Every Child Seen: What Makes SWS Lancaster County’s Best Private School
Susquehanna Waldorf School Named Best Private School in Lancaster County for the Second Year in a Row!
We have some wonderful news to celebrate! Susquehanna Waldorf School has been named Best Private School in Lancaster County for the second consecutive year! We are also thrilled to share that two of our teachers have been recognized among Lancaster County's best. Melissa McIntyre, our current eighth-grade teacher, earned first place for Best Teacher, while Rochelle Dietz, last year's eighth-grade teacher, was also honored as one of the county's best teachers.
These recognitions are especially meaningful because they reflect something at the very heart of Waldorf education: the relationships between teachers, students, and families.
At SWS, we believe that truly knowing a child is one of the most important parts of educating them. Our teachers do far more than deliver lessons. They nurture curiosity, recognize individual strengths, support challenges, and help children discover who they are becoming.
As we celebrate this recognition, we are reminded of one of the greatest gifts of a small school community: the opportunity for every child to be truly seen.
More Than a Number
Every child arrives at school with their own unique combination of strengths, interests, challenges, and possibilities. Some are eager to raise their hands and share their ideas. Others prefer to observe quietly before joining in. Some find their confidence through numbers and words, while others discover it through music, movement, art, or working with their hands.
Small class sizes help create the space for teachers to recognize and respond to these differences.
In a smaller classroom, teachers have more opportunities to notice the details that might otherwise be overlooked. They recognize when a child is ready for a new challenge, when a concept needs to be approached differently, or when a student who is usually enthusiastic seems unusually quiet.
A teacher might notice that a child who struggles to express an idea in writing can explain it beautifully through drawing. Another student may need time to think before speaking, while a classmate learns best by moving, building, or working through a problem with their hands.
These observations may seem small, but they matter. When teachers have the time and space to understand each student, they can individualize each student's learning experience, based on their unique learning style and strengths.
Relationships That Grow Alongside the Child
One of the distinctive aspects of Waldorf education is the importance placed on long-term relationships between teachers and students.
In the traditional Waldorf model, a class teacher may accompany students through multiple grades, sometimes from first through eighth grade. While this isn't always possible, the philosophy behind it remains central to our approach at Susquehanna Waldorf School.
When teachers and students grow together over time, something meaningful happens. Teachers come to understand not only how a child learns, but how they have grown.
They remember the student who once hesitated to speak in front of the class now confidently performs on stage. They recognize the persistence of a child who has worked for months to master a difficult skill. They understand the friendships, interests, and experiences that shape each student's school day.
This continuity creates a foundation of trust. Children know they are seen not only for what they can accomplish today, but also for the person they are becoming.
Meeting Children Where They Are
Waldorf education recognizes that children develop at different rates and in different ways. Rather than expecting every student to learn through the same approach, teachers bring academic subjects to life through a variety of experiences.
At SWS, students encounter learning through storytelling, movement, music, visual arts, practical work, and direct observation alongside rigorous academic instruction.
This approach creates multiple opportunities for children to connect with a subject and discover their strengths.
A student who finds a traditional lesson challenging may experience a breakthrough while measuring materials for a woodworking project, illustrating a scientific concept, or learning through rhythm and movement.
These experiences are not separate from academic learning. They are part of how children deepen their understanding, build confidence, and discover new capabilities.
Small classes give teachers greater flexibility to recognize these moments and help each student build upon them.
The Courage to Be Yourself
There is something powerful about being part of a classroom where you feel known.
When children trust their teachers and feel a sense of belonging among their classmates, they may be more willing to ask questions, take creative risks, and try something that feels difficult.
They learn that making a mistake is part of learning, that asking for help is a strength, and that their contributions matter.
This sense of belonging also creates opportunities for children to develop empathy and responsibility toward one another. In a close-knit classroom, students learn to recognize and appreciate the different personalities, talents, and perspectives of their peers.
They discover that community is not built by everyone being the same. It grows when each person has something meaningful to contribute.
A Partnership Between School and Home
Knowing a child also means knowing the family and community that surrounds them.
At Susquehanna Waldorf School, relationships between teachers and parents are an important part of the educational experience. Open communication, shared observations, and ongoing conversations help create a fuller picture of each child's development.
Parents bring an understanding of who their children are at home, while teachers offer insight into who they are becoming in the classroom.
Together, these perspectives help children feel supported across both environments.
For families, there is reassurance in knowing that their child's teacher notices the little things. Not only academic progress, but growing friendships, emerging interests, moments of courage, and the quiet milestones that might never appear on a report card.
Celebrating the People Who Make SWS Special
Being named Best Private School for the second year in a row is an incredible honor, but what makes this recognition especially meaningful is the community behind it.
We are deeply grateful to our teachers, whose dedication, creativity, and care shape the daily experiences of our students. We celebrate Melissa McIntyre and Rochelle Deitz for their well-deserved recognition, and we recognize the entire SWS faculty and staff whose work makes our school such a special place to learn and grow.
We are equally grateful to our families, who trust us with their children, contribute to our community, and partner with us in the important work of education.
These awards are a wonderful reason to celebrate, but the greatest reward is found in the everyday moments that make our school what it is: The teacher who notices when a child needs encouragement. The patience to explain something one more time. The celebration of a small victory that represents an enormous step forward for one student.
At Susquehanna Waldorf School, small class sizes are not simply about having fewer students in a room. They are about creating more opportunities for connection, understanding, and growth.
Because every child deserves more than an education that measures what they know.
Every child deserves to be known.
A Place to Begin: Parent-Child Classes at Susquehanna Waldorf School
The days of caring for a baby or toddler can feel impossibly long, and yet somehow, the season itself passes in an instant. Early parenthood is filled with wonder, change, questions, and a kind of fullness that can be difficult to explain until you are living it yourself.
It can also be lonely.
At Susquehanna Waldorf School, our parent-child programs offer families something simple but meaningful: a place to slow down, connect with their child, and spend time in community with other parents and caregivers who are navigating this season alongside them.
Little Ferns and our new Joyful Beginnings class welcome families from throughout Lancaster and York Counties. You do not need to be enrolled at SWS or planning ahead for preschool or kindergarten. You simply need a little one and a desire for connection.
Little Ferns: Growing Together Through the Toddler Years
Little Ferns welcomes babies and young children through approximately age three, accompanied by a parent or caregiver.
The morning unfolds at a gentle pace, with time for free play, songs and verses, a shared snack, and simple handwork for adults while children explore the space around them. Little Ferns meets Thursday mornings with Ms. Becky and Friday mornings with Ms. Kat from 8:45 to 10:45 am. Saturday sessions with Ms. Valerie have also been offered.
The rhythm is intentionally unhurried. Children have time to explore without being directed from one activity to the next, while their grown-ups have an opportunity to be present, observe, and connect.
Each week also includes time for conversation among the adults. Parenting questions are welcomed here, from sleep and rhythm to developmental changes and the everyday challenges of life with young children. There is room to wonder together without the expectation that anyone has all the answers.
Joyful Beginnings: A Space for Babies and Their Grown-Ups
This fall, we are also reintroducing a new class, “Joyful Beginnings,” a parent-infant class for babies from approximately six weeks through the crawling stage.
Led by Ms. Tabea Steinbeisser-Fitz, a longtime SWS early childhood educator with a background in midwifery, Joyful Beginnings draws from both Waldorf education and the work of pediatrician Dr. Emmi Pikler.
Central to the Pikler approach is deep respect for the infant as an active participant in their own development. Babies are given time and space for self-initiated movement, allowing them to discover what their bodies can do without being hurried into positions or milestones.
For parents, this can mean practicing something surprisingly difficult: slowing down enough to observe.
There is time on the floor, time to watch your baby explore, and time to talk together about respectful caregiving, sleep, attachment, rhythm, nutrition, family life, and the many questions that accompany a baby's first year.
A Place for Parents, Too
We often talk about parent-child classes in terms of what they offer children. There is another part of these programs that matters just as much.
They are for the grown-ups, too.
Early parenthood can feel isolating in ways that are difficult to anticipate. Suddenly there are a hundred new questions, your days look entirely different, and finding people who truly understand this particular season of life can be surprisingly hard.
Gathering in the same room each week creates space for relationships to form naturally. Conversations continue after class. Parents exchange ideas, recognize pieces of their own experiences in one another, and often build friendships that extend far beyond the program itself.
“I appreciated connecting with other parents going through the same challenges as I was, and gleaning simple ways to make parenting feel a bit less overwhelming. I am grateful for the wisdom and grace extended in this class. It’s changed the way I parent and view my children.”
This sense of community is an important part of Waldorf education at every age. We believe children thrive within relationships, and families do, too.
Come As You Are
There is no need to know anything about Waldorf education before walking through our doors. You do not need to be considering Susquehanna Waldorf School for your child's future education.
You are welcome simply because you are raising a little person, and this season was never meant to be navigated alone.
Maybe you will leave with a new song to sing at home, a different way of observing your baby's movement, or an idea that makes bedtime a little easier. Maybe you will simply have enjoyed two hours when no one expected you to be anywhere else.
And maybe you will meet someone who is in the same season of life and understands.
Sometimes, that is exactly what a family needs.
Join Us
Little Ferns meets Thursday and Friday mornings from 8:45 to 10:45 am and welcomes children from birth through approximately age three with a parent or caregiver.
Joyful Beginnings meets Fridays from 10:00 to 11:15 am and welcomes babies from approximately six weeks through the crawling stage. The eight-week fall session runs October 2 through December 4.
To learn more or register, contact SWS Admissions at 717-426-4506 or admissions@susquehanna.org, or visit our Parent-Child Programs page.
A Gratitude Note from Dr. Tom
As we enter this season of gratitude, I'm reminded of a poem written by a Waldorf teacher that begins with the two lines...
Home is where the heart is
So let this heart beat strong.
For the children in our care, home and school is the heart of their world. The support of our parents and the hard work of our teachers create a nurturing culture that we are grateful for at this time of Thanksgiving.
For our students, the heartbeat of the day starts with a greeting from a teacher, a rhythmical verse with classmates, and a measured song of reflective meaning. The challenge of the main lesson transcends memorization and recall to focus on the essence of learning: reflection, debate, understanding, and application. When I observe our dedicated teachers at work, I am thankful for their energy and talent to create authentic learning materials that challenge critical thinking and nurture self-discovery.
Susquehanna Waldorf's teachers are aware of society's influences on young people that can lead them to feel entitled to many things we can take for granted. Each teacher accepts the challenge by modeling reflective behavior and designing lessons that build awareness for all we have. How exciting to think about the impact of our grateful and resilient students will have on our future world! To borrow from the principles of Waldorf schools...
As an individual in society, our students are empowered to serve humanity with the strength of will, depth of feeling, clarity of thought, and the ability to work with others.
Thank you again for all your support of SWS. Have a warm and reflecting Thanksgiving!
Tom
