Berkeley Rose Waldorf School

215 Ridgeway Avenue

Oakland, CA 94611

4 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 06, 2025

My partner and I have two children at Berkeley Rose, and we have been overwhelmingly happy with our expereince. When our older child entered the school for nursery, we were certain we would transition to our local public school for the grades. However, we were quickly enamored with the thoughtfulness and intentionality of the school at large and the attuned care our young daughter received. We were also surprised and impressed by the strength and creativity of the academic programming in the grades, such that we felt a conviction to stay at the school beyond early childhood and consider oursleves very lucky to have stumbled upon such an educational gem. Perhaps the greatest benefit of Berkeley Rose is its community, which is thoughtful, kind, engaging and interesting. We’ve made great friends to raise our children alongside.
Submitted by parent on October 18, 2024

We currently have two children at Berkeley Rose Waldorf School and could not be happier with the quality of education they are receiving and the school community itself. There are a few things that set the school apart from other private schools in the area but perhaps the biggest for us is the emphasis on education without screens. If you are looking for a rigorous educational philosophy with an emphasis on the arts, physical development, and strong academics without the use of tablets or screens, this is your place. If you are looking to join a community of like-minded families when it comes to the use of screens and children, this is your place. We are so grateful for the highly trained teachers and how they are able to see the children for who they are and educate them with an astounding degree of rigor, differentiation, and thoughtfulness. Our children are beyond thriving!
Submitted by other on April 30, 2021

We had to withdraw our son from Berkeley Rose Waldorf, which is, as you can imagine, a heartbreaking experience for any parent and child. Our experience was atypical I think of BRW in that it was a negative experience, but for what it's worth our son is also atypical: he's truly bilingual but his Spanish is better than his English and he has typically Mexican features. Our son never "fit in" so it's hard to know where to begin. I love the Waldorf principles, but unfortunately for our family we got an unskilled teacher, and my criticism of BRW is that if we had not initiated an additional conference (beyond the standard midterm conference--which was positive), we never would have discovered that our son was being isolated because of his behavior. Our second criticism is What mechanisms are in place to help instructors who don't know what to do? Our son was being isolated every day. Can the instructor ask for help? The instructor told us "Your son needs to learn how to enter into play." But if your child is different, is it possible that the door to "enter into play" is locked--or at least difficult to open? What the instructor described to us was aggressive behavior we didn't see exhibited outside of his BRW class. But if a door is locked, what do yo do? Stand outside politely and wait--or if you're a 4-yr-old, do you start tackling people? I don't wish to air personal grievances here. We couldn't find a home for our son at BRW. My wife had even been volunteering there (she is in Waldorf training), and I am a teacher myself. We would have loved to have found a home in BRW--a school that ostensibly values inclusion and diversity--and in which our son would have been welcomed. I like the community at BRW--the other parents were wonderful in our limited interactions--and I appreciated the administration when, for our son's emotional well-being (our fear of him being stigmaticized), we had to withdraw him. My criticism of BRW is that the Waldorf training should not stand in as a panacea for common sense commitment to inclusion and diversity. Our older daughter went to a local co-op and what happened to our son would have never happened there because there was a genuine commitment to each child as an individual.
Submitted by parent on November 23, 2015

Berkeley Rose School is an amazing place for my soon to be 5 year old. She has been at the school for a few years and loves going to it everyday. Waldorf education is remarkable and has impacted my life and now my child's. It develops the whole person allowing one to think, feel, live, be, and explore life. It allows children to be children and to enjoy the wonder of the little things in life. I am thrilled that we can be part of this school.Anaolga Macnaughton - Waldorf Alumni and Parent