Certificate in Early Education Leadership (CEEL)

“The more we learn about promoting children’s healthy development and laying a strong foundation for later learning and development, the clearer it becomes that one of the best investments for young children is an investment in the adults who shape the settings where they learn and grow.” —Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative

The Certificate in Early Education Leadership (CEEL), offered through the Zaentz Professional Learning Academy, 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.

Overview

Given the vital role high-quality early education plays in learning and development, early education leaders need a broad, cutting-edge knowledge base, relevant strategies, and leadership competencies to generate sustained quality improvement. The Zaentz Professional Learning Academy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education is offering a new Certificate in Early Education Leadership (CEEL) to provide leaders with the core knowledge, management skills, and tools necessary to build and advance high-quality early education across learning environments.

Led by Zaentz faculty directors Nonie Lesaux and Stephanie Jones, CEEL includes three series that cover foundational knowledge, skills, and tools that enable early education leaders to improve and sustain high-quality early education for the learners they serve. Each series contains five modules. Four of these are instructional Learn modules that build participants’ core knowledge in key areas, including early learning and development, adult learning, and leadership and management. A Plan and Apply module is designed to support participants as they map key learnings and to create and implement a plan tailored to their site and work. Participants can begin with any module and take these modules in any order.

Program Details

CEEL is designed to offer working professionals in early education an opportunity to deepen their core knowledge, enhance their skills, and add to their leadership toolkit through a flexible, online, and job-embedded learning experience. Materials are interactive and case-based. Each Learn module includes: brief video lectures from Professors Lesaux and Jones that include insights from current scientific research in early education and related leadership strategies and practices; readings; self-reflection exercises; online discussions; animated depictions of real scenarios drawn from early education practice; facilitated cohort discussions; strategies for practical implementation; and job-embedded practice to apply the concepts and techniques learned.

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. Participants can begin with any Learn module and take these modules in any order. The fee is $199 per module. Participants who complete the first four Learn modules in a Series will be eligible for a 50% discount on their Plan and Apply.

Series Overview

CEEL Series 1: Leading for Early Learning and Development

Series 1 Modules:

• Learn A: The Science of Early Learning  
• Learn B: Leading Adults for Quality Improvement 
• Learn C: Stress, Adversity, and Trauma  
• Learn D: Strong Relationships and Interactions
• Series 1 Plan and Apply  

CEEL Series 2: Rethinking Leadership in Early Education

Series 2 Modules:

• Learn A: Effective Approaches to Leadership
• Learn B: Leading Change in Others 
• Learn C: Leveraging Diversity for Improvement 
• Learn D: Effective Teams
• Series 2 Plan and Apply

CEEL Series 3: Supporting Optimal Teaching and Learning Environments

Series 3 Modules:

• Learn A: Cornerstone Educator Competencies
• Learn B: Teaching for Cognitive Growth
• Learn C: Effective Classroom Management
• Learn D: Universal Design for Learning
• Series 3 Plan and Apply

Who Should Attend

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

Fees & Policies

Tuition includes all instructional materials required for participation in the program.

Full tuition is due by the indicated payment deadline, please refer to the individual program’s community and application page for payment deadlines. While a purchase order confirms enrollment, full payment is still required by the final payment deadline. Please note that failure to pay by the payment deadline will result in your withdrawal from the program.

Please click here for more information on payment, refund, and withdrawal policies.

The Harvard Graduate School of Education reserves the right to change faculty or cancel programs at its discretion. The school is not responsible for any planning expenses incurred.

Upon successful completion of an individual Learn module, participants will receive documentation of completion, as well as a letter confirming 10 clock hours awarded. Upon successful completion of a Plan and Apply module, participants will receive documentation of completion, as well as a letter confirming 15 clock hours awarded.

Participants who successfully complete all three CEEL Series — Leading for Early Learning and Development, Rethinking Leadership in Early Education, and Supporting Optimal Teaching and Learning Environments — will receive the Certificate in Early Education Leadership.