The New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Leslie Capello as the new Director of QUALITYstarsNY. After a national search, Leslie stood out as the candidate who could best lead QUALITYstarsNY into the future. Leslie will join the Institute having served as the Deputy Director of Early Childhood for Children’s Aid Society in NYC. Prior to joining Children’s Aid, Leslie served as the Early Head Start Director at Grand Street Settlement and as the Early Head Start Education Director at Educational Alliance. Before coming to New York, Leslie was in California working with Head Start and as a Professional Development Coordinator. Leslie has been a teacher of children from 6 – 36 months and has been a site supervisor. Her deep experience and understanding of early childhood education makes her suited to lead QUALITYstarsNY during a time of continued growth.