Helping Children Thrive with Whole Child Education
Creative Lives Cohort Program
Team Training in Our Pioneering Approach
Empower your team with practical tools to thrive—personally and professionally.
Cohort Program Trainee Testimonials
“…By week four, the approach made so much sense to me. Before this training, I was considering leaving the field of education. Now I am more committed than ever.”
— Ben L., Grade 5–6 Teacher
“Applying my knowledge of the Framework to raising my children and working with students has changed how I approach almost everything. I pause, find my focus, and support children as whole, intrinsically beautiful beings. I’m finding a renewed love of teaching.”
— Jess C., Early Educator
“This program doesn’t just change educators — it transforms teams.”
— Nikki D., Center Director
“I wish every teacher in our school could take this training. It helped us understand each other more deeply and work together more wisely. This has improved our impact on students.”
— Lauren L., 5th–6th Grade Teacher
“When I find my alignment through the Framework, I can talk with parents from a place of clarity. We work together as a team.”
— Danielle P., Early Educator
“Coming into my 20th year of teaching, I wonder, was this what was missing the whole time? Before, we were trying to regulate children while we were dysregulated ourselves. Now, everything is different. It’s a whole new way of life, and it feels really great.”
— Moriah C., Early Educator
The premise of A Framework for Wise Education is both simple and profound: when we support healthy functioning across all seven categories in A Framework for Wise Education, we unlock the full potential of every learner—and every teacher.
93% of graduates reported that they could more easily access joy and inspiration at work after their training.
92% report improvement or significant improvement in their ability to help children better navigate their emotions, foster focus, and make wise decisions.
Details & Costs
The Cohort Program includes:
Foundations 1 (live 9-week course, 45 hours PD and/or 1 graduate credit). Learners work to assess and strengthen their skills in each of seven Framework categories.
Foundations 2 (live 9-week course, 45 hours PD and/or 1 graduate credit). Learners engage in practicum work in the field, directly teaching and coaching students with new strategies.
Additional Support, which can include: onsite visits, classroom demonstrations, and group coaching calls
The cost per learner is $2,000.
Creative Lives has a formal “grant template” to help you in seeking funding, if needed, to support this opportunity for your team. We find grantors are often willing to add a stipend to their funding covering childcare, study time, and graduate credit fees ($240 for two credits)
For teams of 8 or more, we can offer the Cohort Program at times that work best for your group.
We are happy to provide a complimentary workshop introducing this program to your team.
Please contact our Programs Administrator, Anne Kroeger, at info@creativelives.org to schedule a workshop or enroll your team today.
Discover More Cohort Program Outcomes
Collective application reinforces learning for students
Shared skills and strategies support peer collaboration
A shared holistic approach builds community
“If I could wave a magic wand, I would put this Framework into the hands of every teacher and parent around the world. It’s that important.”
–Liz Wiley, Director of the Marion Institute
What Your Team Will Learn/Gain
Participants walk away with practical tools to improve their own well-being and help young people thrive. Through The Cohort Training Program, your team will learn how to support students in:
Relieving anxiety and discouragement
Developing focus, resilience, and emotional stability
Building responsibility, discipline, and healthy peer collaboration
Navigating frustration, disappointment, and decision-making
Strengthening self-worth, curiosity, and motivation to grow
These core capacities help children succeed not just in school—but in life.
Training Options
Program Details
When you have your whole team or multiple members of your team trained as a cohort, we offer a comprehensive training package.
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Orientation: 60-minute Zoom Call
Before the first day of training, participants must attend a virtual ordination to familiarize themselves with the online learning platform.
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Two 9-week Online Course
Foundations 1: Ellen Tadd’s Framework for Wise Education
Foundations 2 Applying A Framework for Wise Education
Both courses include weekly 90-min Zoom Calls
Add-Ons
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Four Peer Symposiums: 90-minute Zoom Call (after Foundations-2 is complete)
Peer learning symposiums provide a meaningful, monthly opportunity for Framework trainees and practitioners to connect with Framework graduates nationwide and practice their Framework tools and strategies.
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4-hour in-person Retreat
Participants and their instructors will gather for an in-person experiential workshop and celebratory lunch. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice shared learning and cultivate a greater sense of community, as retreats may include graduates from other cohorts.
“This course has changed my daily routine, enhanced my problem-solving capabilities, and has left me feeling a more complete person. Most importantly, it is changing the way that I listen to and work with students of all ages. We really need more people using this Framework.” – Framework Practitioner
Course Descriptions
Foundations-1:
Ellen Tadd’s Framework for Wise Education
In the first course, your team will study seven Framework categories as they relate to human development, and their associated attributes. In addition to the weekly Zoom call, this course includes written and A/V resources, forum discussions, reflection papers, and partner work.
The first level of our training primarily focuses on understanding the foundational principles of this pedagogy. Your team will discover how this view of human development applies to their own well-being and awareness — and discuss how these principles relate to their students. Inevitably, groups find that this training has a profound impact on how they teach and engage with children.
Foundations 2:
Applying A Framework for Wise Education
In the second course, your team will deepen their understanding of the Framework and explore real-world applications of the method in various settings. In addition to the weekly Zoom call, this course includes a combination of written and A/V resources, forum discussions, small group mock-scenario discussions, and Framework category observations and analysis of group members.
The second training level primarily focuses on applying the Framework with children and teens. To help learners understand this more thoroughly, they will explore how to use this pedagogy with individual children and whole classes or groups of youth.
Tuition
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Per Team Member:
Tuition: $1,500
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Peer Symposiums are offered once a month after the completion of Foundations-2. They are sold in books of 4.
Cost of Four Peer Simpossums: $100 (per person).
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Half-day in-person retreat with Lunch
Cost of retreat (Lunch included): $150 per person
The Creative Lives team is happy to collaborate with you in applying for outside grants to cover participants' tuition and/or stipends.
Credits Awarded
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Both courses are 9- weeks, totaling 50 hours or 100 hours of PD hours for both courses.
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Team members will earn 6 PD hours for attending the 4 Peer Learning Symposiums
Team members will earn 6 PD hours for attending the in-person retreat
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Participants will receive 5 CEUs, a total of 10 CEUs, for the basic package training.
Team members may apply for 2 graduate credits through one of our partner Universities for an additional fee.
Graduate units are awarded and paid for separately; any or all team members may apply for them.
“Through my own examination of the chakra system and forty years of working with students and clients of all ages, I have observed a structure that can help us simplify our understanding of the course of human development —and aid us in creating an educational strategy that supports and endorses the maturation of the whole child.” — Ellen Tadd
