At Journey School, education is more than what’s taught. It’s how we teach it. Rooted in the Waldorf tradition, our classrooms hum with life: beeswax and flutes, chalk dust and garden soil, movement and storytelling, wonder and warmth. It’s the kind of education that stays with you, and it’s only possible when our whole community helps carry it forward.
The Journey Forward Fund is our year-round invitation to invest in the heart of Journey.
What your gift supports
Our students learn through carefully curated blocks of academic study, enriched by specialty programming in every grade: handwork and woodwork, games and music, class plays and camping trips. We offer one of the lowest student-to-staff ratios in Orange County, so every child is known and supported. Our festival life marks the seasons and brings our community together, and experiential learning connects students to the world around them.
Why it matters
Public funding covers only a portion of this education, roughly $11,000 per student each year. Private Waldorf schools, by comparison, charge around $30,000 per year in tuition and supplies.
We are still required to balance our budget every year. Historically, we have done that in two ways. Our staff accept about 20% less in compensation than staff in similar roles in surrounding districts, because they are deeply committed to our children and this program. And each year we make painful cuts to the program, cuts we know affect our students’ experience.
A strong, dependable Journey Forward Fund gives us a new way to balance the budget. It protects the program from moving backwards, and we hope that someday it will help close the staff pay gap and improve staff retention.
Giving
- One-time gift: Make a single donation at any level.
- Monthly giving: Spread your support across the year with a recurring gift.
- Corporate matching: Many employers match gifts, making your donation go twice as far. Search for your employer.
- Stock donations: Learn how to give stock.
- Fence Banner Sponsorships: Select this option when making a donation online or in your check memo
Journey School is a public, tuition-free school and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID 33-0912707). Gifts are tax-deductible. Contact the office for tax receipt details.
Together, we keep the magic alive. Together, we move the Journey forward.
New this year: Fence banner sponsorships
Families and community partners who own a business can now advertise on our campus fence:
- Premier (main entrance/cul-de-sac): A $1,000 donation allows you to place a banner on our fence for business advertisement
- Community (back fence/bike path): For $750, receive the same benefit on our back fence/bike path
- Advertisement/sponsorship opportunities are detailed in the attached PDF.
Corporate Matching Gifts: Does your employer offer matching gifts? These generous programs make your monthly donation go twice as far. Use our search tool to see if your employer is on the list!
