Richmond, VA (May 13, 2024) - Parents, business leaders, child care providers, and community stakeholders representing the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, the Virginia Business Roundtable for Early Education, and the Virginia Promise Partnership laud the significant childcare investments included in the compromise budget for the next biennium (FY 2025-2026) approved today by the Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate.
These sponsoring organizations of the ‘Gotta Have Child Care’ campaign thank Governor Youngkin for the robust child care funding outlined in his Building Blocks for Virginia Families plan unveiled last December and the champions in the House and Senate for their leadership and commitment to sustaining Virginia’s best-in-class public-private parent choice system by building on the Governor’s proposed plan.
With resounding bipartisan support, Virginia’s biennial budget provides over $1.1 billion for early care and education services, including historic state general fund investments of $366million in FY 25 and $461 million in FY 26. Highlights include:
● $390M in FY 25 and $424M in FY 26 in state and federal funding to provide Child Care Subsidy Program slots/services for more than 42,000 children in FY 25 and 45,000 children in FY 26
● $38.8M in state funding each year to serve more than 2,500 children each year in the Mixed Delivery Program
● $157M in FY 25 and $156M in FY 26 in state funding for the Virginia Preschool Initiative.
This unprecedented commitment by Virginia’s leaders will ensure that eligible families across the Commonwealth continue to have access to child care services that fit their needs and preferences and will ultimately support school-ready children, work-ready parents, thriving communities, and a strong economy. The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, the Virginia Business Roundtable for Early Education,and the Virginia Promise Partnership thank Governor Youngkin and the Virginia General Assembly for their transformational investments and leadership on behalf of Virginia’s youngest children, their families, and communities.
