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Reach out to the Student Services Coordinator of your location to let them know you have enrolled, or are in the process of enrolling, and they can assist you with any questions that arise.
Student Services Coordinator
Rebecca Foster
Lead teacher for the Sunseed Playgarden
Email: sunseedsrebecca@gmail.com
A North Carolina native, Rebecca Foster is a certified Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher. She gained her Waldorf Teacher certification in 3 years, in the full immersion teacher-training at the Waldorf Teacher Training Eugene, within the Eugene Waldorf School in Eugene, Oregon. Rebecca was raised in a home which honored imaginative play and that respected the sanctity of childhood. Rebecca comes by her teaching gifts naturally; her mother was an early childhood educator and was the director and teacher of many preschools in NY, Boston and Chapel Hill, NC, going on to work for nearly 30 years as an Early Childhood Consultant for families, children and teachers in Raliegh, NC. Rebecca brings 21 years of experience as a Waldorf Early Childhood teacher, and has spent countless hours observing and mentoring other teachers in Waldorf classrooms. In addition, she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development and Human Development and has studied deeply the work of child development experts such as Jean Piaget, David Elkind, Joseph Chilton Pearce, and Kim John Payne in addition to her studies in Steiner education. She is the mother of a wonderful, kind, and free-spirited 21 year old son and she has found motherhood to be a great joy as well as a wonderful way to learn about and study the growing human being. Rebecca has a deep calling to connect children with the natural world, and she is especially passionate about plants. Rebecca has been a certified herbalist for 27 years. She loves to paint, draw, hike, backpack, sleep under stars, swim, dance, white water raft, basket weave, sing and live wild and free.
Jane McCoy
Lead Teacher
Jane McCoy is the founder and lead caregiver of Hummingbird Hill Playgarden, a home-based LifeWays representative site program in beautiful southern New Hampshire. Jane holds a B.S. in Elementary Education, and a Master's Degree in Curriculum Development and Design. Jane completed her LifeWays training through the San Francisco Bay in 2010. As Jane says “To say that Marianne and this training transformed my life is an understatement! The insights and inspiration I gained during that year continue to drive my passion and work with the young child”.
Playgarden is now in its 18th year, and Jane continues to open her heart and arms to the opportunities and adventures that await! In addition to Playgarden, Jane was a Grades teacher for many years, has led Parent/Toddler groups, has guided parent education classes, and has been a guest instructor for the SF Bay Area LifeWays training.
Guest Teacher
Diana Stoycheva
Diana’s path in Waldorf education was shaped by her childhood across Bulgaria, Scotland, and the United States, including her years in Waldorf schools and in Camphill communities, where her family lived and worked in service to adults with special needs. Growing up within a lineage of educators, nurses and nurturers she developed a deep respect for the unfolding of the human being and the importance of care, community, and meaningful work.
Diana studied Early Childhood Education at Goddard College in Vermont and completed Waldorf early childhood teacher certification through three Waldorf institutions: Sunbridge College, Sophia’s Hearth, and LifeWays. She has been teaching in Waldorf early childhood settings since 2005, accompanying children and families in Parent and Child, Nursery, and Kindergarten programs.
Since 2009, Diana has been engaged in mentoring and adult education, supporting caregivers and teachers in deepening their understanding of the developing human being through an anthroposophical lens. Her work with adults emphasizes the cultivation of presence, relationship-based care, and the inner development of the educator, alongside the creation of rhythmical, home-like environments that support the young child’s unfolding.
In 2012, Diana founded a Waldorf early childhood home program on her family farm in Pennsylvania, creating a living environment rooted in rhythm, practical life, and a deep respect for early childhood. In 2019, she joined the Emerson Waldorf School community in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she is an early years educator.
Diana currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Sophia’s Hearth, contributing to the growth and development of Waldorf teacher education. She lives a stone’s throw from Emerson Waldorf School with her husband, daughter, and a lively assortment of animals. A fiber artist and doll maker, she finds inspiration in gardening, beekeeping, plant dyeing, and the handwork traditions that nourish both the senses and the inner life. Diana's deepest joy is inspiring wonder in children and children-at-heart.
Fundamentals Retreat Admissions and Fees
How to Apply
The following steps must be completed before considering yourself fully accepted to and ready to attend our in person retreat:
1. Fill out the online application and pay the $100 Application fee
2. Complete the Payment Plan Form and Contract
3. After application, fill out a Financial Assistance form if tuition support is needed (provided after application).
4. Reach out to the Student Services Coordinator of your location to let them know you have enrolled, or are in the process of enrolling, and they can assist you with any questions that arise.
If you are in need of downloadable forms to mail into LifeWays, please email Julie at administrator@lifewaysnorthamerica.net
**Please see the Discounts section for guidelines and requirements for receiving the Early Enrollment discount, Representative Sites discount or Fundamentals Retreat discount.
Our goal is to do all we can to make it possible for you to take this training, while at the same time being respectful and responsible to the needs of our organization. We want more children and families to experience the simplicity, grace and joy in life that the LifeWays training encourages. We look forward to working with you!
