VACo supports legislation that would bolster early childhood care and education in Virginia. HB 2538 (Bulova) cleared the House of Delegates on a vote of 71-28, but was passed by indefinitely by the Senate Finance and Appropriations with a letter of referral to the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission. As introduced, the bill would have required the Department of Education to establish and maintain a funding formula for the provision of early childhood care and education services, make disbursements from the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund established in the bill, and submit to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education a report on the status of the Fund, among other provisions. The Senate Education and Health Committee adopted a substitute version of the bill and referred it to Senate Finance and Appropriations by a unanimous vote of 15-0. The substitute pared the bill back by eliminating the creating of the Fund but retained language to address childcare deserts. The Senate companion of this bill, SB 756 (Locke), was left in Senate Finance and Appropriations prior to crossover.
VACo supports efforts to increase at-risk children’s access to high-quality, enriching learning environments, including more resources and flexibility for localities participating in programs like the Virginia Preschool Initiative and Head Start. VACo supports additional federal and state funding for programs such as the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to support increased demand for childcare services. VACo supports local flexibility to administer or expand support services for childcare. VACo supports the work of and local government representation on the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education to provide recommendations for and tracking progress on the financing of Virginia’s comprehensive birth-to-five early childhood care and education system.
VACo Contact: Jeremy R. Bennett