About Ready Region Southeastern
Ready Region Southeastern serves the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach; and the counties of Accomack, Isle of Wight, Northampton, and Southampton.
Minus 9 to 5, Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University serves as the Ready Region Southeastern lead agency and is responsible for on-the-ground coordination and integration of essential early childhood care and education (ECCE) services and resources.
As the lead agency, Minus 9 to 5, Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University must partner with school divisions, social and human services, quality improvement networks, ECCE programs, and other organizations involved in Virginia’s public-private early childhood system.
Ready Region Southeastern At-A-Glance
children under the age of 5 years old
of children under the age of 5 have all available parents in the workforce
(50,612)
of children under the age of 5 are income-eligible for publicly funded ECCE
(53,955)
publicly funded ECCE slots for children under the age of 5
of income-eligible children under the age of 5 are not served in publicly funded ECCE
(43,828)
*Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
Did you know?
$74,143: the median total price of ECCE services for one child (from birth to age 5)
$211,838: the minimum household income for the median annual price of ECCE services for one child to be affordable
$386 million: the economic impact of insufficient care for children under the age of 3
36%: share of Virginia children from low-income backgrounds without public prekindergarten experience who are kindergarten ready (vs. 55% of children from low-income backgrounds with public prekindergarten experience)
For more Ready Region Southeastern data, visit the Ready Region ECCE Supply/Demand Dashboard.
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Data Sources:
• Children Under 5 Years Old: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates. 2023.
• Percentage of Parents in Workforce: U.S. Census Bureau 5-Year American Community Survey. 2023.
• Percentage of Children Income-Eligible for Publicly Funded ECCE: VECF calculations based on U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year American Community Survey (ACS) microdata and 2023 5-Year ACS.
• Publicly Funded Slots for Children Under 5: Fiscal Year 2025 slots in the Child Care Subsidy Program, Virginia Preschool Initiative, Early Head Start, Head Start, and Mixed Delivery.
• Percentage of Income-Eligible Children Not Served: Calculated using publicly funded slots and number of children income-eligible for publicly funded ECCE.
• Median Total Price of ECCE Services for One Child: VECF calculations using median classroom rates by classroom age from Fall 2024 VQB5 Classroom Profiles.
• Minimum Income Needed for Total Price of ECCE Services to Be Affordable: Calculated by dividing the median total price of ECCE services by 5 (to calculate one year of care) and again by 0.07 (representing 7% of family income; ECCE care is considered affordable if it is less than 7% of family income).
• Economic Impact of Insufficient Infant and Toddler Care: VECF calculations based on data from Ready Nation (February 2023) and U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year American Community Survey (ACS) microdata.
• Kindergarten Readiness: Virginia Department of Education Annual Update on the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program. 2024.