Calling all Emerging Early Learning Leaders!

We’re getting ready for our 2010 Collaborative Leadership Institute (CLI), and I thought it would be a good opportunity to give folks a little more history and information about this great leadership training opportunity for emerging Early Learning leaders of all sorts.

The CLI was established in 2005, as a result of nearly a decade of discussion and planning among leaders in state agencies and early learning organizations who were concerned about a void in leadership development for the emerging field. There was concern that while there were passionate advocates and leadership in the field, the next generation of leaders was not entirely apparent and no resources were being invested to build leaders from within. In addition, there was little cross-discipline communication among programs, agencies and advocates, reflecting a fragmented and inefficient community of programs that benefit young children.

As is evident by the intense activity and activism around Early Learning, we’ve all come a long way since 2005, and many of the strong voices in communities and statewide early learning efforts are CLI graduates.

The objective of the CLI is to provide a leadership development program geared specifically for early learning leaders in Washington that will enable participants to enhance their leadership skills while developing relationships with others in their field from different disciplines. New and emerging leaders are sought from such sources as Head Start/Early Head Start; ECEAP; out of school programs; Resource and Referral; child care centers/homes; higher ed; state licensors, health; schools; ESDs; preschools; board members; affiliated businesses; and libraries. Participants attend three 3-day in-person meetings over a 10-month period and are expected to complete a variety of activities during the interim, including completion of a major project. As part of their curriculum, students explore leadership research and literature, increase self awareness of personal leadership styles, enhance their understanding of early learning as a system, create change and make an impact in the field of early learning, and cultivate a broad range of strategies to achieve goals.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Department of Early Learning (DEL), as well as the support of the other CLI partners (Washington State Association of Head Start & ECEAP, Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network, Washington Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC), and the Foundation for Early Learning) we’ve had 5 successful years of this intensive leadership development program, graduating more than 100 participants from every corner of the state and all elements of the broad early learning community.

On behalf of our partners in this effort, I encourage folks to apply for the 2010 CLI cohort, and to share this information with early learning leaders in your community who might benefit. We select no more than 24 students each year, and applications are due January 14th, 2010. Applications and more information are available at http://www.wsaheadstarteceap.com/cli.

I would be happy to answer any questions about the program, or connect interested people with CLI graduates in their area. I can be reached at katy@wsaheadstarteceap.com, or 253-373-9100.

Katy Warren