The Virginia Promise Partnership is a statewide effort launched recently by VECF with the bold goal of ensuring all families have access to affordable childcare by 2030. You can read more about the partnership here: Virginia Promise Partnership

The Virginia Promise Partnership is working with Smart Beginnings partners to lift up the voices of child care programs and parents like you! You have important experiences and perspectives to share about the value and need for child care. And we want to provide you with resources and tools to share your story with elected officials across the state.

The Virginia Promise Partnership is hosting a virtual one-hour Advocacy 101 Training in April during which you will learn key skills and tactics for becoming a Virginia Promise Advocate.

If you’re interested in joining other providers in our area and across the state to make sure our elected officials know that early childhood education needs to be a priority, please let me know and we’ll provide dates and times for the advocacy training. Email Rich!

RTD-These are systemic problems-working moms barely survived the past year. Here’s why and how things could get better in the year ahead. 

VCU Health-learning more about the 3 vaccines available in the US 

Forbes-Managing childcare, the power of family friendly and inclusive cities 

Bipartisan Policy Center-Rethinking America’s child care system 

AARP-How to grandparent a child with special needs 

Prenatal to 3 Policy Impact Center-why do we focus on the prenatal to 3 age period? Understanding the importance of the earliest years.

Transition Oversight of Child Care and Family Day Homes from VDOE

Effective July 1, 2021, the Board of Education will be responsible for setting policy priorities for early childhood care and accountability, to be carried out by the VDOE. This creates a single point of accountability for school readiness in the Commonwealth. 

VDOE will assume oversight of child care licensing and monitoring and the Child Care Subsidy Program as of July 1. All existing policies and regulations will transfer to VDOE as-is.