ABSTRACT
Steiner early-childhood education and care in the UK is part of a fast-growing worldwide movement. It incorporates everything from parenting, home childcare (childminding) and daycare to the training of educators. This chapter highlights some areas of current interest and those which are being developed according to the principles and ethos of Steiner Waldorf education and care. The majority of kindergartens have at least three, and sometimes four age groups within one setting. This contributes to the sense of family, which is included in the so-called 'home-like' environment of the kindergarten. The benefits of having this mixed-age group are many and differ for each of the age groups. The younger children are able to imitate or model the behaviour and impulses of the older children. Children in the kindergarten are encouraged to develop skills and understanding in the use of technological tools, selected to enable the child to perceive, by observing and using, how the device works.
