When in doubt: GOOGLE IT!
OR go to AWSNA.ORG

Hey, playbased. Good luck with the move. When will you be here?

I do have a resource for you when you get here. It's a holistic mom's network...lots of like minded parents!

Also, is the Davidson charter school part of the public school system in Char-Meck county? I know that we were able to enter the lottery while we were still living in Richmond. Residency wasn't necessary...maybe there's still a possibility there?

Good luck with everything...feel free to contact me when you get here!

playbased, good luck with your move!! They only thing I can think of would be finding like-minded families and a waldorf teacher and starting a group of your own (waldorfmom suggested this, I think)- kind of a waldorf homeschool. It could be cheaper that a private school if you had enough students. Waldorf teachers are extremely dedicated, so it could work if you found a good teacher and helped her/him gather supplies and find a location. Hey, if we ever end up moving to Charlotte, I'll find ya!

Waldorfmom and lfhopper - thank you so much for your responses. It looks more and more like we will be moving. I'm finding that a lot of the private schools don't seem very special at all - that you are paying for a name or reputations not a teaching philosophy.

Waldorfmom - one of the community charter schools in Davidson is appealing, but that is lottery and we will not have in state residency until next year some time so I have to see how that will work out.

Thanks and if you think of anything else, please let me know. I appreciate all of your insight.

Also, I just wanted to let you know that if you are looking for diversity, you will find it here most likely. There are some Charter schools here that fit that bill...you would have to investigate there methods further though. I looked into "Community Charter School" which I believe you can access here on the sight. But I don't know anyone who has a child there. We decided against it since it's a bit far for us, and we couldn't get bus transportation. I liked what they did as an alternative to public school. (They seem to be more art based.) I still believe it's several steps away from what a Waldorf school would offer, but I got the impression that they dance to the beat of their own drum there. Again, good luck with your search. Let me know if you have any other questions.

My child is in first grade at a public school now as a result of the high prices of the alternatives here. And I am unable to home school. (Otherwise, I was considering sending her to one of the many Montessori schools here.) There are public Montessori schools here in Charlotte which I actually really liked
(Park Road), but you have to enter a lottery to get in, and of course there's a small chance. I would certainly look into the private Montessori schools as an alternative to Waldorf. They are different in approach, but I find a lot of similarities. You just have to see if it's right for you and your child. Be prepared for the prices however. (I found the tuition is higher here than in both Baltimore and Richmond). Good luck with your search!

Thanks, lfhopper. I'm not sure what we will do. I'm struggling w/ the lack of choices right now. We currently live in Denver and there are three waldorf schools w/in a reasonable driving distance. There are several expeditionary learning schools too that are within driving and a British Primary school. Also, on the websites of the private schools in Charlotte, I cannot find any mention of diversity (maybe I'm missing it), but I would also like to know their formal commitment to diversity (social, economic, and ethnic). Any way, thank you very much for the help. I'll keep searching.

We ended up NOT moving to Charlotte ONLY because there wasn't a Waldorf school nearby. I really didn't want to drive as far as Chapel Hill every day. But, maybe you could get it to work for you. Waldorf education is definitely worth it in my opinion. We are very, very happy with it and my children LOVE it.
Sorry, I don't know much about other private schools in Charlotte; we live in Wisconsin. I know what you mean about the public school system. No worries about that when you're in Waldorf. I think they only do some mandatory testing in the upper grades. I love how they postpone academics until 1st grade and then they use music, movement, arts, and anything else to make learning easier and fun. I could go on and on. If only I could've gone to a Waldorf school! I probably would be a much more centered person! Good luck to you!!!

A private school which teaches children based on the age when they are best able to soak it up. They teach the "head, heart and hands". It's kind of hard to describe; you may want to google it. Somewhere like waldorfanswers.org. Otherwise I could go on and on here. We really love the school and appreciate everything about it.

walforfmom and lfhopper - I would love your feedback about private schools in Charlotte. There is a chance we may move there next year and our daughter would be starting Kindergarten. Currently, she is enrolled in a an excellent preschool based on the British Primary Philosophy. I also am greatly drawn to the Waldorf philosophy too; however, Charlotte, to my knowledge offers neither the Waldorf or BPP in any of their schools. I would love any feedback and advice your could offer. Thank you very much.

PS My hangup w/ the public school system (regardless of state) is the mandatory testing and the repercusions of the No Child Left Behind Act. Again, thanks.

What is a Waldorf school?

I don't know of any...I live in Charlotte. We attended the Richmond Waldorf School in VA, but haven't found anything comparable here as of yet. It would be great to gather interested parties and begin forming a startup "group". If you are interested, let me know!