CEEL Certificate Program

The Cambridge Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity with Harvard Graduate School of Education! The Certificate in Early Education Leadership (CEEL) provides early childhood leaders with the core knowledge, management skills, and leadership tools necessary to build and advance high-quality early education in any learning environment. CEEL is presented by the Zaentz Professional Learning Academy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and led by Zaentz faculty directors Nonie Lesaux and Stephanie Jones.

OEC is supporting a cohort of Cambridge early childhood leaders to participate in CEEL. Leaders who are accepted into the program will meet once a month with their cohort to discuss content and application to the work setting and the broader Cambridge community. In order to participate, you must apply to be part of this cohort. It is a competitive program and there are a limited number of spots available. Cambridge Preschool Partners with administrators who do not currently meet CPP requirements for their position will be prioritized. Please find the application link at the end of this email.

CEEL is designed for early education leaders and practitioners, including:

·       Directors of early education centers or programs

·       Administrators, coaches, and practitioners in public school preK programs

·       Leaders of early education service organizations

·       State leaders and administrators

·       Philanthropists, grant-makers, and advocates

The program runs for 18 months. Participants will be notified of the start date when they receive notification of acceptance to the program. The program includes:

Series 1: Leading for Early Learning and Development

Develop foundational knowledge, skills, and tools necessary for cultivating optimal learning environments and experiences.

Series 2: Rethinking Leadership in Early Education

Integrate innovative work from the Harvard Business School and beyond to build leadership and management skills that can transform professional settings.

Series 3: Supporting Optimal Teaching and Learning Environments

Learn how to help educators develop their competencies, improve their effectiveness in the domain of classroom management, and support children’s cognitive growth.

Five Modules per Series:

Each CEEL series contains five modules. Four Learn modules build your core knowledge in key areas, including early learning and development, adult learning, and leadership and management. A final Plan and Apply module supports you as you create and implement a plan tailored to your site and work.  Each Learn module runs for three weeks and requires approximately 10 hours of work. The Plan and Apply module runs for four weeks and requires approximately 15 hours of work. To earn the full CEEL certificate, you must complete all 15 modules.