Ultra-thin films of the electron doped manganite La$_{0.8}$Ce$_{0.2}$MnO$_3$ were grown in a layer-by-layer growth mode on SrTiO$_3$ (001) substrates by pulsed laser interval deposition. High structural quality and surface morphology was confirmed by a combination of synchrotron based x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. Resonant X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements confirm the presence of Ce$^{4+}$ and Mn$^{2+}$ ions. In addition, the electron doping signature was corroborated by Hall effect measurements. All grown films show a ferromagnetic ground state as revealed by both dc magnetization and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements and remain insulating contrary to earlier reports of a metal-insulator transition. Our results hint at the possibility of electron-hole asymmetry in the colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) manganite phase diagram akin to the high-$T_c$ cuprates.