Professional Development
It is important that individuals who work with young children and their families have opportunities to nurture their own curiosity and growth as a professional. We support early childhood educators and leaders in deepening content knowledge, learning new concepts and approaches, and in applying these new skills to the workplace. This section explores events, resources and tools to advance professionally.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) WEBSITE
Our PD website outlines all our offerings for early childhood educators in Cambridge.
Workshops and Training
OEC offers a wide variety of workshops and training opportunities to providers working in Cambridge. Our core training opportunities include but are not limited to:
- The Pyramid Model
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion series
- Week of the Young Child
2025 Week of The Young Child Event Recap
The Cambridge Office of Early Childhood kicked off its 5th annual Week of the Young Child with a conference at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on April 5, 2025, followed by professional development workshops throughout the week. The conference, “Rooted in Joy”, featured keynote speaker Dr. Nerfertiti Poyner, who highlighted the importance of early childhood educators’ ability to harness joy in order to thrive in professional roles. In the words of one conference participant:
We were especially honored to hear from keynote speaker Dr. Nefertiti Poyner, whose presentation, “I SPY JOY! Supporting teams as they discover, uncover, and create meaningful moments of joy,” was a powerful experience. Dr. Poyner invited us to explore the nuances of optimism, toxic positivity, and resilience in our work. Her talk was both validating and thought-provoking—she had us laughing, crying, and thinking deeply about the emotional landscape of early education. She reminded us of the essential role joy plays in our practice and the power we each hold to be agents of change, light, and connection within our teams and communities.
The conference keynote address was followed by three workshops: “An Introduction to Collaborative Problem Solving”; “Stretching Storytime: Using Children’s Literature to Expand Learning and Plan Activities”; and “The Supportive Work Environment Starts with Me.” Each of these workshops integrated the theme of JOY and addressed young children’s healthy development. We were thrilled to be able to offer interactive professional development that provided early childhood professionals the opportunity to learn together in person once again! Following the “Rooted in Joy” conference, the Cambridge Office of Early Childhood hosted eight additional workshops throughout the week, both in person and virtually. Topics included nurturing relationships, early numeracy skills, hiring and orienting new staff, and joyful play, among others. Over the course of the week, over 320 members of the early childhood community participated in OEC-hosted events. As hoped, the events of the week focused on the role of joy in the lives of young children, and all the ways that adults can grow and support children’s intrinsic curiosity and love of learning.
Educator Resources
OEC APPROVED TEMPLATES & TOOLS
Cambridge Preschool Program Inquiry Form – FILL OUT HERE
Set for Success: A Start-of-Year Checklist for Early Childhood Teachers – DOWNLOAD HERE
Commitment to High Quality
The Office of Early Childhood partners with many programs and organizations across the city to support continuous quality improvement. We offer three tiers of support based on where each program is on its journey towards quality and if the program is a partner in our office’s scholarship program
Professional Learning Communities and Communities of Practice
The OEC partners with selected Cambridge preschools and family childcare programs to increase program quality through ongoing classroom support, coaching, and funding. Partner programs participate in ongoing professional learning communities and communities of practice to support implementation of new professional skills
City-Wide Directors and Assistant Directors Group
The Citywide Directors Group is open to all Cambridge early childhood Directors. This group meets monthly to discuss current events in the field, to share resources, and to collaborate around specific topics.
Career Pathways
The Cambridge Office of Early Childhood offers multiple pathways for early childhood educators to explore for professional growth and development. These are:
The Child Development Associate (CDA) Pathway
In the spirit of the OEC’s mission to support the growth and development of the early care and education (ece) workforce, our office has partnered with the Office of Workforce Development (OWD) in the City of Cambridge to deliver the CDA credential to individuals seeking to enter the field of early childhood. For more information click here.
The College Coursework Pathway
The Cambridge Office of Early Childhood supports early childhood professionals who are interested in pursuing college courses by partnering with local universities to deliver college courses that are required for teacher certification in Massachusetts. For more information on teachers credentials, please visit EEC.
Please see below for upcoming college course offerings:
- Fisher College’s July term application is coming soon.