A school taking root
by the lagoon.
Waldorf-inspired, nature-based, multilingual — rooted in the living culture of Oaxaca's Pacific coast. Nandia is education as it should feel: slow, embodied, and deeply connected to place.
Express interest →Learning shaped
by land, language,
and rhythm.
Waldorf-inspired
We draw from the Waldorf tradition — honouring developmental stages, integrating arts and handwork, and trusting that children learn best when head, heart, and hands are engaged together.
Nature-based
The lagoon, the mangroves, the milpa, the night sky — these are our classrooms. Children learn ecology not from textbooks but from the land under their feet.
Multilingual
Spanish is the heart language. English is woven in naturally. And we hold space for Chatino and Zapotec — the Indigenous languages of this coast — because a school rooted in place should speak its languages.
Rooted in Oaxacan culture
Tequio, communal work, seasonal ceremony, local craft. We don't import a curriculum wholesale — we weave it from what already lives here, with respect for the communities who've tended this land for generations.
What we believe
about childhood.
Children don't need to be optimised. They need time, space, and adults who are genuinely present. They need mornings that begin with birdsong rather than screens, and afternoons spent building, planting, swimming, arguing, making up. They need boredom — the fertile kind — and they need to feel that the adults around them are building something real, not performing productivity.
We believe early childhood is sacred, and that rushing it does lasting damage. The years before age seven are for sensory richness, imaginative play, rhythmic daily life, and deep attachment — not academics. Reading will come. Mathematics will come. What cannot be recovered later is the feeling of being unhurried and whole in a body that is still learning to be in the world.
The best preparation for life isn't preparation at all. It's life itself — lived fully, at the right pace.
What learning
looks like.
Early childhood
Play-centered, rhythm-led, outdoors as much as possible. Circle time, watercolour painting, bread baking, gardening, storytelling, seasonal festivals. No formal academics — just the deep, serious work of being a young child in a beautiful place.
Primary years
Main lesson blocks, artistic integration, movement and music daily. Literacy and numeracy emerge through story, drawing, and hands-on work. Nature studies are grounded in the ecosystems right outside the door — mangrove ecology, tide patterns, bird migration, soil science. Spanish and English develop side by side.
Beyond
As the community grows, so will the school. We envision mentorship-based learning, real apprenticeships in local trades, community service projects, and deeper academic work for those who want it. This stage is still being imagined — and we want parents, educators, and young people themselves to shape it.
Who this
school is for.
Nandia is being designed for the children of Rancho de las Estrellas — the families already building lives in this community, and those considering a move to the coast. We also hope to welcome children from Zapotalito and the surrounding villages, because a school that walls itself off from its neighbours isn't a school worth building.
We should be honest: Nandia is in its early stages. We are assembling the founding team, shaping the pedagogy, and building the physical spaces. There is no enrolment form yet. What exists right now is a clear vision, committed founders, and the land itself — which is already an extraordinary classroom.
There are many ways
to help this grow.
Educators
You're a teacher, guide, or practitioner who wants to help build a school from the ground up — shaping curriculum, culture, and daily rhythm in a place where your work matters deeply.
Parents
You're raising a family — or thinking about it — and you want your children to grow up outdoors, bilingual, unhurried, and part of a real community. You'd like to know when Nandia opens.
Supporters
You believe in this kind of education even if you don't have children here. You'd like to contribute — through funding, skills, connections, or simply spreading the word.
Interested? Let's talk.
Nandia is still taking shape, and the people who join early will have a hand in how it grows. If you're an educator, a parent, or a supporter, we'd love to hear from you.
Express interest →This links to a short interest form. No commitment — just a conversation starter.