About Ready Region Central
Ready Region Central consists of the cities of Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond; and the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Greensville, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex.
Thrive Birth to Five serves as the Ready Region Central 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 Central 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
(53,101)
of children under the age of 5 are income-eligible for publicly funded ECCE
(44,910)
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
(34,808)
Did you know?
$76,223: the median total price of ECCE services for one child (from birth to age 5)
$217,781: the minimum household income for the median annual price of ECCE services for one child to be affordable
$465 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 Central 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.
