The Official Website for The Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America

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Heart In Hand Preschool, Portland Oregon

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About Us

Board

The WECAN Board is composed of experienced early childhood educators from throughout North America. The Board has a four-day annual meeting each November and an additional meeting in the spring. Its various committees—Finance, Personnel, Board Committee, Conference Planning, Diversity Equity Inclusion and Access, Outreach and Public Policy, Membership, Teacher Education, Birth to Three and Publications—are active throughout the year in a number of ways.

Board members and other WECAN colleagues participate in our WECAN Working Groups to deepen aspects of our educational work and share the results through WECAN Books, the Gateways newsletter and through conferences and regional gatherings. The Board also acts as an organ of perception for the needs of the Waldorf early childhood movement and collaborates with AWSNA (the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education (APWE), and a number of other organizations with similar goals and ideals in service of childhood. Two board members act as WECAN representatives on the council of the International Association for Steiner Waldorf Early Childhood Education (IASWECE), based in Switzerland.

The current members of the Board are: Louise deForest (Chair), Heather Church, Adrienne Doucette, Keelah Helwig, Susan Howard, Ruth Ker, Gabriela Nuñez Plata, Anjum Mir, and Magdalena Toran.

Heather-Church
view bio
Louise-deForest

Louise deForest, Chairperson and Secretary
Mill River, MA

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Adrienne-Doucette

Adrienne Doucette, Vice-Chairperson
Bellingham, WA

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Keelah-Helwig

Keelah Helwig
Long Island, New York

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Susan-Howard

Susan Howard
Amherst, MA

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Ruth-Ker

Ruth Ker
Duncan, BC

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Anjum-Mir-II

Anjum Mir
Los Angeles, CA

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Gabriela-Nunez-Plata-II

Gabriela Nuñez Plata
Playa del Carmen, Mexico

view bio
Magdalena-Toran

Magdalena Toran
Conway, MA

view bio

Regional Representatives

Experienced Waldorf educators in each region are invited by the Board to serve as WECAN Regional Representatives. On a volunteer basis, they help to assist organizations on their steps on the membership path, contact members to explore activities and issues of concern, facilitate collaboration within the region, act as a speaking partner to the AWSNA regional representative, and make recommendations to the WECAN Membership Committee regarding applications for membership and the evolving Membership Handbook.

View a list of regional representatives and staff contact information

Staff and Project Leaders

WECAN Coordinator ~ Susan Howard, Amherst, MA
showard@waldorfearlychildhood.org
Administrator ~ Melissa Lyons, Spring Valley, NY
mlyons@waldorfearlychildhood.org
Communications Coordinator ~ Lara Radysh, Shelburne Falls, MA
communications@waldorfearlychildhood.org
Membership Coordinator ~ Laura Mason, Issaquah, WA
membership@waldorfearlychildhood.org
Teacher Education Coordinator ~ Ruth Ker, Duncan, BC
teachered@waldorfearlychildhood.org

WECAN BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS
Publications Coordinator ~ Donna Miele, Spring Valley, NY
publications@waldorfearlychildhood.org
Gateways Editor ~ Nancy Blanning, Denver, CO
nblanning@waldorfearlychildhood.org
Gateways Managing Editor ~ Lory Widmer, Villeret, Switzerland
lwidmer@waldorfearlychildhood.org
Shipping ~ Kate Barhydt, Spring Valley, NY
shipping@waldorfearlychildhood.org

BIRTH TO THREE
Co-Coordinator ~ Heather Church, Gores Landing, ONT
hchurch@waldorfearlychildhood.org
Co-Coordinator ~ Magdalena Toran, Conway, MA
mtoran@waldorfearlychildhood.org

INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND ACCESS
Co-Coordinator ~ Lynn Turner, Chestnut Ridge, MD
lturner@waldorfearlychildhood.org
Co-Coordinator ~ Leslie Wetzonis-Woolverton, Silver Spring MD
lwetzoniswoolverton@waldorfearlychildhood.org

WECAN CONFERENCES
Conference Administrator ~ Andrea Cooper, Amherst, MA and Mia Radysh, Shelburne Falls, MA
conference@waldorfearlychildhood.org

boys in playhouse
Honeybirds Playschool, Brooklyn, NY

Join Us!

Individuals who wish to support and contribute to Waldorf early childhood education are invited to join WECAN. Schools, training centers, and home programs may also enter on the path of organizational membership.

Find A Program

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Waldorf kindergartens and early childhood programs in North America: see if there is a program in your area.
Find a program >


Join the WECAN Community Hub

We have established a new WECAN Community Hub for engaging in conversation and sharing resources, with subgroups for Parent Child, Birth to Three, Home Programs, Early Childhood Teacher Educators, and WECAN Organizational Members.

We now have 1000 members and would like to invite you to join as well.

To subscribe, please write to
WECANCommunity+subscribe@wecan.groups.io


News & Events

AVAILABLE POSITIONS:
Outreach and Development Coordinator

WECAN News Updates

Late Winter Newsletter 2023
September Newsletter 2022
June Newsletter 2022
Late Winter Newsletter 2022
January Newsletter 2022
September Newsletter 2021
June Newsletter 2021
January Newsletter 2021

Information about workshops, conferences, courses, and other activities in North America and worldwide.
Learn more >


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Support the healthy and sustainable development of Waldorf education in North America