New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute

What New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute does

The New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute (NYE CPDI / PDI) is a nonprofit public-private partnership housed at the City University of New York (CUNY) and administered through the Research Foundation of CUNY, founded in 2004 to elevate the early childhood workforce across New York State. It operates a portfolio of state-aligned programs including the Aspire Registry — an online professional portfolio used by tens of thousands of early childhood professionals — QUALITYstarsNY (the state's official Quality Rating and Improvement System serving more than 1,300 early childhood programs), a Career Development Center network with locations in all ten NYS economic development regions, and supporting initiatives in leadership development, informal family child care, and applied research via the NYC Early Childhood Research Network.

The organization maintains a defined technology and content footprint: the Aspire Registry platform, the CAPS Online attendance-reporting training system provided to NYC Administration for Children's Services providers, the Core Body of Knowledge (New York's official early childhood educator competencies, updated in 2024 with a Primary Competencies companion and PD Planning Tool), and the NYS Early Learning Guidelines (revised in 2020). Operating partnerships include CUNY School of Professional Studies, SUNY, the Council for Professional Recognition for CDA credentials, the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, NYC ACS, the Early Childhood Advisory Council, and Sesame Workshop.

NYE CPDI generates revenue primarily through government contracts with NYS OCFS and NYC ACS, institutional support via CUNY and the Research Foundation of CUNY, and project-based foundation grants including the Robin Hood Foundation and the Kellen Foundation. Core services — career advising, scholarships, the Aspire Registry, and professional development — are provided at no cost to participants; nominal revenue is earned from printed publication sales at $12 to $14 per Core Body of Knowledge copy. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range with active hiring across at least seven open positions covering multiple divisions.

Name

New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute

Legal name

New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute

Website

https://earlychildhoodny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

A nonprofit public-private partnership at CUNY that strengthens New York State's early childhood workforce through the Aspire Registry, the statewide QUALITYstarsNY quality rating system, ten regional Career Development Centers, and scholarship-funded professional development delivered at no cost to participants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Teacher Professional Development & In-Service Training Institutes (EDAHAFAM), Professional Credentialing, Certification & Registry Services (CDA, state registries, renewals) (EDACAIAL), Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping Resources (State/NAEYC/Head Start) (EDACAJAN), Training & Credential Compliance Tracking (PD registry alignment) (EDACAKAH), Early Childhood Learning Standards Authorities (EDADAEAF)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Workforce development
• Professional development
• Career advising services
• Quality rating improvement

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding - CUNY Partnership: The Institute operates as a public-private partnership housed at the City University of New York, receiving institutional funding support.
2. Government Contracts: Funded through contracts with state agencies including the New York State Office of Children and Family Services and the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) to operate statewide quality improvement and workforce development initiatives.
3. Foundation Grants: Receives grant funding from foundations including Robin Hood Foundation (for mental health climate coaching initiatives) and Kellen Foundation (for induction coaching 2021-2023) to support specific program initiatives.
4. Publication Sales: Sells print copies of the Core Body of Knowledge ($14 per book for 1-18 copies, $12 per book for 19+ copies) and Early Learning Guidelines, with revenue supporting operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Institute delivers statewide professional development, career advising, scholarships, and quality improvement services for New York's early childhood workforce. Its core offerings include the Aspire Registry (online professional portfolio), Career Development Centers in all 10 state regions, QUALITYstarsNY (the state's Quality Rating and Improvement System), coaching and training programs, and publications such as the Core Body of Knowledge.

Product overview

The New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute operates as a comprehensive professional development ecosystem with multiple interconnected programs and services. The core offerings include the Aspire Registry (an online professional portfolio system), Career Development Centers (providing career advising and employment support across all 10 New York State regions), and Professional Development and Coaching services. Supporting these core functions are specialized initiatives including QUALITYstarsNY (the state's quality rating system), the Early Childhood Leadership Initiative, the Informal Family Child Care Project, and the NYC Early Childhood Research Network. Key publications include the Core Body of Knowledge (updated 2024) and NYS Early Learning Guidelines (revised 2020). CAPS Online Support provides training for the child care attendance reporting system. The organization is structured as a public-private partnership at CUNY focused on elevating the early childhood workforce through research, policy, higher education, and professional learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• New York Works for Children: The state's integrated professional development system for early childhood, home to the Aspire Registry.
• QUALITYstarsNY
• Career Development Center
• Early Childhood Leadership Initiative
• NYC Early Childhood Research Network
• Informal Family Child Care Project
• CAPS Online Support
• Professional Development and Coaching

Products and services

• Aspire Registry Free online professional portfolio system where early childhood professionals in New York State can track their education, employment history, and professional development accomplishments. Serves as the state's integrated professional development system under New York Works for Children, and includes the PD Finder tool for locating training across the state.
• Career Development Center Free career advising and support services for early childhood professionals across New York State, offering academic planning, scholarship assistance, job search support, and connections to employment opportunities. Operated from centers in all 10 New York State economic development regions (NYC, Capital District, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Long Island, Mid-Hudson, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Southern Tier, Western New York).
• Professional Development and Coaching Training, coaching, and technical assistance services for early childhood educators and programs across New York State. Includes relationship-based professional development, program-level coaching, and development of professional learning content aligned with state competencies.
• CAPS Online Support Training and technical assistance for the CAPS Online web-based child care attendance reporting system used by NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS) providers. Includes video tutorials, live webinars, and user manuals in English and Spanish.
• QUALITYstarsNY New York State's voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for early childhood programs, providing assessment, coaching, professional development, resources, and tuition assistance. Currently serves more than 1,300 early childhood programs across the state.
• Early Childhood Leadership Initiative Professional development and support for current and aspiring early childhood program leaders across New York State. Offers leadership-focused professional learning, networking, mentoring, scholarships for higher education, and professional learning communities.
• Informal Family Child Care Project (IFCC) Support and resources for home-based family child care providers across New York State, including professional development, training sessions, activity guides, consultations, legally-exempt child care provider training, and training for supporting children with differing abilities.
• NYC Early Childhood Research Network Collaborative partnership founded in 2015 bringing together researchers, policymakers, funders, and advocates to promote actionable research informing public policy for young children, with a focus on the early childhood workforce.
• Core Body of Knowledge (CBK) New York State's official Core Competencies for Early Childhood Educators, providing a comprehensive outline of the knowledge and skills required to be an effective early childhood educator. Available as a free PDF download or in print ($14/book for 1-18 copies, $12/book for 19+ copies).
• NYS Early Learning Guidelines Child development resource for educators providing information about developmental milestones from birth through age 8, plus instructional, environmental, and family engagement strategies. Available as a free PDF or in print.
• Policy Briefs and Reports Policy briefs and reports providing research findings, policy recommendations, and testimony submitted to city, state, and federal agencies on early childhood workforce topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 85,000 children served by QUALITYstarsNY participating programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• City University of New York (CUNY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute is housed at and operates as a public-private partnership at the City University of New York, leveraging university resources, infrastructure, and academic connections to strengthen the early childhood workforce across New York State.
• CUNY School of Professional StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with CUNY SPS to offer credit-bearing CDA certificate programs and the Master's in Early Childhood Policy and Leadership, providing academic pathways for early childhood professionals.
• NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides CAPS Online support, training, and technical assistance to ACS child care providers. Operates the Early Childhood Work Readiness Project and supports DECE staff development.
• New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on workforce development initiatives, credentialing, fingerprinting services, and the Educational Incentive Program (EIP) scholarship for child care providers.
• QUALITYstarsNY (State QRIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute operates QUALITYstarsNY, New York State's Quality Rating and Improvement System for early childhood programs, serving over 1,300 programs with coaching and quality improvement support.
• SUNY SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with SUNY institutions statewide to provide CUNY/SUNY Workforce Scholarships and connect early childhood professionals with higher education degree and certificate programs.
• Sesame WorkshopnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Sesame Workshop to create a training video about Friend, Family and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers as part of Sesame Street in Communities initiative, featuring IFCC project work.
• Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with New York's Early Childhood Advisory Council to revise the Early Learning Guidelines in 2020, providing developmental milestones and instructional strategies for educators.
• Council for Professional RecognitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with the Council for Professional Recognition to offer the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential program, a nationally recognized credential for early childhood professionals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children): National professional membership organization setting standards, accreditation frameworks, and PD resources for early childhood educators — comparable to PDI's content-authoring and standards-setting role (Core Body of Knowledge) at a national scale.
• Zero to Three: National nonprofit focused on early childhood development, infant-toddler policy, and workforce training — adjacent to PDI's mission with comparable policy and PD publishing capacity but at a national scope.
• Child Care Aware of America: National membership and resource network for Child Care Resource & Referral agencies, providing PD, training, and policy advocacy at national scale — comparable to PDI's role but operating across all states rather than a single-state franchise.

Emerging players

• Council for Professional Recognition: National credentialing body for the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, which the Institute actively delivers CDA preparation for — a complementary rather than competing organization but operating in the same ECE credentialing space.
• All Our Kin: Nonprofit focused on training, supporting, and expanding family child care providers in Connecticut and New York — directly comparable to PDI's Informal Family Child Care Project (IFCC) initiative.

Regional players

• Connecticut Office of Early Childhood: State agency operating quality improvement, PD oversight, and registry functions for Connecticut's early childhood workforce — a state-government counterpart performing functions similar to PDI's QUALITYstarsNY and Aspire Registry roles.
• First 5 Association of California: California's network of First 5 county commissions focused on early childhood system building, advocacy, and workforce support — comparable public-private early childhood intermediary model in a different state.

Direct peers

• Child Care Services Association (CCSA): North Carolina-based nonprofit operating the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood scholarship program and a statewide early childhood workforce development infrastructure, directly comparable to PDI's scholarship-funded career advising and CDA pathway model.
• The Pennsylvania Key: Pennsylvania's designated early childhood intermediary operating statewide quality improvement, PD, and child care resource and referral services — directly comparable role to PDI as a state-level ECE workforce intermediary.
• INCCRRA (Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies) / Illinois Gateways to Opportunity: Operates Illinois' statewide professional development system (Gateways to Opportunity) including an early childhood credential registry, career lattice, and training approval — functionally the closest analog to the Institute's Aspire Registry and Career Development Center model in another state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/earlychildhoodny
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/earlychildhoodny/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/earlychildhoodny
• Xx.com/nyecpdi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute