Bright Water School
Preschool in Seattle, WA 98102
Bright Water School was founded in 1998 to answer the need for greater access to Waldorf education in Seattle. We offer a Parent and Child class, one preschool class, two full-sized kindergarten classes, and grades one through eight, and we have a student body of approximately 180 students.
Bright Water School is located in the beautiful and historic St. Nicholas Building in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Gardens in the courtyard and playgrounds surrounding the school have been extensively renovated. Nearby Volunteer Park provides acres of playing fields and outdoor enrichment.
We are a part of the active and growing Waldorf network in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Students come from the entire metropolitan region. Our graduating eighth graders go on to a wide range of high schools, both private and public.
What does Bright Water School feel like?
- Students at Bright Water School experience a caring community of teachers and peers.
- Bright Water Schools balanced program of practical skills, movement, music, art, world languages, and academics addresses the whole child.
- Faculty members work closely with students, helping them to learn academic discipline and responsibility, and teaching them to work independently.
- Most of all, the close relationships at our school help students develop a strong sense of themselves and a compassionate awareness of others.
- Child Ages:
- 3 years - 6 years
- Licenses & Accreditations:
- Washington State Department of Early Learning
- Preschool:
- Yes
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Bright Water School is part of an international community of schools that embraces Waldorf education. The Waldorf curriculum was developed by Rudolf Steiner, Austrian scientist, philosopher, artist, and educator who founded the first Waldorf School in Germany in 1919. Waldorf schools share a common philosophy, a methodical approach, and a curriculum correlating child development to the experiences of humanity throughout the course of history.
The heart of the Waldorf philosophy is the belief that education must meet the child as the child grows and matures:
- The very young child learns best through play and imitation.
- The young grade school child learns best through the realm of the feelings and senses. Continuing to nurture the imagination is essential.
- The adolescent learns best through the intellect and is ready and willing to apply critical judgment to their own thinking. The healthy imagination nurtured in the early years is instrumental in fostering these critical thinking skills.
The Waldorf curriculum balances academic, artistic, and practical activities. The curriculum develops the childs self-confidence and self-reliance, while fostering personal integrity and a sense of social and environmental responsibility.
Faculty are thoroughly trained in the methodology specific to Waldorf schools. Families who visit a Waldorf school for the first time are often surprised at the way teachers and students engage with each other in the classroom environment. Curiosity and intellectual and artistic creativity are highly valued. Waldorf teachers approach their students with enthusiasm and respect for the emerging individual in each child.
