Tools for Choosing a Child Care Program
The resources on this page are intended to empower caregivers and parents to know what to look for when choosing quality child care and select a program that's right for you.
What Type of Childcare is Right for Me?
This helpful diagram from Child Care Aware of Virginia shows some of the types of care available to families in Virginia.
Virginia Department of Education Child Care Subsidy Program
The Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP) assists families in paying child care costs for children under age 13 who are not eligible to attend public school during the part of the day when public education is available, or children with special needs under age 18 who reside with the applicant.
Learn more about CCSP at the link above and Comparing Child Care Subsidy Program and Mixed Delivery.
Age-specific resources from the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC):
What You Want to See in a High-Quality Infant Program
What You Want to See in a High-Quality Toddler Program
What Does a High-Quality Preschool Program Look Like?
Child Care Aware of Virginia provide free customized referrals to programs in your area via their 1-866-KIDS TLC hotline and online form. They also share information about child care options and tools such as the Child Care Quality Checklist to help families choose safe, quality care.
Virginia Department of Social Services
Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) maintains a database that allows parents to search for licensed child care providers. Parents have the ability to review inspection history, including the frequency, nature of and dates of violations.
Virginia School Quality Profiles
Virginia’s School Quality Profiles provide information about student achievement, college and career readiness, program completion, school safety, teacher quality, and other topics of interest to parents and the general public. Report cards are available for schools, school divisions, and for the commonwealth.
Enrollment Documents for Early Care and Education Programs PDF
This quick checklist outlines the documents caregivers/parents should have in hand to begin the enrollment process at any Early Care program.