About Ready Region Capital Area

Ready Region Capital Area consists of the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, and Falls Church; and the counties of Arlington and Fairfax.

Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services serves as the Ready Region Capital Area lead. The Ready Regions lead is responsible for on-the-ground coordination and integration of essential early childhood care and education (ECCE) services and resources.

Although one organization is identified as the Ready Regions lead, they 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 Capital Area At-A-Glance

Ready Region

69%

of children under the age of 6 years old have all available parents in the workforce

Ready Region

101,532

children under the age
of 5 years old

Ready Region

75,174

child care slots
in the region

Ready Region

7,003

child care slots needed to meet demand

Ready Region

$310,010,100

in lost business revenue due to inadequate child care

Ready Region

43%

of children started kindergarten without key skills

Sources:

Percentage of Parents in Workforce: U.S. Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. 2019.
Children Under 5 Years Old: U.S. Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. 2019.
Existing Child Care Slots: Bipartisan Policy Center, Child Care Gaps Assessment. 2019.
Child Care Slots Needed to Meet Demand: Bipartisan Policy Center, Child Care Gaps Assessment. 2019.
Lost Business Revenue: Author calculations based on data from Ready Nation, Council for a Strong America, The Economic Impacts of Insufficient Child Care on Working Families. September 2018; U.S. Census American Community Survey, 1-year estimates. 2019.
Kindergarten Readiness: Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program results, Spring 2022, by Ready Region. Data provided by Virginia Department of Education.