Child Care Aware of Virginia’s child care mapping project allows you to see the various types of child care programs throughout Virginia. There is a new map that shows where the Virginia Preschool Initiative Classrooms are located. Each map can be viewed from a statewide perspective, or you can zoom in to see counties, communities or neighborhoods. A legend is available for each map to describe the type of child care shown (licensed centers, license-exempt care, etc.). Overlaid with data related to children in families where all parents are working (varying shades of purple, darkening as the percentage of children in working families increases), the mapping clearly shows that some areas where a high percentage of children are in working families have very few licensed (or quality-rated) child care programs available to families. Data reflects operating status as of May 2024.
These maps are intended for data/research use only. They should not be used to search for child care, as they are not regularly updated. To search for available child care in your area, click here.
Map Tips
- Click on the map to open and view the programs in each type of care category
- Zoom in to see counties, communities or neighborhoods
- On the left panel, view the legend to see the color coding symbols for types of child care
- On the left panel, click on “content” to check or uncheck various categories
- County poverty levels are reflected with various shades of red (darkest indicating highest poverty)
- Click on the symbols/colors to see a pop-up box with program details (program info, census data)
- % Poverty vs. % Working Families: The map background is auto-set to show % of poverty of the area. You can change this feature to show the % of children in households where all parents are working. Uncheck ACS Poverty Status Variables and Check ACS Children by Parental Labor Force Participation Variables. This changes the background color to purple (the darkest shade reflects the greatest % of children in working families. As the purple becomes lighter, the % declines).
- Map loading time may take a few seconds, so please be patient!
For more detailed descriptions of each licensing type, visit Child Care of VA website and click on Providers.
Licensed Child Care Centers
Click here to see licensed child care centers in Virginia.
Licensed & Voluntarily Registered Family Child Care Homes
Click here to see licensed and voluntary registered family child care homes in Virginia.
Local Permit and Family Day System (NOVA)
Click here to see home-based providers caring for 4 or fewer children under a local permit in northern Virginia and home-based providers participating in a family day home system.
School-Aged Child Care Programs
Click here to see school-age child care programs in Virginia.
School-age Recreational/Instructional License-Exempt Child Care Programs
Click here to see school-age recreational/ instructional license-exempt child care centers.
Religious License-Exempt Child Care Programs
Click here to see religious license-exempt child care centers.
Child Care Programs Participating in the Child Care Subsidy Program
Click here to see center-based and home-based child care providers participating in Virginia’s child care subsidy program.
Head Start and Early Head Start
Click here to see Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Virginia.
Centers and Home-based programs participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
Click here to see programs participating in CACFP in Virginia, which offers reimbursement for nutritious meals and snacks in centers and homes serving lower-income children. Data used in this map is self-reported by providers. Learn more about CACFP here.
Child Care Programs Offering Infant & Toddler Care
Click here to see child care centers and family child care homes that offer infant and toddler care.
Child Care Programs Offering Nontraditional Hour Care
Click here to see child care centers and family child care homes that offer care during nontraditional hours.
Virginia Preschool Initiative Classrooms
Click here to see Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) in Licensed and Instructional License Exempt Programs.
Home-based Child Care and Head Start Programs in Neighborhoods where Spanish is Spoken at Home
Click here to see child care supply in neighborhoods where Spanish is spoken at home. As the blue shading becomes darker, the percentage of children in homes where Spanish is spoken at home is greater.
All Child Care Programs
Click here to see all child care programs in Virginia. It takes a few minutes for all the variables to load. Visitors may want to unclick all the layer options (types of child care) once the map fully loads, and click on layers as you want to add each to the map. Zoom in to check out your neighborhood!
Virginia Child Care Home-based Businesses by County
Click here to see VA’s 12,998 sole proprietors in 2021 who are paid to care for children. In contrast, in May 2024, there were 2,369 state and local regulated family day homes subject to health and safety rules to promote the safety of children in care.
