Past Winners Highlights
Judging Criteria
As reflected in the application questions, solutions will be judged on the quality of the idea; your understanding of the problem and context (i.e., population served, etc.); alignment of the solution to the problem and context; and feasibility and intended impact.
Pitch Details
Once finalists are selected, they will be invited to present their solutions to a panel of expert judges and a live audience at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Each team will have approximately three minutes to pitch its proposal to a panel of judges and an audience, followed by three minutes of questions from the judges. Up to two members of each team may make the pitch.
The Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative is a long-term, multifaceted project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) that promotes the knowledge, professional learning, and collective action necessary to cultivate optimal early learning environments and experiences. The Zaentz Initiative, co-directed by HGSE faculty members Nonie Lesaux and Stephanie Jones, envisions a nation where all early education leaders have the knowledge and strategies they need to create strong, supportive learning environments. The Initiative consists of four core components: (1) the Early Learning Study at Harvard, a population-based study seeking to understand what works in a diverse range of early childhood settings; (2) a Professional Learning Academy to support the development of early education leaders from across our mixed-delivery system; (3) a Fellows Program to build a new pipeline of leaders in the field, and (4) policy tools to build systems so that all children, families, and educators have what they need to thrive.
The Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative seeks to connect innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of early education. We want to use this Challenge to seed the field with fresh thinking and strategic approaches that drive sustainable, transformative change.
We encourage anyone or any organization with an idea, prototype, product, and/or service to apply. Applicants may be individuals or teams of up to five; teams may represent more than one organization. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of entry. The Challenge is open to international applicants, but solutions must be implemented in the United States or available to US-based users (if the solution is an app or other tech-based solution).
Yes.
If your group includes people from multiple organizations, please list everyone in the application. If you are applying as part of a single entity or organization (e.g., a school district, corporation, state agency), please note that in the contact information and include only one point person.
No. Applicants from any organization or institution are welcome to apply. Zaentz affiliates are not eligible to apply.
Yes! We encourage you to enter the Envision Track, which is intended to attract applicants with new ideas that haven’t been put into action yet.
Absolutely. However, you can submit each unique proposal only once. We will not consider the same proposal submitted to both tracks.
It is fine to submit an idea or approach developed and/or submitted elsewhere. However, we require that you include citations for any research or other sources used in your submission. If you reference someone else’s thinking, be sure to give credit! Plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.
No, we welcome submissions that are non-profit, for-profit, or even undetermined (for those just beginning with new ideas).
No, ownership of any intellectual property submitted as part of the Challenge will remain with the original owners (applicants). However, the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative may use any submitted materials for future academic research. Contestants should not disclose any information that is proprietary or confidential. Challenge organizers cannot guarantee the confidentiality of any materials submitted to the Challenge; neither the Zaentz Early Education Innovation Challenge team nor its associated institutions will sign confidentiality agreements.
• Application Launch: April 18, 2024
• Informational Webinar: May 16, 2024, at 4 PM ET (registration information to come)
• Applications Deadline: July 19, 2024 (11:59 PM ET)
• Finalists Notified: No later than September 23, 2024
• On-Campus Pitch Event: October 29, 2024
Envision Track: 1st Place, $10,000; 2nd Place, $5,000; Audience Choice, $1,000
Accelerate Track: 1st Place, $15,000; 2nd Place, $10,000; Audience Choice, $5,000
Please list all team members and their organizational affiliation (for example, school district, corporation, or state agency), if any. Teams will need a designated a point person for any communications if the application is selected as a finalist.
We encourage creative thinking, and we look forward to being surprised by new ideas and concepts! The proposed solutions can take different forms and may target short-term and long-term change at multiple levels of the early education system, including the home, classroom, programs, networks, and/or policy, though all proposals should have the potential to be scaled to drive systems-level impact. Examples of solution themes include but are not limited to:
• Workforce development
• Professional communities of practice
• Planning and instruction
• Authentic assessment
• Program or classroom environment and materials
• Trauma-informed practice
• Parent and family engagement
• Community engagement and wraparound services
• Outdoor learning environments
• Mental health supports
• Public-private partnerships
• Other: Be creative!
No, we are open to all types of solutions.
Your solution must serve children from birth to age five and/or the adults who provide care and education for children in that age group.
Yes, we welcome submissions that are for profit, nonprofit, or even undetermined (for those just beginning with new ideas) endeavors.
We will host an introductory webinar to support applicants during the application period. This webinar will take place on May 16, 2024, at 4PM ET. Please keep an eye on our website and sign up for our mailing list to receive registration instructions.
We anticipate four to six finalists in each track.
Yes, once we have selected the finalists, they will be listed on our website.
Funding recipients will be announced by our panel of judges at the pitch event.
Finalists are responsible for travel expenses to attend the pitch event at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. However, teams located outside the greater Boston area can apply for up to $1,000 to offset travel expenses.
2021 Family Child Care Innovation Networks Awardees
2024 Winners & Finalists
Past Winners
STE(A)M Truck
Scaling track, 3rd Place
Leveraging Text Messages to Support Early Childhood Development and Parental Resilience
Scaling track, 2nd Place
Leading Men Fellowship Program
Scaling track, 1st Place
The Beautiful Stuff Project
Pilot track, 3rd Place
Louisiana Early Childhood Leaders Fellowship
Pilot track, 2nd Place
Bienvenida a ESCALERAS
Pilot track, 1st Place
Building Single Points of Entry that Serve Families and Communities
Idea track, 3rd Place
Pin Your Park: An Offtrail Lesson Planning Guide for Educators
Idea track, 2nd Place
Seeds of Learning: The New Britain Infant/Toddler Early Childhood Business Incubator
Idea track, 1st Place
Future Challenges
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