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Dion Reed, a family child care provider in Rensselaer, NY has been participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for over 10 years. Her long-term commitment to CACFP reflects her dedication to leveraging available resources to provide children with the best care possible, namely in nutrition and health. QUALITYstarsNY interviewed Dion about her longstanding participation in CACFP.
Learn about QUALITYstarsNY's Capital District regional team! Read about the local partnerships that support our participants in the area and get to know our Quality Improvement Specialists that work in the region.
May 8, 2026 is Provider Appreciation Day. This year, we are excited to celebrate our extraordinary family child care providers alongside our partners that work to support, empower, and uplift New York's family child care community. We are privileged to work with hundreds of providers across the state, and please to honor them today with messages from our partner's leaders and our own QUALITYstarsNY Leadership team.
From April 13 to April 17, QUALITYstarsNY celebrated the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Week of the Young Child (WOYC) 2026. The week is all about celebrating learning and development in children through a series of themed days that include music, art, food, and family. Take a look at how the QUALITYstarsNY community celebrated.
WXXI Education and the Educators' Resource Center at Monroe Community College hosted a community screening of the film "Make a Circle" by Jen Bradwell and Todd Boekelheide. The evening began with participants visiting vendor tables of community partners, including QUALITYstarsNY, the Finger Lakes Career Development Center, Child Care Council, and Children's Institute. A welcome reception set the tone of coming together, holding space, and remembering the power of community. The film was powerful--not just something to watch, but something to feel, leaving the audience moved to tears by the film's end.
QUALITYstarsNY is excited to attend the New York Association for the Education of Young Children’s annual conference in April in Verona, NY. Check out the schedule of workshops QUALITYstarsNY is leading at this year's meeting and we're to find us in the Exhibit Hall.
Children’s play is an essential place for their brains to have a variety of experiences that support their growth and development. Family child care provides a loving space for children to experience the magic of play. It can provide them with the opportunities to build the foundational skills needed for continued and more finite learning as they grow older.
Lois Campbell & Yates Daycare recently won a reading challenge put on by the Wakefield Library. Wakefield Library in the Bronx challenged schools and students in their community to read 200 books. Lois Campbell & Yates not only rose to the challenge but surpassed it.
In February, QUALITYstarsNY participant Ivy Tilson and her program, The Little Bumblebee, hosted New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New Rochelle Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert, and Office of Children and Family Services Commissioner DaMia Harris-Madden for a conversation about universal child care. Ivy, her staff, and many young children enjoyed the visit with Gov. [...]
Creativity is something we talk about often in early childhood education — but it’s not always something teachers feel free to practice. For many educators, lesson planning can feel like a choice between following the plan and following the child. In play-based programs, that tension deserves a closer look.
