In 1919 Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian scientist and philosopher, founded the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany. Motivated by the post-WWI chaos and devastation in Europe, Steiner envisioned a new kind of education for children that would foster their ability to contribute to cultural renewal instead of repeating the endless cycle of war and the societal dehumanizationn.

Just months after the end of World War I, Rudolf Steiner visited Stuttgart, Germany. where he met with Emil Molt, the director of the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory. He came to Steiner with two questions:

Is there a way we can educate children in a way that will help them develop into human beings who will be capable of bringing peace to the world? And if there is, will you start such a school?

The first Waldorf school opened in September, 1919 with a mission to help children become creative, independent, moral individuals able to live with meaning and purpose. The school focused on nurturing all capacities of the children including physical, emotional, intellectual, aesthetic, moral and spiritual.

In 1928 the first United States Waldorf school opened in New York City. Today they are 160 Waldorf schools in North America and over 1,000 in more than 80 countries worldwide, including such divergent cultural environments as China, Israel, Kenya, and Brazil. Each Waldorf school is independent and self-governed.

(Excerpt from the Waldorf School of the Peninsula information page.)