Argentina: Juana de Arco was founded in 1994. One year later the initiative began with a kindergarten in a central location in Buenos Aires. In 1999, the first grade “Primaria“ was established as a result of the commitment of some of the teachers. For this step, a school foundation was established. In the school year 2009/10, 150 children attended Juana de Arco. Just one year later, there were already over 200 students. Thus, the school is continuing to grow.

Meanwhile the kindergarten has grown to three groups, supplemented by an afternoon group and a group for small children and toddlers. The school includes grades 1-7 with an average of 20 children per class. In each class there are children with disabilities or learning difficulties, sometimes receiving one-to-one care by an individual assistant teacher. It is very important to the school, to promote the integration of children with special needs.

This idea is highly appreciated by the parents, who are mostly young people looking for an alternative approach to education. About half of them are not able to pay the full tuition fee. Instead they actively help out and work at the school.

Currently, the school teaches in two buildings on the school property. The Juana de Arco Foundation owns one of the buildings while the second building is rented. The next step therefore is to buy the second building, in order to avoid the expensive rental costs, while ensuring the opportunity for further growth. Since the school community is not able to raise enough funds on their own, they rely on donations and the support of the Friends of Waldorf Education.