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Dear Colleagues, Parents, and Friends!
People today think that problems can be solved with power and violence, but real strength lives in gentleness and kindness: the ability to empathise with others, find solutions together, tolerate differences and view one’s own actions in connection with other people. (Philipp Reubke, co-leader of the Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum).
Together with a thousand colleagues from around the world, we have been reflecting on what social skills can be acquired to respond to the challenges of a time of increasing individualisation. How can we cultivate kindness, strength and love as seeds that will grow into foundations for a better social future?
In this newsletter, we aim to capture some of the thoughts and impulses that emerged at the Early Childhood Conference 2026 through study, conversation and art, and to share with those who were unable to attend the enthusiasm created among all for our work with young children. We hope that these articles and reflections will serve as inspiration and a source of renewed strength for your increasingly important work. You can also find the document created by IASWECE Council to mark the centenary, ‘Our Guiding Star’ – please share it with all your colleagues and families!
We are guilty of many mistakes and many failures,
But our worst crime is to abandon children,
Forgetting the source of life.
Many of the things we need can wait.
Children cannot.
Right now, is the moment when their bones are forming,
Their blood is being made
And their senses are developing.
We cannot answer them: “Tomorrow”.
Their name is “Today”.
Gabriela Mistral
Chilean poet, teacher, advocate for childhood, and winner of the 1945 Nobel Prize in literature
With gratitude,
Lourdes Tormes
On behalf of the IASWECE Council
International Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education
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