Learning from Waldorf

New publication: “Waldorf Early Childhood Education and Its Contexts. Perspectives from Research and Practice” edited by Prof. Dr. Philipp Gelitz

Where does Waldorf early childhood education currently stand? Where can it develop? With the new volume “Waldorf Early Childhood Education and Its Contexts. Perspectives from Research and Practice”, published by Beltz Juventa, editor and Alanus professor Dr. Philipp Gelitz presents a current, academically grounded examination of Waldorf education at preschool age. 

The collected volume highlights some of the academic and practical contexts of Waldorf early childhood education and also addresses everyday life in Waldorf crèches, Waldorf kindergartens, and Waldorf family day care. What connections to other concepts are visible? Where are the historical roots, and what might the future of Waldorf early childhood education look like? How can it be explored from anthropological, psychological, and sociological perspectives? Renowned experts from Alanus University and the Association of Waldorf Kindergartens, as well as the well-known Waldorf critic Prof. Dr. Heiner Ullrich (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz), provide answers.

“With this volume, we want to show where the diverse connections and potential lie – but also where Waldorf education needs to evolve,” says editor Philipp Gelitz. “Since Waldorf education, with nearly 600 kindergartens in Germany and around 2,000 worldwide, also plays a relevant role in early childhood education, it must also be examined as an academic subject. The practical perspectives included in the volume also strengthen the transfer between theory and practice, which is something I am particularly pleased about,” Gelitz continues.

The publication offers the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the theoretical ambitions, the current state of research, and the practical effectiveness of Waldorf early childhood education, a field that has received comparatively little academic attention. It is aimed at professionals, researchers, lecturers, and students in the fields of Waldorf education and childhood studies or early childhood education, as well as anyone interested in development in early childhood, and offers well-founded insights into the opportunities, challenges, and future prospects of Waldorf early childhood education.

The publication is based on a lecture series held at Alanus University in the autumn semester of 2023/24.

Bibliographic information

Philipp Gelitz (ed.): Waldorf Early Childhood Education and Its Contexts. Perspectives from Research and Practice, Beltz Juventa Verlag, 1st edition 2025, 162 pages, ISBN 978-3-7799-8902-8. Also available as an e-book.

With contributions by:

Maximilian Buchka, Sabine Cebulla-Holzki, Philipp Gelitz, Stefanie Greubel, Birgit Krohmer, Sascha Liebermann, Jost Schieren, Anita Sonntag, Heiner Ullrich

Click here for the sample chapter.

Photo: Alanus University

Contact for press inquiries:
+49 (0)2222 9321-1944
presse@alanus.edu

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