i am a big fan of waldorf education. my daughter started at highgate house (a waldorf school) when she was one yr old. (mother/toddler group), and will be 3 next week. she loves it there, had a generally easier transition to nursery last sept. very loving, caring & attentive teachers. homey environment. search on geobaby forum on my recommendation on the book "you are your child's first teacher" (a waldorf book).
my daughter can now paint water color properly, knead bread, oil muffin molds, help clean up, tidy up her toys, say good bye willingly, cut carrots, etc, and she's not even 3 yet. today we celebrated her bday early. after we sang the bday song, she blew the candle by herself. i held her hand on the big cake knife to cut the cake. but before we started cutting, she used her left hand to remove the candle before cutting the cake. when we baptised her last month, there was a candle at the ceremony, i helped her hold it by herself, cos i know she knows how to handle it without hurting herself.
at waldorf, they learn how to do normal daily things instead of math & spelling & writing. so it depends what your family finds important for a small child. some favor academics, but i like that she knows how to take care of herself, & be confident & happy.