Aurora Waldorf School

I first stepped inside AWS in 2016 with my 2-year-old daughter for their weekly Parent/Toddler program. We were met by the smell of fresh bread baking and the cozy, warm colors of fall lined the hallways in student artwork and felted woodland displays. Every staff member and teacher graciously greeted us with a smile as we walked past classrooms of children singing, reciting poetry, dancing and playing recorders. We never let. My now 2nd grader can't wait to get up every morning and get to school. Her favorite part is feeling free outside, hiking to the creek behind the school, finding animal tracks in the snow, sitting under the trees and watching the birds and sky. Inside her favorite classes are Games played in their large gymnasium and Handwork where she has taken great pride in knitting her own doll and adorable animals. The teachers at this school are really like an extension of our family. Trusting my child in the care of a school that educates her mentally, physically, emotionally and individually is the easiest decision I've ever made.

I have been a part of Waldorf since it began in 1991 and my husband and I have had our daughter at the school since she was 3. It is the one place that I can say with 100% confidence that I never have to wonder if she is getting her educational needs met. The staff is trustworthy and professional. To see my daughter light up with joy on a Monday morning because she gets to return to school makes my heart sing.

We have been so happy at AWS! We live in the city of Buffalo, but our children take the bus the school provides that. It is worth the distance—the campus is beautiful and there's no other school in Buffalo where they would be immersed in nature. The value of the education for the investment couldn't be better. The teachers are empathetic, and we've enjoyed becoming a part of a supportive parent community. I would recommend AWS wholeheartedly!

In an age where education institutions are so incredibly focused on quantity over quality and where rampant bureaucracy reigns supreme, Waldorf is an exception. Simply put, children leave this school with the ability and desire to learn, they do not leave with a head full of "stuff" and an anxious disdain for education. The professionalism and dedication I've witnessed at this school is unrivaled. For the educators and staff at this school, it is not a job, it is a vocation and that is glaringly apparent to me on a daily basis and is reflected in the success of graduates over its 25 year existence. I have had the unique experience of being the spouse of a Waldorf teacher and now the parent of two Waldorf students. I have watched my wife's students take flight as babies in first grade to become successful, bright, funny, caring and responsible young men and women. Now, I see the benefits of this education firsthand as a parent. I couldn't imagine my children being in any other school and I appreciate every day the foundation of learning that is being constructed in their character and look forward to their success and growth. The world needs more Waldorf students, bright young, creative stewards!

AWS is simply the best education in the Western New York area. Freedom from standardized testing, acres of land (creek and meadow included!), incredibly dedicated and talented teachers, truly wonderful families, an amazing lunch program and a city bus (!) with a rock-solid, rigorous and incredibly challenging pedagogy that will forever change that way you look at education. Our children are thriving. Yours can too.