QUALITYstarsNY at the 2025 NYAEYC Annual Conference

The Exhibit Hall

Located next to our partners at The Aspire Reigstry and the Career Development Center, who join us as initiatives within the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, our corner of the exhibit hall was one of lively conversation with colleagues and providers alike. One of the best parts of attending any conference is talking with QUALITYstarsNY participants and meeting new early childhood educators from across the state. This year, we were able to sponsor nearly 200 QUALITYstarsNY participants to attend the NYAEYC conference.

In addition to the other materials at our table, QUALITYstarNY participants get a special lanyard, a ribbon for their conference badges, and a participating program magnet. Brand new to our table this year were the QUALITYstarsNY highlighter kids, and the reactions they received from conference-goers may have just earned them a spot in our regular conference swag rotation!

Another tried and true staple of our NYAEYC vendor table are our golden stars. These stars are for participants to write a special shout-out to the Quality Improvement Specialists (QI Specialists) that work with their programs. Our team always loves recieving these messages from the early childhood staff they work with so closely, and our appreciation goes out to the many people who came by to leave their Specialist a note of recognition.

The Workshops

The main attraction of each NYAEYC conference are the workshops, where early childhood experts from across the state provide opportunitites for conference-goers to learn new practices, business strategies, and activities to introduce to their programs. True to this year’s theme of “play”, our QI Specialists hosted a variety of play-related sessions that incorporated strategies on how early childhood educators can get the children in their care up and moving, as well as ideas on how to include children’s families and their cultures in play programming.

These sessions included:

• Developing a Philosophy Statement That Supports Play-Based Programming (and Policies and Practices That Prove It!)

• Calm, Cool, and Collected CONTINUED: Using Data to Enhance Play Experiences

• Empowering Free Play: Strategies for Observing and Assessing During Child-Led Exploration

• Play and Diversity

• Promoting Social-Emotional Development: Experiences and Activities

• Playful Family Engagement

• 1, 2, 3 Come Play with Me!

• Mighty Movers

Kathy Moss: Early Childhood Leader

Lastly, we would like to congratulate Senior Quality Improvement Specialist Kathy Moss, who was recognized as an Early Childhood Leader at the Champions for Children award ceremony. Nominated by her peers from across the state, Kathy has dedicated her career to supporting the education and development of New York’s youngest learners.

Kathy, on what this award means to her:

“Leaders come in many different forms. I like to think they are the ones who create a path for others, the ‘do-ers’, the ones who move the work forward and show up day after day because that’s the fire that fuels them. We’re not looking for the spotlight or the accolades, we just want to make things better. We are the mentors and resources for others, which helps impact the work we do. I believe that leaders are defined by the actions they take every day, and I hope my actions speak for themselves. Let’s not forget, being able to have fun and genuinely enjoy your role is a crucial part of being a leader. That joy and excitement is contagious. Leaders who embody these qualities become catalysts for positive change and make a lasting impact on the lives of children.”

Read more about Kathy and her contributions to New York’s early childhood community here.