05/12/2026
WECAN SPRING APPEAL
What a joy it was to gather with over 1000 early childhood educators in April at the Goetheanum for the 100th Anniversary conference and celebration. We celebrated our founders and history and planted seeds of kindness, strength, and love for us to tend together as caretakers of the future and gardeners of the world's Waldorf early childhood “kinder-gartens.”
Leading up to the conference, WECAN joined our colleagues in the International Association of Waldorf Steiner Early Childhood Education (IASWECE) to study Rudolf Steiner’s "Seven Conditions for Esoteric Training." These conditions then provided a springboard for the series of keynotes delivered over the 5-day conference. It was a potent experience to enter this conference with this shared ground already tilled. Each day, the keynote speakers presented the conditions in pairs, and one pair of conditions particularly resonated with me. These were the fifth and sixth conditions: steadfastness and gratitude. As I return home to New York, these two qualities are palpable, in the activities that signal the culmination of another school year, complete with joys and sometimes sorrows and as teachers, children, and families march intently towards the summer months when they can breathe out, refill their cups, and prepare to start the cycle again in the autumn.
Our work is not for the faint of heart. In welcoming young children to earth, into our families and our communities, we are asked to be steadfast in our work. In describing the fifth condition, Clara Aerts from Belgium reminded us that day after day, year after year, we engage in this steadfast love for the future. “Here, love for the action is the sole decisive element” (Steiner), and our actions become seeds for the future. Steadfastness is supported by the quality of gratitude, the sixth condition. Here, we are reminded how we are sustained by and connected to all of life and this core quality is cultivated first by the adults and then shared with our children through intentional moments of presence.
Today, we are asking each of you to participate in this steadfast work of WECAN, a membership community that supports those who are diligently tending the seeds of the future, by embracing and sharing gratitude through their daily dedication to young children, and those engaged in lifelong work of research and supporting the next generation of teachers.
You can find our 2024/25 Annual Report here
https://waldorfearlychildhood.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2024-25-WECAN-Annual-Report-I.pdf
We hope you’ll enjoy taking a moment to look back with us. It’s a chance to reflect on all that we’ve accomplished together, and to celebrate the progress and shared effort that made it possible.
We are grateful for any contribution you can make to support our work as an association.
DONATE HERE https://waldorfearlychildhood.org/donate-to-wecan/
We are also profoundly grateful for legacy gifts to WECAN. Giving through your will or trust provides a meaningful way to support WECAN’s mission for generations while meeting your current financial goals. If you’re interested, please contact us at 845-352-1690 for personalized assistance. Knowing your intentions helps us plan for the future. All donations to WECAN are tax-deductible.
Warmly, Meggan Gill
WECAN Co-Director
on behalf of the WECAN Board
