(verb) Recover hope, courage, or strength after a time of difficulty.
A Letter from Leadership
When we began our journey towards Respire, we only had an inkling of the insights and connections we would discover along the way. What we did know was that three core commitments guided us:
Process is as important as product: The act of strategic planning should strengthen our community and deepen our connections to one another and our mission.
Diverse perspectives are integral to our success: To thrive in an era of rapid change, we must ask the right questions, listen attentively, and commit to continuously seeking knowledge to inform our decisions.
Ownership belongs to all: This is our school and our future. We will move forward together—or not at all.
Through all-community meetings, surveys, emails, and countless conversations, a shared vision emerged at the intersection of learning, people, place, and purpose. Together, we reaffirmed our commitment to a broader definition of learning that nurtures the head, heart, and hands. We pledged to put people first: improving tuition assistance, salaries, and benefits. We committed to making our beautiful buildings and campus the permanent home of our school, and we revitalized our purpose through new statements of values, vision, and mission.
As we reflect on the journey to Respire, we are inspired by the outpouring of interest in our school and the deep love from our community. Together, we’ve laid the groundwork for incredible things ahead. Now, we are eager to get to work and build a brighter future for our school.
Sincerely,
NIKO HILGERDT Head of School
JOHN MEDRANO Board President ANDREA M c AFEE Chair, Strategic Planning Task Force
Nourishing our Roots
Celebrating milestones from our first 30 years
Our Founders
In 1994, three dedicated anthroposophists, Boel Neville, Margaret Dancey, and Eleanor Seidman, came to Philadelphia to create a study group for parents and possibly open a Waldorf-inspired daycare. They met at Arnold’s Way health food store in Manayunk for study. There the three of them met Carl Kielblock and Nicole Nicola, who quickly offered their home as a place to continue the study group and host a small play group on Saturdays. Several families visited, but a small group became very dedicated to the idea of starting a Waldorf kindergarten in the area. That group included Carl and Nicole, Kira and Tom Gartner, and Susan Braccia. Shortly after, Susan Braccia started a Waldorf-inspired kindergarten/daycare in her home, which was the seed for the school. As plans continued to develop, Boel agreed to join the initiative to open a school. These six people became the original “Carrying Group,” the people who carried the school.
1995
The Philadelphia Waldorf Initiative was incorporated as a non-profit in Pennsylvania
1996
The Philadelphia Children’s School opened its doors at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Roxborough with two kindergarten classes. The School became a registered initiative with the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
1997
The School added a first grade at Grace Lutheran Church, also in Roxborough
1998
Continuing to grow, the School moved to the New Covenant Campus on Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy
2004
The School changed its name to the Waldorf School of Philadelphia and was accredited by Middle States Association
2004-2012
The School grew to include five kindergartens, a nursery program, two parent-toddler programs, grades 1-8, and a wide range of special subjects
2012
The School partnered with local developers to purchase and renovate 6000 Wayne Avenue, the historic former home of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, along with its accompanying carriage house
2015
The school relocated to its current home at 6000 Wayne Avenue in Germantown
2016
The school became a fully accredited member of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
2019
The school hosted the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America national conference 2020
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school closed campus temporarily and pivoted to hybrid learning 2021
With a renewed commitment to pluralism and belonging, the school hired its first Director of Student Support and Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice 2022
Revising governance to improve transparency and accountability, the school hired a new Faculty Administrator
2023
The school hired its first Head of School and renewed accreditation with AWSNA and MSA
The school launched Respire, a new strategic vision for 2025-2030.
Waldorf-inspired play group began
The first Waldorf School was founded in 1919, driven by a vision for peace and a belief in education’s power to transform both individuals and society for the greater good.
Today—with over 1,100 Waldorf schools across more than 80 countries around the world and more than 25,000 Waldorf students in North America alone— we are proud to be at the forefront of a global movement reshaping the future of education.
OUR MISSION
Exceptional education for the common good.
OUR VISION
We aspire to serve as a beacon for the best contemporary Waldorf Education available in North America.
OUR CORE VALUES
Take Time for Wonder
We foster a sense of wonder that inspires growth, curiosity, collaboration, and innovation— nurturing lifelong learners who explore the world with open minds, open hands, and open hearts.
Expression is Key
We celebrate creativity and beauty, training each student to express themselves authentically through fine arts, performance, and traditional craft.
Uncover Your Purpose
We discover each child’s individual purpose strengthening their inherent capacities to lead lives of courage and integrity on the path to becoming happy, ethical adults.
The Feeling You Get from Being Here
We build a community where everyone belongs, embracing diversity, inclusion, and stewardship of our shared environment, responsibilities, and experiences.
draws on the same root of breath that kindles our emotions in inspire, aspire, and the spire that rises from our Great Hall. It serves as a beacon for Philly Waldorf for blocks—if not miles— around Germantown.
Respire reflects the spirit of inspiration that guides our work, connects us to the campus and architecture that serves as the vessel for our school, and grounds us in our immediate history and the challenges we faced—and had to overcome—to thrive here today.
Respire is a calling to all of us to breathe new life into our school, open ourselves to the nourishment and energy surrounding us in our neighborhood, the city, and the natural environment, and bolster ourselves for the transformative work that lies ahead.
An Orientation Towards Growth Seven Areas of Leadership
At the core of Philly Waldorf’s strategic plan is a unified commitment to fostering growth and improvement in seven key areas of school life. With the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, and a steady leadership team, dedicated teachers, and administrative staff in place, the Waldorf School of Philadelphia is uniquely positioned to achieve an ambitious vision to secure our campus and ensure the future of our school. Respire offers a cohesive roadmap for achieving this vision, bringing together input and insights from stakeholders throughout our community.
7 Areas of Leadership, 3 Horizons
To help us navigate our strategy, we apply a three-horizon framework to seven areas of school improvement. To understand the ways that these horizons function in the different areas of school improvement, it is important to understand what each horizon is.
Core Programs encompasses the core programs of Philly Waldorf, recognized by students, parents, staff, and the wider community as central to the school’s mission and identity.
Transformational Potential comprises aspects of the school that are on the rise: innovations in which a concept is taking root or growth is accelerating. These initiatives hold the potential to transform the school, but not without considerable investment.
Future Seeds contains the seeds of tomorrow’s school, including activities and investments for the school’s future, including research projects, test pilots, and partnerships that involve real, actionable steps to develop potential opportunities.
Leading with Purpose
Apply our mission, vision, and values to lead our school with purpose
Leading with purpose means clearly defining the mission of our organization and the service we aim to provide to society. It involves understanding the unique impact we want to make, distinguishing ourselves from other schools, and taking deliberate steps to achieve that impact. Our purpose is embodied in our mission, vision, and values. By integrating our identity into every facet of school life, we ensure that our programs, policies, priorities, and processes are aligned with our core purpose.
“On the Horizon
Increase need-based tuition assistance and scholarship programs
Launch an organic gardento-table hot lunch program for the grade school
Expand our community through innovative transportation solutions
“I strive to live my life at the intersection of where my love meets the needs of the world. As a parent, my purpose includes supporting my child to stay connected to his heart while he grows in his understanding of himself, the world we live in, and how he can be a force for good. The Waldorf School of Philadelphia has supported my child’s development in a deeply holistic way that feels like a respectful and purposeful partnership with our family.”
Sarah Halley Current Philly Waldorf Parent, Leadership Coach, and Facilitator
Leading with Learning
Integrate the principles and practices of Waldorf Education with best practices in teaching and learning so that every child reaches their highest potential
Leading with learning means ensuring that all our students receive the best Waldorf education available today. It reflects our commitment to providing transformative learning experiences that address each student’s unique needs while preparing them to build healthy and enduring social relationships and lead lives of integrity, service, creativity, accomplishment, and joy.
“Conduct research and feasibility study for a Philly Waldorf High School
Publish comprehensive curriculum redesign by 2027
Invest in our commitment to place-based experiential education
“Waldorf education is built upon tried-and-true practices and traditions that honor the magic and innocence of childhood, align with the natural stages of child development, and nurture the whole child. While these core principles remain steadfast, Philly Waldorf continually evolves— thoughtfully expanding its programs to reflect its urban surroundings, foster a strong, inclusive community, and prepare students with the skills and perspectives to thrive in today’s world.”
Maureen Sheppard Current Parent and Parent Association Convener
Leading with stewardship involves carefully managing our finances, historic buildings, campus, and equipment. It means balancing our current needs with those that ensure our long-term sustainability so that the Waldorf School of Philadelphia can continue to educate future generations of Philadelphians.
“Invest in playgrounds and equipment that enhance our mission
Leading with Stewardship
Steward our resources to ensure the greatest long-term benefits for students, society, and the natural world
Conduct facilities audit to inform plant replacement, repair, and maintenance
Purchase our campus
“I’ve had the pleasure of supporting Philly Waldorf’s business office through many years of the school’s evolution and growth. Purchasing our campus and making it the school’s permanent home will have the greatest impact on our school’s long-term financial health and sustainability and opens enormous opportunities for us to expand the reach of our mission. Now is the critical time for our community to come together and secure our future.”
Pamela Benton Director of Finance
Waldorf Education is rooted in the belief that the human being is an expression of an evolving spiritual identity. Leading with people means prioritizing individual dignity in all our policies and practices while enhancing our ability to recognize and address diverse individual needs.
“Take a leading position in national Waldorf faculty and staff compensation and benefits
Leading with People
Enhance care for the people who work here through compensation and benefits that better meet their individual needs
Increase opportunities for faculty and staff career development and advancement
Enhance our ability to meet employee’s diverse individual needs
“In our primary collective effort to prioritize the whole child, increased effort has been put into prioritizing each member of our community and the contributions that they bring. Our mission, pedagogy, and principle set the foundation for holding people at the forefront of our work; our continuous evaluation of how and where we can prioritize this further holds people at the forefront of our decision making. I have seen our commitment express itself in working through difficult conversations with compassion and transparency, centering student voice, and creating more opportunities for collaboration in the decision-making.”
Taylor Hickman Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
Leading with Community
Invest in building the capacities that will enable us to attract and retain the students and families it will take for us to be fully enrolled
At the heart of Waldorf Education is a commitment to social renewal and improvement rooted in the care and education of young people. Our vision for a thriving community amplifies our impact locally, broadens our programs to serve more families, and reimagines our role in the lives of students and families beyond our current offerings.
On the Horizon
Grow our after-school, break camp, and summer programs
Improve parent education and engagement through innovative educational and community-building opportunities
Invest in strengthening our capacity to attract and retain the students and families we need in order to reach full enrollment
“We’re so lucky to have such a strong and supportive Philly Waldorf community—it’s the heart of our school and such an attractive asset that can help us grow our student body and lead the school into a thriving future.”
Randy Makiej, Current Parent
Leading with Philanthropy
Create a culture of philanthropy that empowers our community to make positive change in the world
Leading with philanthropy means empowering our community to create a positive, transformational impact in the lives of our students, our neighborhood, and the wider world. We aspire to unite our entire community around a shared vision for a future enriched by our school, harnessing our collective potential to drive generational change.
“Complete capital campaign for campus purchase and improvement
Expand our Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program to encourage investment in our school from local businesses and partners
Enhance alumni network and volunteer engagement
“Our family is grateful to the Waldorf School of Philadelphia for educating our children’s whole selves with beauty, goodness, and purpose. We believe that schools flourish when families are involved, and we appreciate the multitude of ways that Philly Waldorf invites us to join together and contribute. As we prepare our children to make their own unique contributions to the world, we hope they will hold close these lessons of mutual support and care.”
Anna and Xander Kotsatos, Current Parents
Leading with Governance
Serve as a beacon for best practices for Waldorf school boards
In an era of rapid change, leading with governance requires vigilance in prioritizing purpose. It involves refining effective processes, analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data, and fostering spaces where courageous conversations, ideas, and actions can propel our mission toward success.
“On the Horizon
Maintain active long-term succession plans
Update annual board evaluation tools to refine and focus improvement
Codify the recruitment and onboarding process for new board members
“It’s been a pleasure watching the board grow in their mindfulness and strategic orientation, both through our board meetings and other professional development opportunities. We’ve committed countless hours using our school’s mission to guide our personal growth and that of our school. I look forward to these efforts continuing to clear a positive pathway forward for our school for years to come.”
Ayinde Tate, Trustee
Thank you for your dedication and visionary leadership in imagining a vibrant future for Philly Waldorf.
Strategic Planning Task Force
ANDREA M c AFEE
Task Force Chair
JOHN MEDRANO
Board President
AYINDE TATE
DEIJ Committee Chair
CHRIS MORRELL
Board Secretary
CRYSTAL JOY GIBB
Grade School Class Teacher
ZDENKA GOTTWALDOVA
Early Childhood Class Teacher
PAM BENTON Director of Finance
NIKO HILGERDT Head of School
A huge thank you to our incredible faculty, staff, families, students, and community members who actively participated in our planning process. You’ve shared your hopes, your concerns, and—most importantly—your bold vision for the future of our school. We’ve listened, and we’re ready to make it happen.
“It feels like the school is listening to what kids want and making it happen. It makes school feel [more] like it’s for us.”
Alex Persinotti, Philly Waldorf Student