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1.2. Program Overview A. Program Administration

The Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP) is administered via a partnership by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS). Under §22.1-289.03 of the Code of Virginia, VDOE is charged with implementing a statewide unified public-private system for early childhood care and education, overseen by the Board of Education, with the goal of ensuring that every child has the opportunity to enter Kindergarten healthy and ready to learn. VDOE serves as the Lead Agency for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), which sets general policy parameters and provides funding for the CCSP. As Lead Agency, VDOE is responsible for managing federal funds, determining funding and policy priorities, and managing services and supports for providers in the CCSP.

VDSS serves as a subrecipient to the Department and is contracted to administer the CCSP, including providing oversight of the case management activities at the Local Departments of Social Services and managing the contract for Virginia’s enterprise case management system, VaCMS. VDSS is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local statutes, rules and regulations, administrative procedures, guides, manuals, program rules, and definitions relevant to administering the CCSP, as established by the Virginia Board of Education and the Department.

B. Program Goals

Nearly 100,000 children enter kindergarten in Virginia schools annually. Only 60% of these children start school with the key literacy, math, and socio-emotional skills that position them to be successful in school. When considering the most vulnerable young learners, the numbers are more concerning; less than half of children from economically-disadvantaged families enter school fully prepared for success - — in fact, 61% of students from low-income backgrounds started the 2024-2025 school year with scores below the overall benchmark (Source: Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program Fall 2024 VKRP Snapshot. Click here to learn more about VKRP: https://vkrponline.org/). Every Virginia child, regardless of background or zip code, is capable of and deserves to enter school ready so that he or she can achieve his or her full potential. Yet the stark disparities in access to and quality of Virginia’s early childhood care and education system limit opportunity for Virginia’s children. There is also a strong connection between access to quality early childhood care and education and the health of our families and workforce. Having access to a reliable, safe, nurturing, and affordable early childhood learning environment is key to a parent’s ability to be a productive member of the workforce.

The overarching goal of the CCSP is to improve access to high-quality affordable, child care options for eligible families, ultimately improving children’s school readiness for kindergarten and enable parents to work and meet the needs of their families. Virginia will accomplish this implementing policies and processes that: 1. Are flexible and responsive to families’ needs and realities; 2. Prioritize higher levels of support to families with the fewest resources; and 3. Ensure families have equal access to the broad array of child care options.