Gotta Have Childcare | Virginia needs affordable, quality child care

UPDATE

2024 General Assembly Session

On May 13, 2024, the General Assembly passed and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed into law a biennial state budget with historic investments in child care services for Virginia families.

The state budget includes over $366 million in Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) and over $461 million in FY26 in state funds for slots in the Child Care Subsidy Program, Mixed Delivery, and Virginia Preschool Initiative. Together, these investments result in over $1.1 billion in funding for child care slots in 2025 and 2026.

In addition to these these historic child care investments, Governor Youngkin signed into law the following priority legislation, championed by the Partnership:

H.B. 419 (Del. Bulova) / S.B. 54 (Sen. Locke) to help ensure sustainable stable child care funding
H.B. 1277 (Del. Laufer) to improve and streamline the background check process to address child care staffing shortages while upholding the safety of Virginia’s children.

Quality, affordable childcare impacts children, families, and our communities.

Over the last few years, Virginia has made significant progress in expanding child care access and choice. However, temporary federal funding will end in the coming months and, without further action, tens of thousands of children and families will lose access to child care. Increased state investment in quality child care services is critical to supporting school-ready children, work-ready parents, and thriving communities and economy.

Play

The Problem:

With the loss of temporary funding and without intervention, 35,600 children will lose access to child care services in Virginia.

The Facts:

85%

of Households Priced Out

According to a recent report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, infant childcare is already unaffordable for 85% of Virginia households.

$3.1 Billion

Lost Annually in Virginia

The lack of accessible and affordable infant-toddler care in Virginia costs taxpayers $3.1 billion annually in foregone wages, lost productivity, and unrealized tax revenue.

40%

of Kindergarteners
aren’t School-Ready

In 2022-23, 40% of kindergarteners (56% for students from low income households, 67% for multilingual learners) did not meet benchmarks as they started the school year.

The Solution:

#gottahavechildcare

To fully realize the potential of Virginia’s children, families, and economy, policymakers must make sustained investments to maintain and support increasing parent demand for affordable, quality childcare services for Virginia’s working families.