Indian American educator Binal Patel has been named the new executive director of Neighborhood Villages, a nonprofit working to provide all families access to affordable, high-quality early education and care.
A former preschool educator, program director and mother of two children herself, Patel brings experience and passion to her new role, according to a media release. Previously as chief program officer, she led the implementation of the direct service programs and spearheaded the growth of the organization.
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In her new role, she will be working to lead the nonprofit into this next chapter — developing the new strategic plan, leading the implementation of its programs and policy work, and navigating the current landscape to ensure its stay true to its vision of that early childhood system.
Her work also includes bringing effective innovations to scale in partnership with government, including Neighborhood Villages’ Registered ECE Apprenticeship program for early education teachers and Directors.
Patel graduated with a Masters in Early Childhood Education from New York University, and a Bachelors in Economics from the University of California, San Diego.
Patel credits the Neighborhood Villages team for working tirelessly over the past several years — both on the ground and behind the scenes — to change early childhood education for the better.
Talking about her devotion to education and what she envisions for the future of Neighborhood Villages, she said, “Working with young children has always been a passion of mine, but it was actually not my first job.
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“I graduated with a degree in Economics and worked as a Marketing Analyst after college. I enjoyed the job and the people, but I wasn’t bringing any passion to the work. After an unexpected death of a good friend, I realized that while I dreamed of being a teacher ‘one day,’ that one day may never come.”
“So, I quit my job right then, and applied to be an Assistant Teacher in a Preschool classroom,” Patel said. “I had a great mentor and director who really instilled confidence in me, and encouraged me to trust my instincts. “
“I didn’t have any formal training at the time, but she saw the potential in me as an educator and really validated that I had made the right choice,” she said. “So I decided to get my Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education at NYU and I’ve been an educator ever since.”