Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education Announces 2019 Innovation Challenge to Accelerate Quality in Early Education

BOSTON, May 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education today announced the 2019 Zaentz Early Education Innovation Challenge. In its second year, the Challenge is calling for individuals or teams to submit new ideas, concepts, and strategic approaches that drive transformative change in early education. The Zaentz Initiative will provide funding to promising new ideas that have the potential to accelerate positive change and innovation in early education.

"We launched the first-ever Zaentz Early Education Innovation Challenge in 2018 with the vision to seed the field of early education with cutting-edge ideas that have the capacity to drive lasting, widespread change," said Nonie Lesaux, Academic Dean and the Juliana W. and William Foss Thompson Professor of Education and Society at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. "We are so thankful to everyone who participated last year — to the winners and finalists who presented ideas at the inaugural event and everyone who shared their work with us to help make our vision a reality. In 2018, we had over 200 ideas submitted by organizations and individuals from across the country, and we are excited to see what new, creative and collaborative solutions we receive this year."

Submissions to the Zaentz Early Education Innovation Challenge may target short-term or long-term change at multiple levels of the early education system, including the home, classroom, program, networks and/or policy. To support innovation of all kinds, there are three submission tracks:

• The Idea Track is for new ideas or concepts that have not yet been put into action.
• The Pilot Track is for ideas or approaches that have been developed as a prototype.
• The Scaling Track is for products or services that have been launched, and are at a point where further sharpening or refining is needed to support scaling.

"The Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative strives to be a leading connector for innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of early education," said Stephanie Jones, Gerald S. Lesser Professor in Early Childhood Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. "Definitive data from Zaentz's first-of-its-kind Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) identifies the most common concern of parents and guardians (26%) is their children's education and academic learning. This is why we launched the Challenge — the need is greater than ever for new solutions and strategic approaches that will increase early education opportunities and positive outcomes for all children."

The deadline to submit is August 30, 2019. For more information on the Zaentz Early Education Innovation Challenge please visit the FAQ. To apply please visit here.

About The Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative
The Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) promotes the knowledge, professional learning and collective action necessary 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 given to a university for advancing early childhood education.

SOURCE Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative

Related Links

http://zaentz.gse.harvard.edu