Care Group Support

What Is the Care Group?

We believe children deserve to feel seen, supported, and capable of success. The Care Group is our dedicated student support team—working in partnership with teachers and families to nurture the diverse academic, emotional, and developmental needs of our students.

Rooted in the Waldorf philosophy of educating the whole child—head, heart, and hands—Care Group exists to ensure that children can thrive in a learning environment that emphasizes creativity, connection, and meaningful growth.

What Care Group Does:

• Facilitates individualized, developmentally aligned support for students who may need extra guidance in one or more areas.

• Collaborates closely with class teachers to adapt lessons and offer small-group or one-on-one assistance, where possible.

• Communicates with families to understand each child’s unique learning journey and share resources or referrals when additional support is needed- including suggestions to pursue education beyond our offerings.

• Offers insight and care that reflects the Waldorf emphasis on whole-child development, rather than focusing solely on academic benchmarks or labels.

Who We Can Support:

Our school is best equipped to support children whose learning profiles fall within one grade level above or below the classroom standard in no more than two areas (e.g., reading and math, or attention and writing). These students often benefit from thoughtful adjustments, increased observation, and holistic approaches—all offered with warmth and respect for the child’s individuality.

What We Are Not:

We are not a full special education department, and we do not offer formal IEPs or clinical therapies. That being said, we partner with District 200 to facilitate children accessing services on a case by case basis to include one service area only and a maximum of 30 minutes a week. Any additional, necessary therapies would need to be secured privately by the family. Students with more intensive needs may thrive best in an environment with more specialized services. However, we’re always happy to talk with families about their child’s needs and help determine whether our school is a good match—or help point them toward other supportive options if needed.

Honoring Every Child’s Path:

At our school, we deeply respect that every child and every family is unique. While we are passionate about the Waldorf approach and believe it offers a rich, developmentally aligned, and holistic education, we also recognize that it is one of many meaningful ways to support a child’s growth and learning.

We believe that public schools, Montessori programs, homeschooling, and other educational paths can all be wonderful choices—each offering something valuable depending on a child’s unique needs, personality, and family context. What matters most is finding an environment where your child feels seen, supported, and inspired to grow.

Our commitment is unwavering: to help every child learn well and thrive. We're here to partner with you as you explore what’s best for your child, and we will always support you in finding the path that aligns with their needs—whether that’s with us or elsewhere.

We encourage parents to discuss their child’s individual needs with us early to determine if our Waldorf school’s supportive environment aligns with your family’s educational goals. The best place to start is with our Director of Admissions.