Boston, MA (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — THE Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative of the Harvard Graduate School of Education announced the winners of its 2024 edition Zaentz Early Education Innovation Challenge. Now in its fifth year, the Challenge recognizes and rewards promising new ideas and strategic approaches that have the potential to transform early childhood education.
On October 29, 2024, 10 finalists presented their ideas to a panel of judges and a live audience. First, second and people’s choice winners were selected in two streams: the Envision stream, for those who have an idea and are looking to try it in the real world, and the Accelerate stream, for those who have already tried their idea. and seek to evaluate it, refine it and/or extend its scope. Winners received cash prizes of up to $15,000.
The winning teams are:
Speed up the track
First place: Expansion of the childcare business incubator (YWCA New Britain) — A child care center that serves as an incubator for family child care entrepreneurs so they can learn the skills needed to manage and maintain their own programs (Connecticut).
Second place: CREDIBLE Alliance (Early Learning Ventures) — A software application designed to reduce administrative barriers to help early childhood educators receive federal reimbursement for nutritious meals through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (Colorado).
People’s choice: Teacher Housing Initiative (Friends for Children Center) — A program that provides eligible young educators with free housing as an employee benefit to increase teacher pay and support a path to financial security (Connecticut).
Envision Track
First place: NEST Parent CDA Program (Educators for Quality Alternatives) — A Child Development Associate certificate program allowing high school students to study and intern in an on-campus early childhood program that serves teen parents and earn their certification before graduation (Louisiana).
Second place: AR Choice Tri-Share (Joyfully Engaged Learning) — A cost-sharing model that equitably distributes the costs of high-quality early childhood care between employees, employers and Joyfully Engaged Learning, a nonprofit organization that supports early learning programs childhood (Arkansas).
People’s choice: Immersive Experiential Major Concentration (Appalachian State University) — A bachelor’s degree program focused on child development that places students in a high-quality early childhood education laboratory to gain hands-on teaching experience (North Carolina).
“All of the finalists impressed us with their hard work, bright ideas and commitment to strengthening early childhood education,” said Nonie Lesaux, co-director of the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Co-director Stephanie Jones added: “There is palpable enthusiasm in the field of early childhood education right now, and this year’s Innovation Challenge has shown us the kind of strategic and entrepreneurial thinking that can transform our understanding of what is possible.
The judges included: Junlei LiSaul Zaentz Lecturer in Early Childhood Education and Co-Chair of the Human Development and Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; Maria González Möllervice president of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care and CEO of the Community Group; Casey watchessenior director of early childhood policy at the Center for American Progress and Zaentz Fellowship alumnus; To Laura PerCEO of Nutury Early Education; And Daniel Wilsonprincipal investigator at Project Zero and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
For more information about the Zaentz Early Education Innovation Challenge, please visit https://zaentz.gse.harvard.edu/innovation-challenge/.
To watch the recorded live stream, please visit https://harvard.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=815c4a4b-e30d-48e6-8a4c-b1f100cf0536.
About the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative
The Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) promotes the knowledge, professional learning, and collective action needed to cultivate optimal early learning environments and experiences. The Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative is supported by a $35.5 million gift from the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, one of the largest gifts ever made to a university to advance early childhood education.
