Journey to Waldorf
Every school, person, and thing goes through a process of becoming. This is ours.
Answering the Call
Rachael Sparhawk chose to initiate Rooted Meadows, guided by Waldorf principals and a deep sense of knowing that her journey created the foundation for something beautiful.
“Things in life have no real beginning, though our stories about them always do.”
The story of Rooted Meadows begins with a tale shared by a dear friend from Chile—one that described the ways in which each path we walk quietly prepares us for the next. This wisdom, this story, would come to shape our lives in ways we might never have imagined.
After returning to the United States, I convinced my husband to take a leap and enroll our children in a private Waldorf school. What we found there: the calm and joyful community, the deep collaboration between teachers, children, and parents, and the holistic academic approach — was transformative and worth every sacrifice. Though we cherished those years, a longing to return home to our roots in Idaho and Wyoming remained. Standing at that crossroads, the story from Chile returned to guide us forward. It became clear that our own winding journey had prepared us with the experiences, skills, and courage needed to start a Waldorf school.
Today, Rooted Meadows is growing; shaped by learning, sacrifice, and the generous mentorship of new friends and guides along the way. My hope is that it becomes a haven where families come together with courage and intention, reclaiming childhood, family time, and the freedom to walk a different path—becoming, together, a force of goodness in the world.
Looking back, there is no single beginning. Yet key steps shine clearly: choosing to homeschool, our children attending a nature-filled school in Colombia, and discovering The Seven Core Principles of Waldorf Education. Suddenly, the beauty and vitality we had witnessed before came into focus. This vision, rooted in goodness, beauty, unity, and peace, was exactly what we hoped to nurture in our children, and now, in our wider community.
The process of becoming an accredited Waldorf school through AWSNA is long and rigorous — as it should be. Until we complete the journey, we will remain functioning as a Waldorf-informed and inspired school. We are thrilled to be learning from and growing with the best of the best.
Becoming Waldorf
The AWSNA Accreditation Journey
“Waldorf” is a trademarked name and pedagogical approach for education. As such, one can only call themselves a “Waldorf" school after gaining approval from the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA). The approval and accreditation process is lengthy and rigorous, but with that comes a high standard to which Waldorf schools are held. We are honored and excited to be working in partnership with AWSNA to go through this process. As we do, we will continue to refer to ourselves as a “Waldorf-Informed” or “Waldorf-Guided” school.
Once a school decides to become a Waldorf school, they must first apply to be a Registered Initiative (RI). We are happy to say that we did this in 2025. As a “registered initiative” the school may not refer to themselves as a Waldorf school as they have not yet demonstrated embodied alignment between their work, AWSNA principles and the Policies/Practices required for Waldorf schools.
To become accredited, schools are expected to demonstrate congruence as described above through a process that involves self-study (reflection) and peer review. Schools are assessed in an on-going 7 year cycle outlined below including seasons of self-study and peer review.
