Remember, Observe: Shape the Future – 100 Years of Waldorf Early Childhood in North America

2026 WECAN Early Childhood Educators Conference

February 6-8, 2026

In-person at the Green Meadow Waldorf School, Spring Valley, NY

Remember, Observe: Shape the Future –

100 Years of Waldorf Early Childhood in North America

Keynote speakers Heather Church, Otsistohkwi:yo Elliot and Wahsonti:io Hill.

This year’s Early Childhood Conference, Remember, Observe: Shape the Future – 100 Years of Waldorf Early Childhood in North America, will take place in person in Spring Valley on February 6–8, 2026.

During this centennial celebration, we will honor the history of Waldorf Early Childhood Education in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, making your attendance vital to the event. Throughout our three-day conference, we will acknowledge important beginnings, reflect on the movement in its current moment, and explore the future task of shaping the path ahead—one that meets today’s challenges with the wisdom behind Waldorf Early Childhood Education and the courage to bring conscious change. As we look to the future, our aim is to nurture new teachers, support young families, and, most importantly, serve the children of today.

This conference will also mark the culmination of our three-year theme of Creating Spaces for the Children Coming Toward Us. To ground our intentions, we will ignite and enliven interest in research through the third path of New Adult Learning: Creative Spiritual Research. This call to action can be found in Rudolf Steiner’s four guiding principles from Discussions with Teachers, in which he reminds us that educators are people of initiative, bringing energy and purpose to their calling. They are deeply interested in the world around them and equally attentive to each child’s unique needs. They hold fast to truth, knowing that untruth can quietly undermine learning, especially in how we bring the curriculum to life. And above all, educators keep their work fresh and alive, cultivating a mood of soul that is healthy, open, and full of possibility. (GA 295).

We invite each of you to become active and alive to the needs of our times and the places where we work, as we Remember, Observe, and Shape the Future, together.

Attendance at the conference is open to those who are active in Waldorf early childhood education, as well as educational support teachers, care group members, eurythmists, specialty teachers, and class teachers.

Further information, including the schedule, recommended reading, and other conference details, will be posted on our WECAN website at www.waldorfearlychildhood.org in November.

Conference participation is limited, and we encourage you to register early. Registration (via the WECAN website) will open on December 15 and close in late January, or when the conference sells out.

If you have questions, please contact us at conference@waldorfearlychildhood.org.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference!

With warm wishes from the Conference Team