In 2016, the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) launched the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative as a major investment in the field of early education. As part of this initiative, the Zaentz Professional Learning Academy is designed to support the learning and development of early education leaders at all levels and in all settings across the nation’s mixed-delivery system—those influencing practice and policy from the schoolhouse to the state house. The Zaentz Academy will expand upon HGSE Professional Education’s existing offerings for preK-12 educators, serving state leaders and administrators, leaders of early education service organizations, directors of early education centers or programs, administrators and coaches in public school preK programs, and philanthropists, grantmakers, and advocates.
The Certificate in Early Education Leadership (CEEL) is one of the more prominent offerings through the Zaentz Academy. CEEL is a visionary, job-embedded, online certificate program that supports the learning and development of early education leaders and provides them with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to strengthen learning environments and foster quality improvement in all early education settings.