Zug,13.07.2018

New kindergarten following philosophy of Rudolf Steiner to open next term

A new kindergarten with places for as many as 24 children is to open in the city next term. What is different it that this one will be run according to educational theories of Austrian philosopher, Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925).

This new Amaranta kindergarten will have a staff of six and be led by Christoph Merholz, who can be seen in the photograph with two other members of staff, Nicole Gasser, in the centre, and Melanie Stüssi.

The last school in the canton run according to Steiner’s philosophy closed ten years ago, but this new one is being set up by Ron Mohel and his wife Liron. Both have been living in Zug for ten years now and both have many years’ experience with Steiner education, sometimes called Waldorf schools after the name of the cigarette factory in Stuttgart, whose proprietor, Emil Molt, provided the finance for the first such school for the children of factory employees tobe set up there in 1919

In cooperation with the future pupils’ parents, the Mohels want to find out exactly how the philosophy might be adapted to meet today’s needs.

As to the financing of the school, the couple are hoping all expenses will be covered by the kindergarten fees, namely CHF 1,110 per month, per child for full school days, or CHF 13,320 per year, as the school will not benefit from public funding. However, there is a cantonal contribution from which both the child’s parents and the kindergarten itself can benefit.

In order to qualify for acceptance into the kindergarten, the children must be at least three-and-a-half years old and not older than six.

The schools are known for their child-centred practices. As the Mohels themselves explained, “Our kindergarten will be one which promotes and educates the children in such a way that they can still be children. Each child should be able to choose its own individual path through life.” As the Mohels have five children of their own, the oldest of whom is a teenager, they will certainly be bringing practical as well as theoretical practice into the kindergarten.

On the kindergarten’s homepage, the Mohels compare the two-year courses they offer with a plant, with seeds sewn and nourished in the first year, enabling them to blossom and flourish the next. In some ways, the philosophy applied is not unlike that of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC), who once said, “Tell me and I will forget; show me and I may remember.”

One of the members of staff will be a trained cook, as it is felt children cooking together is as important as playing together. Not surprisingly, only organic products will be used as ingredients, Steiner also behind the growing of vegetables according to bio-dynamic methods.

The Amaranta kindergarten opens its doors on Monday 20 August.