Program at a Glance
Mary O’Connell and Cynthia Aldinger are collaborating on a brand new series that extends through the whole scope of childhood and focuses on Goodness, Beauty and Truth as a foundation for creating strength and resiliency for ourselves and for the children and youth in our programs, our homes- anywhere in our lives- and, most especially, in our hearts.
The title of our course is borrowed from the beautiful book Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything by Viktor Frankl, the famous therapist and holocaust survivor who helped thousands, perhaps millions, of individuals learn how to embrace life in the midst of hardship. He is truly one of the greatest heralds of finding the “yes” in whatever life we are leading. His inspiration combined with the wisdom and knowledge of Rudolf Steiner regarding stages of development will be like seeing a radiant sunrise on the peaks and valleys of our daily lives.
This course is for you, is for all of us, as we explore how to embrace goodness,beauty and truth as we find our "YES" in spite of and because of everything!
Program Details
This is a series of seven individual courses.
Each course is a collaboration between Cynthia Aldinger, Mary O’Connell and a stellar guest teacher. Each course is a HYBRID of course work on Ruzuku and a Zoom session for personal time with our honored guest, who will welcome you to explore your questions, thoughts and further ponderings on the YES to LIFE content.
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Each Ruzuku course will be released all at once so that participants can work through it on their own time, at their own pace with no deadlines except for CE credit. You will find a combination of recorded conversation, recorded interviews, supplemental content and resources around each step of development, as well as discussion prompts to deepen your engagement with the content and fellow participants.
Participants may earn CE credit with active participation in discussions by the date specified in the individual course details below.
The live Zoom sessions will be recorded and released to those enrolled in the course and actually attend the call. Please do not share recordings. In order to cultivate a sense of togetherness and active participation, we warmly ask that your camera is turned on during our live sessions. Please do your best to make arrangements so this is possible.
Continuing Education Credits
Each course offers 12 hours of CE credits
with completion of Ruzuku course and live session
The Curriculum
This is a series of seven individual courses.
Yes to Infants
with guest teacher Rahima Baldwin Dancy
Begins August 5th
Personal Time with Rahima - August 19th at 6:30 pm-7:30pm Central
While we understand “goodness” to be foundational to the needs of the infant, we will also consider the role that beauty and truth play in supporting their sense of well being. Mary and Cynthia will be joined by Rahima Baldwin Dancy who not only authored one of the most translated and supportive books to help parents understand Waldorf education and child development; she also was a successful mid-wife prior to her years as a Waldorf kindergarten teacher.
Tuition: $150
groups of five or more receive 15% discount (reflected in shopping cart).
Note: $375 for bundle of all 3 courses (Infants, toddlers, 3-6 year olds).​
Continuing Education Credits:
Completion required by September 4th
Mininum enrollment of 6 by August 2
Yes to Toddlers
with Mary O'Connell
Begins September 16
Personal Time with Mary - Wednesday, Sept. 30
at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Central
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Before Mary O’Connell joined the staff of LifeWays North America she had her own in-home mixed-age childcare program and later opened the very successful LifeWays Early Childhood Center of Milwaukee. She was “taught by toddlers” for many years and went on to teach hundreds of LifeWays students how to be with toddlers! Now she is granny nanny to her granddaughter, a full blown toddler with all the vim and vigor one comes to expect at that age, and she also has toddlers in her Paradise Farm Parent-Child program. She will surely regale us with firsthand stories of YES TO LIFE with toddlers.
Mininum enrollment of 6 by September 13
Tuition: $150
groups of five or more receive 15% discount (reflected in shopping cart).
Note: $375 for bundle of all 3 courses (Infants, toddlers, 3-6 year olds).​
Continuing Education Credit:
Completion required by October 16
Yes to Preschoolers & Kindergarteners
(3-6 year olds)
with guest teacher Chinyelu Kunz
Begins October 28
Personal time with Chinyelu - Wednesday, Nov. 18, 6:30 pm- 7:30 pm Central
Cynthia and Mary have been blessed to be colleagues with Chinyelu Kunz, founder of We Nurture, for many years. Her awareness and experience of articulating goodness, beauty and truth with young children is boundless. After many years as a highly respected Waldorf Preschool and Kindergarten teacher, she is now offering her wisdom as a parent coach and early childhood advisor.
Tuition: $150
groups of five or more receive 15% discount (reflected in shopping cart).
Note: $375 for bundle of all 3 courses (Infants, toddlers, 3-6 year olds).​
Continuing Education Credits:
Completion required by November 27.
Mininum enrollment of 6 by October 25
COMING IN JANUARY 2027-
Course Four- YES to Middle Childhood (7-12 year olds) with Jack Petrash​
Course Five- Crossing the Bridge with 12-14 Year Olds with Jack Petrash
Course Six- YES to Youth (15- 18 year olds) with Laura Scappaticci
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Course Seven - YES to the Young Adult (17-21+ Years Old) with Tim Francis
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