Walden Center School

As a former student of Walden, I can say from first-​hand experience that I grew creatively throughout grades K through 6. However, when I was attending Walden, they had a very irresponsible bullying policy, if it can even be called a «policy» at all. I was targeted and verbally abused during the entire seven years attending Walden because the students knew they could get away with it virtually without any consequences. The most a teacher would do was reprimand the student responsible. When it became apparent that I was specifically being targeted, the teachers started to get bored of my constant pleas to prevent the abuse. One teacher even rolled her eyes and told me to tell the bullies myself to stop what they were doing, as if I weren’t telling them over and over to please stop. The teachers tended to either turn a blind eye or neglect to realize how powerless I was as a targeted child, fostering a «blame the victim» attitude.
That being said, I went to school at Walden over ten years ago. I sincerely hope they have since created a bullying policy that brings together both the bullies, victims, and their parents for discussion.

My daughter is in her second year at this arts and academics school. She’s been exposed to sign language, spanish, visual arts, music, voice, drama, movement & dance, math, reading, social sciences, social studies, knitting, and just about every other topic I could imagine that a now six-​year-​old could absorb and retain.
The school population is rich in diversity, and the parents have a strong PTA-​like presence in the school. Communication (in my experience) is transparent between the teachers and families, and parent participation is encouraged.
She’s challenged every day in such an amazing, well rounded fashion. The teachers are first rate, and tailor the academics to each student depending on where they are in math, science and reading. There are many applied academic opportunities with field trips, camping trips, art projects, performances and school themes that tie the material to real-​world examples.
I believe that Berkeley Public Schools are academically solid and don’t believe that kids need a private school education. The turning point for my family was that we wouldn’t need to supplement (and by extension… pack her day) with arts, physical education and other outside of school activiites. She gets a rounded education, and we get time as a family!

My son just finished his first year at Walden, and I am thrilled with the school. Here is just a short list of some of the wonderful things about this school:
* inquiry-​based learning is fun & engaging — kids are motivated to learn
* plenty of movement and play time
* attentive, caring, thinking, experienced teachers & staff
* dance, theater, visual arts daily
* spanish & sign language
* different learning styles embraced
* peer interactions — my kinder son knows the names of most students in the school (K-​6)
* low student-​to-​teacher ratios so each student gets plenty of attention
* non-​judgmental cultural environment (yes, boys in dresses are OK)
* an atmosphere that truly nurtures the individual child
* a small, sheltered environment with just enough freedom for exploration
This is a modest facility compared to other private schools I’ve seen. A sweet place with a strong, principled backbone!

I am the father of a current Walden student. This school stands out with a constellation of truly unique attributes:
1. It is a teacher collective — thus no staff solely dedicated to administration, but instead all staff work together to run the school. Therefore, teachers are all extraordinarily dedicated to their mission. (In my own opinion, the lack of dedicated administrators appears to remove the typical rules-​for-​rules’ sake atmosphere found in most other schools.)
2. The campus is open to parents and strongly encourages parent participation in various roles — there are office parents on-​site during the school day, a parent assists the music teacher, and everyone has a role to help support the school, right down to cleaning the bathrooms.
3. There is a strong focus on an integration between arts and academics — the three subject areas of drama, music, and art each have a dedicated teacher that the various grades share (Spanish too). The annual upper group drama production is said to be a sight to behold; striking in its ambition and reach.
4. The educational approach is holistic — right down to encouraging kids to learn from each other. After first grade, there are mixed-​age classes team-​taught by two teachers each: 2^nd and 3^rd grades form the middle group; 4^th, 5^th and 6^th grades form the upper group. The lower group (K) students have reading buddies paired from the older grades. The after-​school program encourages mixed-​age play through athletic and artistic group activities.
5. The after-​school program is extremely flexible — students are welcome to stay after school without any fees when one of their parents is present. If your family needs some sporadic after-​school care, your child can stay and your family is billed a very reasonable hourly rate. You may also make the after-​school care a regular thing, of course.
6. The educational approach is truly developmental — meaning to me «focused on the individual child.» Grades and testing are not emphasized, in their place is a truly individualized focus on the needs of each child. How is this possible? The school is small and reaps the benefits of this scale with close relationships between teachers and students.
7. Walden has a wonderful history — celebrating its 50^th anniversary during the 2008 – 9 school year. The school was founded by a group of thoughtful pacifists and war-​resisters who wanted to cultivate in their own children a well-​rounded education that empowered them to live their lives freely and to their fullest expression. That tradition lives on at Walden today.
In short, if you have a child in the K-​6 grades and your family is looking for a place for them to thrive, check out this unique community and what it has to offer.

First off, right out of the bag, I must confess my 3 sons do not attend this school. We have several friends who have kids, and they attend Walden. We are also friends with a family who are members of the founders of this fine place. So, with an eye based solely on a community oriented event, herewith my observations…
An absolutely lovely environment with the child as the focus of the curriculum (gee! what a concept for a SCHOOL!!). We came here today to participate in the annual Spring Fair, and we had a blast! Not only was the food amazing (grilled meat, veggies, bar b q), there was an entire room of salads, side dishes, and vegetarian options. All of them were really good! There were lots of options for cold drinks, and beer as well!
Lots of booths, a dunking stand, prizes galore, and events for kids. There was a Maypole Dance, musical selections which were outstanding, and loads of books donated by Moe’s Books to select from. Annie’s Annuals held a sale with beautiful plants offered for ridiculously low prices. There was an old fashioned Cake Walk, with all the cakes being home made & decorated outrageously. This is what a Spring School Fair should be! We had fun, we ate well, we saw our neighbors, and enjoyed a fabulous afternoon.
This is an independent, private school, thus not affordable for families with more than one kid for the most part. While I strongly believe in and support public schools, this is a sweet spot & I would happily support them in all future endeavors. If you’re considering a private school, I heartily endorse this one.