Building Strong Foundations: Structure in Service of Community

In Waldorf education, we understand that form and freedom go hand in hand. The same is true in organizational life: clear processes and structures allow creativity and collaboration to thrive.

Over the past few years, our school has devoted time and care to strengthening the structures that hold our community. We’ve established clear contracts and employment practices, created a comprehensive employee and family handbooks, and clarified decision-making pathways among the Faculty, Administration, and Board. These efforts bring stability and transparency, not as bureaucracy, but as expressions of respect.

As the old saying reminds us, “good contracts make good friends.” Clear agreements create space for trust, for generosity, and for genuine partnership. They help each of us know where we stand, so that we can focus our energy on what matters most: nurturing the children.

Because we currently operate through collaboration rather than command, we often find ourselves designing new ways of working. It takes time, dialogue, and patience but it also gives rise to a culture of shared ownership. Our structures are now better able to hold the warmth, creativity, and ideals that have always been the heart of our school.