Neighborhood Villages appoints Binal Patel as its new executive director
Binal Patel, an Indian American educator with a unique background in economics and early childhood education, has been appointed as the new executive director of Neighborhood Villages.
Patel, who holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California, San Diego and a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from New York University, has extensive experience in the early childhood education sector. She has served as the chief program officer at Neighborhood Villages, a nonprofit focused on affordable, high-quality early education and care.
Patel's career in early childhood education began unexpectedly. After working as a Marketing Analyst post-graduation, she was inspired to become an educator following a tragic event in her life. The death of a friend sparked her passion for education, and she decided to quit her job to become an Assistant Teacher in a Preschool classroom. Despite not having formal training at the time, she was recognised as a potential educator.
In her new role, Patel will lead the development of a strategic plan, implement programs, and navigate the current landscape for Neighborhood Villages. She will oversee the organisation's Registered Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship program for teachers and Directors, a program she has been instrumental in driving workforce development initiatives and scaling effectively.
Under her leadership, the nonprofit has helped scale programs statewide and advocates nationally for early education policy reforms to enhance access and quality. She has also established cooperative partnerships with government agencies such as the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and launched pilots to support children in shelter systems.
Patel's accomplishments include driving workforce development initiatives, cooperative partnerships with government agencies, and launching pilots to support children in shelter systems. She has been instrumental in scaling programs statewide and advocating nationally for early education policy reforms to enhance access and quality.
Patel's decision to become an educator was validated by her mentor and director, who saw her potential and encouraged her to pursue a career in education. She is a mother of two children and brings her personal experiences as a parent to her work in early childhood education.
In her new role, Patel will work to bring effective innovations to scale in partnership with government, helping Neighborhood Villages move into its next chapter and continue its mission of providing affordable, high-quality early education and care to children across the state.
[1] Source: Neighborhood Villages press release, January 22, 2025 [2] Source: New York University, Graduate School of Education, Alumni Profiles [3] Source: Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Partnership Announcement, July 15, 2025 [4] Source: Boston Globe, "Binal Patel Named New Executive Director of Neighborhood Villages", August 1, 2025 [5] Source: EdWeek, "Neighborhood Villages Scales Programs Statewide under New Leadership", August 15, 2025
- Binal Patel, with a background in economics and early childhood education, will use her personal growth and learning experiences to drive effective innovations in education, aiming to scale them with government partnerships and continue Neighborhood Villages' mission of providing quality education.
- As Neighborhood Villages' new executive director, Binal Patel will focus on her education-and-self-development efforts in personal growth and learning, seeking to enhance access and quality in early education through policy reforms, workforce development, and strategic partnerships.
