Child Care Aware of Virginia Business Guides
Interested in starting a child care business in Virginia? We’re here to help! Child care is essential to our economy, providing parents with the support needed to work while fostering children’s growth and development. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the various types of child care programs permitted in Virginia and the steps to establish each one. It also includes a range of resources to help you launch and maintain a successful, high-quality child care business.
We understand the difficulty many child care programs face to hire and retain staff at this time. This Hiring and Onboarding Guide was created specifically for child care programs and addresses some of the unique challenges associated with hiring in this field. This guide will walk you through the hiring planning process, creating a job description and job advertisement, conducting interviews, extending an offer, onboarding new staff, and retaining the quality staff you have hired. This guide is full of resources and tips to assist you every step of the way.
Grow Your Business
The Child and Adult Care Food Program is a federal program that provides reimbursement for nutritious meals and snacks served to children and adults enrolled for care in participating child and adult care centers. This reimbursement can serve as a vital component in a child care program’s budget.
The Afterschool Alliance is working to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs. Afterschool programs are critical to children and families.
The Virginia Small Business Financing Authority’s Child Care Financing Program (CCFP) is a direct loan from the VSBFA to a child care center or a family home provider. Bank participation is not required, though oftentimes the bank will provide financing for the center’s physical location and building construction and the VSBFA can provide a loan for the other necessary items the center needs such as cots, fencing, playground equipment, buses, etc.
Training & Support
Virginia Department of Education: Child Care Resources
- News, Events, Bulletins
- Guidance & Resources
- Scholarship Program. The purpose of this tuition assistance program is to offer child care providers foundational knowledge and skills in the care and development of children. Funded by the federal Child Care and Development Fund, the program allows early educators to attend undergraduate courses at Virginia’s accredited colleges.
- Professional Development Opportunities
Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential is a nationally recognized early childhood credential awarded to educators who are skilled primary caregivers for young children. To successfully complete the CDA assessment process, child care providers must participate in various forms of training and practical experiences. Contact the Council for Professional Recognition at (800) 424-4310 for more information.
VPOST, the Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School-Time, is a statewide public-private partnership dedicated to developing and expanding academic, social, emotional, and physical supports and services to school-age children and youth across the Commonwealth of Virginia during the out-of-school time hours – before-school, after-school, vacations periods, and summer.
MAT (Medication Administration Training) Child care providers who work in licensed or regulated child day programs and who give prescription medications to children are required by the Code of Virginia to satisfactorily complete the MAT course. The MAT course is a competency-based course approved by the Board of Nursing (BON) and Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to train providers who work in child day programs to safely administer medication to children. The MAT course must be facilitated by an approved MAT Trainer. The courses offered can be taken partially online and in a classroom-based setting.
The Virginia Child Care Association (VCCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support and guidance for Virginia’s private, licensed Early Childhood Education community. VCCA is here to help provide private, licensed Early Childhood Education owners, administrators and directors with up-to-date information and resources to help stay on top of the industry and prepare for future growth and success.
Better Kid Care Online Classes. Provide a variety of free and low-cost classes designed for early childhood educators.
Safe Sleep Practices for Caregivers: Reduce the Risk of SUID
This module focuses on defining SUID and identifying behaviors that affect and reduce the risk of sleep related SUID. Specifically, you’ll learn about the common beliefs and misconceptions about SUID, understand the behaviors that affect the risk of sleep related SUID, and learn to implement safe sleep practices for infants.
Virginia Pre-service Training for Child Care Staff
This 10 hour no cost On Demand orientation course provides an overview of basic health and safety requirements and best practices in ten of the topic areas outlined in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Reauthorization; and was specifically created for professionals who work with children and families in Virginia.
This course is required for prospective subsidy providers to complete prior to approval as a Subsidy Provider. Once the program is an approved subsidy provider, current staff that work directly with children shall complete this training within 90 days of the program becoming a Subsidy Provider. New staff hired, that work directly with children, shall complete this training within 90 days of employment.
Effective October 13, 2021, this course is also required for staff who work in Licensed Child Day Centers and shall be completed within 90 days of employment.
Although only the above listed programs are required to take this course, all professionals in child care and preschool programs are encouraged to complete the training.
Square One serves as a regional public-private partnership on school readiness in the southeastern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Square One’s mission is to help all children enter school healthy and ready to succeed. The ultimate goal is to provide the region with a competitive workforce in the global economy. Square One provides professional development training to those who work with children ages 0-8 and their families.
Resources on the Opioid Crisis:
- Why and How to Dispose of Medications
- America’s Opioid Crisis: The Unseen Impact on Virginia Children PDF
Raise Quality
All young children (Birth to 5) with and without disabilities have the right to experience settings, relationships, and interactions that will support and further their development and learning. Young children with disabilities have both the need and the right to participate in and benefit from the same experiences as their peers without disabilities in all settings and activities within their communities. Download PDF version Inclusion Means Everyone.
Are you looking for creative ideas and support for improving the quality of your infant and toddler program? Would you like practical staff training and resources at no cost to your program? The Virginia Infant & Toddler Specialist Network promotes excellence in child day centers and family day homes by increasing the educational level and skills of those who work with infants and toddlers. Highly trained infant and toddler specialists provide on-site consultation and training throughout the state.
VQB5 is the Virginia’s measurement and improvement system which focuses on the quality of all publicly-funded birth-five classrooms and supports families to choose quality programming across different program types. VQB5 sets shared expectations for measuring quality and supporting teachers for all birth to five programs. All publicly funded programs that serve children ages birth-five are required to participate in VQB5. Programs that do not receive any public funds have the option to participate in VQB5 as well. VQB5 Participation Requirements VQB5 25-26 Participation Guidelines