison area, this school has fostered so many meaningful relationships in my own life and I’m so grateful for the friendships we have cultivated.

MWS is truly a special place. The staff is passionate and welcoming, cultural differences are celebrated, and in a world full of screens and noise this place reminds us to hold space for simple joys and beauty in the everyday moments. At its core, Waldorf education focuses on the whole person and the development of a strong sense of self. I would urge anyone interested to tour the school or attend one of the public festivals to see for themselves.